The Sooners escape the bitter Oklahoma temperatures to face the No. 4 ranked Michigan Wolverines in the National Collegiate Softball Invitational at 1pm today in Clermont, Florida. Michigan’s power pitchers Nikki Nemitz and Jordan Taylor return to the line-up after combining for 591 strikeouts last season.

The no. 11 ranked Sooners will also face Central Florida at 4 p.m. following the Michigan matchup. The Sooners will continue the tournament through the weekend, facing Florida Atlantic at 10 a.m. followed by Chattanooga at noon on Saturday, leading up to another ranked matchup on at 8 a.m. Sunday against no.16 Tennessee.

A chance at redemption is also on the schedule this season. The Sooners will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes at 6 p.m. on March 3 in Norman. The Hurricanes beat the Sooners in a late rally to end the Sooners’ trip to another World Series tournament last season.

With only two seniors on the roster this season, the team will rely on the underclassmen to make a difference in the line-up and step up to the plate.

“I don’t see it as a rebuilding year,” head coach Gasso said on having a young team. “This group is seasoned as freshmen and they’re playing up to our seniors…”

Freshman newcomer Keilani Ricketts is one of the young players to watch this season. Ricketts is the younger sister of OU great Samantha Ricketts. 2009 EA Sports/ESPN Rise National Player of the Year, California’s 2009 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, 2009 EA Sports first team All-American, and 2009 West Catholic Athletic League Pitcher and Player of the Year are just a couple of awards Ricketts earned during her senior year at Archbishop Mitty high school.

“Keilani is special and you’ll see that,” Gasso said. “She has accomplished everything you could in a high school and travel ball career.”

The Sooners return two dominant seniors in utility player Amber Flores and catcher Lindsey Vandever. Flores earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors last season, finishing with a .417 batting average and a season-high 15 home runs. Vandever earned 2009 All-Big 12 second team honors after finishing with a .303 batting average. At the catcher position, Vandever also posted a .994 fielding percentage last season.

Flores has earned accolades this season already. Flores was named to the Player of the Year watch list last month while the Sooners were picked no. 10 [ESPN.com] and no. 11[USA Today] in the preseason polls. Flores was also selected as the fifth overall pick in the 2010 National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft by USSSA Pride on Wednesday. The National Pro Fastpitch league gives elite players an opportunity to play professionally after graduation. Flores joins an elite cast of 14 former Sooners currently in the league.

The Sooners will return to the friendly confines of Marita Hynes field for the home opener against St. Gregory’s at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.