Keilani Ricketts

Keilani Ricketts
Name	Keilani Ricketts
Position	Pitcher
Birth date	13 May 1992
Birth place	San Jose, California, U.S.
Bats	Right
Throws	Left
College	University of Oklahoma
Teams	USSSA Pride, Oklahoma City Spark
National team	United States
Medals	Country, United StatesSport, SoftballName, World Cup of SoftballGold, 2012Gold, 2013Gold, 2014Gold, 2015Gold, 2016Gold, 2017Name, Pan American GamesGold, 2015Name, WBSC Women's Softball World ChampionshipGold, 2016Gold, 2018

Keilani Ricketts is an American former professional softball pitcher renowned for her dominant collegiate career and extensive success with the United States national team. A two-time winner of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, she led the University of Oklahoma to an NCAA Championship in 2013. Her powerful left-handed pitching and hitting made her one of the most decorated players in the history of NCAA Division I.

Early life and education

Born in San Jose, California, Ricketts was raised in a sports-oriented family alongside her sister, fellow future Oklahoma Sooners standout Samantha Ricketts. She attended Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, where she excelled in both softball and volleyball. As a prep athlete, she earned numerous accolades, including being named a High School All-American by MaxPreps and the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of California. Her high school success established her as one of the nation's top pitching recruits, leading to her commitment to play for coach Patty Gasso at the University of Oklahoma.

College career

Ricketts' collegiate career with the Oklahoma Sooners from 2010 to 2013 is considered legendary. She was a three-time First-team All-American and won back-to-back USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year awards in 2012 and 2013. In her junior season, she posted a 37-9 record with a 1.08 earned run average and 457 strikeouts, leading Oklahoma to the Women's College World Series finals. The following year, she captained the team to the program's second national title, defeating the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in the championship series. Her career statistics rank among the best in NCAA Division I history for wins, strikeouts, and shutouts.

Professional career

Following her graduation, Ricketts played professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league. She was selected first overall by the USSSA Pride in the 2013 NPF Draft. With the Pride, she was part of multiple championship teams, winning Cowles Cup titles in 2014 and 2015. She later played for the Oklahoma City Spark during the 2021 season. Her professional career was marked by her continued effectiveness as a starting pitcher against elite competition, contributing to the growth and visibility of the National Pro Fastpitch league.

International career

Ricketts was a cornerstone of the United States national team for nearly a decade, helping maintain American dominance in international softball. She won gold medals at the 2016 and 2018 World Championships. She also claimed gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. A fixture in the circle at the World Cup of Softball, she helped the U.S. win six consecutive titles from 2012 to 2017. Her international career culminated with a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where softball returned to the Olympic program after a 13-year absence.

Personal life

Ricketts comes from a highly athletic family; her sister Samantha Ricketts played at the University of Oklahoma and later became a coach, including a stint as head coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. In December 2020, she married former Oklahoma Sooners and NFL quarterback Landry Jones. The couple resides in Oklahoma City. Since concluding her playing career, Ricketts has been involved in coaching and softball clinics, contributing to the development of the next generation of players.

Awards and honors

Ricketts' trophy case is extensive, headlined by her two USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year awards. She is a three-time First-team All-American and was the 2013 Honda Sports Award winner for softball. She received the Honda-Broderick Cup in 2013, awarded to the nation's top collegiate woman athlete across all sports. Her number, 14, was retired by the University of Oklahoma in 2014. Internationally, she was named to multiple all-world teams at the World Championships and was a key figure on U.S. teams that were consistently ranked number one in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

Category:American softball players Category:Oklahoma Sooners softball players Category:USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year winners