By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Christian alum and Oklahoma Sooner Lexi McDaniel had an outstanding weekend on the diamond, and was honored by the Southeastern Conference, being named the SEC softball Freshman of the Week.
Through five games, where the Sooners put up a blistering 116 runs and 30 home runs, McDaniel was red hot at the plate hitting .769 with four home runs, 11 runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.769 slugging percentage. She had four multi-hit games, including a 4-for-4 game against Alabama State on February 27th in which she homered twice. She also hit a grand slam February 28th as the Sooners set a program record with 21 runs in the same inning. Teammate Abby Dayton also hit a grand slam in the same inning, tying an NCAA record for grand slams in an inning.
McDaniel leads Oklahoma with a .556 batting average, while adding five home runs and 17 RBIs. She also hit a pivotal pinch-hit home run in a 13-3 win against Sam Houston State, also on February 27th, her second pinch hit home run of the season. McDaniel is the second Sooners freshman to earn the honor this season, Kai Minor also being honored for Oklahoma.
From the top recruiting class of 2025, which including McDaniel as the nations top recruit and Minor, Sooner freshmen have combined for 32 of OU's 86 home runs this season between McDaniel, Minor, Allyssa Parker and Kendall Wells.
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