OKLAHOMA CITY — South Florida coach Ken Eriksen took turns joking and praising Oklahoma pitcher Keilani Ricketts the day before his team took on the Sooners at the Women's College World Series.
He's allowed. Eriksen, despite being the opponent, has spent plenty of time around Ricketts, coaching her when she played on the US National Team. He knows her game, but when he compared the junior All-American to Babe Ruth, it was a likeness few outside the world of NCAA softball would get but certainly everyone would understand.
Well, simply put, Ricketts is the Babe Ruth of college softball. A feared power hitter with numbers to prove it and the best pitcher in the nation who doesn't throw overhanded.
Ricketts stands 6-foot-2 and throws a 73-mph ball from 43 feet which would be the same as a 103-mph fastball at the Major League level, something maybe 10 players can do, yet most have never heard her name because of the sport she plays.
Consider this your introduction.
In the niche market of the softball world, Ricketts isn't a rising star, she's Ruthian. LeBron James. Tiger Woods. However, outside the well-insulated, lightly publicized sport, Ricketts is a virtual unknown with the cultural impact of a tax attorney. An insurance agent.
That could all change after this week.
ESPN is all-in for its coverage of the Women's College World Series going on in Oklahoma City, but softball is virtually unseen and never heard or talked about by the general sporting scene. And now that women's softball is no longer part of the Olympics, the chance of softball on a national level taking flight seems to be minimal.
It takes something special to break out.
"I don't think she knows how good she is," said Stephanie Ricketts, Keilani's sister, who plays for the University of Hawaii. "She gets embarrassed when she gets any attention. It's scary how much talent she has. She doesn't even know."
Once in awhile, a player comes along who transcends the sport. In basketball it might be Michael Jordan or James. Football has Peyton Manning and even college basketball from time to time features a star who has people outside the world of sports talking.
But look closer to Oklahoma City this week. The NBA's Thunder, Kevin Durant and a team which has become one of the best in the league played host to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, about 10 minutes south of Hall of Fame Stadium. But no one here was talking about Durant.
They talk about Keilani.
Friday, she struck out 16 batters against the No. 1 team in the nation – California in a 3-0 OU win - continuing an absurd, nearly unbelievable trend. Her coach Patty Gasso said Ricketts was the "best I've ever seen. Complete command," against Cal, but she's really been that way all year.
In 2012, Ricketts has faced 1,051 batters. She has struck out 432 of them. She allows less than a run per game. This season, Ricketts has 37 wins in OU's 62 games. Meanwhile, she's hit 16 home runs, and came into the Women's College World Series hitting a team-best .407.
Before Alabama took the field against Oklahoma in Game 1 of the Women's College World Series on Monday night, Crimson Tide head coach Patrick Murphy told television reporters that for his team to win, they couldn't let Ricketts strike them out a dozen times.
Twelve Alabama strikeouts later by Ricketts (not to mention only walking one batter), the Sooners won 4-1 and find themselves one win away from their first ever softball National Championship.
Game two of the Women's College World Series takes place Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.
In softball, there's been big-time players, but few have had their personalities put on display. Jennie Finch of Arizona, who pitched for the national team in the 2008 Olympics may be the closest thing to a softball player turned celebrity.
"I think after this week, and events like this, absolutely she could be that kind of person," said Michele Smith of Ricketts, who was on the broadcast team for ESPN. Smith, should know. The former Oklahoma State pitcher was part of two Olympic Gold Medal teams and three World Championship teams for the United States.
"The College World Series is a high-profile event. She has the potential to be that. She's still young. If you look at it in the next couple years, absolutely."
Young enough that Ricketts' mother Carol considered holding her back when she finished preschool, because her daughter was the youngest in the grade. Ricketts is just a junior, amiable, but not gregarious. Happy to talk, but not at all interested in seeking out a lengthy conversation or engaging in small talk or open enough to share much.
Yet, despite that she's easily the closest thing softball has to a mega-star.
"She doesn't like all the attention," said Carol Ricketts. "I feel like my friends think I brag about her too much. I have my own Facebook page where I share about my kids, because they won't do it themselves."
Softball has a unique opportunity to promote itself in a different way because, unlike basketball and soccer, the other most popular women's sports, there's no male equivalent to the sport. That could mean with the right person, and the right talent, a star could be born.
"Yes, that could be her," said Oklahoma basketball coach Sherri Coale, who has an impressive record of making three Final Four showings but also is a pioneer in the women's basketball community for her style and substance. "Her skill set is superior. And that's the first thing that puts you in the conversation. Beyond that is how you conduct yourself and go about your business and all those other intangible features are what go into making you that face."
Ricketts is certainly one who has all those elements.
"I do think she can be the biggest name out there," said Smith before Ricketts dominated Cal on Friday night. "The next month or two will be huge. We'll see how she finishes here at the World Series and her opportunities with team USA."
Ricketts biggest runway will likely be here in Oklahoma City. She'll be seen by more people, pitch more innings, thanks to being the best in the nation and have more opportunities for interviews and conversation.
That's if she wants any or all of that.
"I think it would be a dream come true," she said of being the next big thing on dirt. "Jennie Finch is someone I've always looked up to."
Now everyone is looking at Ricketts.
