jdsooner
8/19/2007, 10:20 AM
There is a story circulating in Stillwater that Katie Norris was the only member of her SHS softball team to be asked to leave a team workout at OSU because of her commitment to OU. Another member of the Pioneers who has committed to Arkansas was not asked to leave, only the future Sooner. The story says that this request came from someone who works for the athletic department and that her father, the owner of Chris' University Spirit, was less than pleased.
2008 VERBAL
*** Katie Norris is leaving her hometown and it's surprising a lot of people. Why? A lifelong fan of Oklahoma State, which is located in her hometown of Stillwater, Okla., the junior catcher is headed to Big 12 rival University of Oklahoma, which she committed to last Saturday.
Although the decision surprised a lot of people, Norris says there was one overriding reason for her decision.
Katie Norris
"I've lived in Stillwater my whole life," she begins, "and it's hard not to be an OSU fan since I've been here all my 16 years. But I feel like I needed to get out of Stillwater and experience something new, even if it's only 90 minutes away.
She says telling the coaches at OSU, as well as other schools that recruited her like Baylor and Tulsa, was difficult.
"It was my decision and I'm happy with it," she explains. "Oklahoma is a great program and is only getting better, they're No. 2 in the country, and the pitching staff coming is should be pretty good. Still, it was hard telling the other coaches and my Dad talked to some because I'm emotional and probably wouldn't do very well."
Norris explains the Sooner coaches first saw her in high school ball, where last year she helped lead Stillwater High to the state tournament for the first time in three years. She hit .462 with nine home runs to break the single season record for the school.
A power-hitting catcher, she can also play the infield corners—"Coach Gasso says I could be a first baseman," Katie adds— and says OU's primary reason for recruiting her was her bat.
So why commit now?
"I was ready to get it off my chest and when I went there on an unofficial visit it felt like the place I needed to be.
The junior standout went to the Sooner campus on March 30 for her unofficial and stayed the next day to watch the OU and Texas A&M game. That Friday, she met with Coach Gasso, who told Norris Oklahoma was interested in her.
"I was excited and flabbergasted," the athlete recalls, "and later my Dad asked how interested and they talked about an offer. Last Saturday, I called Coach Gasso and told her I was ready to commit and she sounded really excited."
Norris also plays basketball for Stillwater and did track in junior high. But it's softball where her future lies and it's on a road that leads her out of town…
2008 VERBAL
*** Katie Norris is leaving her hometown and it's surprising a lot of people. Why? A lifelong fan of Oklahoma State, which is located in her hometown of Stillwater, Okla., the junior catcher is headed to Big 12 rival University of Oklahoma, which she committed to last Saturday.
Although the decision surprised a lot of people, Norris says there was one overriding reason for her decision.
Katie Norris
"I've lived in Stillwater my whole life," she begins, "and it's hard not to be an OSU fan since I've been here all my 16 years. But I feel like I needed to get out of Stillwater and experience something new, even if it's only 90 minutes away.
She says telling the coaches at OSU, as well as other schools that recruited her like Baylor and Tulsa, was difficult.
"It was my decision and I'm happy with it," she explains. "Oklahoma is a great program and is only getting better, they're No. 2 in the country, and the pitching staff coming is should be pretty good. Still, it was hard telling the other coaches and my Dad talked to some because I'm emotional and probably wouldn't do very well."
Norris explains the Sooner coaches first saw her in high school ball, where last year she helped lead Stillwater High to the state tournament for the first time in three years. She hit .462 with nine home runs to break the single season record for the school.
A power-hitting catcher, she can also play the infield corners—"Coach Gasso says I could be a first baseman," Katie adds— and says OU's primary reason for recruiting her was her bat.
So why commit now?
"I was ready to get it off my chest and when I went there on an unofficial visit it felt like the place I needed to be.
The junior standout went to the Sooner campus on March 30 for her unofficial and stayed the next day to watch the OU and Texas A&M game. That Friday, she met with Coach Gasso, who told Norris Oklahoma was interested in her.
"I was excited and flabbergasted," the athlete recalls, "and later my Dad asked how interested and they talked about an offer. Last Saturday, I called Coach Gasso and told her I was ready to commit and she sounded really excited."
Norris also plays basketball for Stillwater and did track in junior high. But it's softball where her future lies and it's on a road that leads her out of town…