All Sooners

OU Softball: Oklahoma P Kierston Deal Wins Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for the Second Time

The sophomore left-hander became the first OU pitcher to notch consecutive pitcher of the week honors since Giselle Juarez's dominant 2019 campaign.

Ryan Chapman

SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

For the second straight week, Kierston Deal has been named the Big 12’s best.

OU’s sophomore pitcher was stellar over the weekend against UCF, earning the left-hander her second straight conference Pitcher of the Week crown. 

Deal allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings of work across two games this past weekend. 

She struck out five batters, allowing our four hits and one walk. 

Deal was in full command on Saturday, dueling UCF’s Sarah Willis in a pitcher’s duel. She limited the Knights to one run, powering the Sooners to a 2-1 victory that kept their one-game lead atop the conference intact. 

She returned on Sunday to record the final two outs of the game, sealing the series sweep. 

Deal is the first OU pitcher to notch back-to-back Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors since Giselle Juarez won four-straight awards from April 17-May 7, 2019.

The continued growth of Deal into one of the Big 12’s best arms comes at the perfect time for the Sooners. 

Oklahoma will host Oklahoma State in the regular season finale this weekend at Love’s Field with the Big 12 regular season title on the line. 

OU is one game ahead of Texas and two games ahead of the Cowgirls entering the weekend. 

First pitch for Game 1 on Friday is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the contest from Love’s Field will be broadcast on FS1. 

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Ryan Chapman

RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK.