Category: Softball

Lady Vols win series opener at Alabama

Tennessee shuts out Alabama softball to open SEC series.

No. 3 Tennessee (36-8, 15-4 SEC) defeated Alabama (31-13, 8-11), 5-0, Friday at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Tennessee won its third consecutive game. The Lady Vols recorded 10 hits in the contest against Alabama.

Kiki Milloy went 2-for-3. She recoded three runs, one double and one stolen base for Tennessee. Zaida Puni went 3-for-4. She recoded one home run, two RBIs and one run.

Payton Gottshall (17-3) pitched seven innings for the Lady Vols. She allowed three hits and two walks, while recording four strikeouts. Gottshall totaled 99 pitches, including 61 strikes.

Game No. 2 between the Lady Vols and Crimson Tide on Saturday is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN2.

‘It’s going to be bittersweet’: Oklahoma Sooners’ seniors ready for final road trip

Heading to Orlando to take on the Knights, Oklahoma’s senior class goes on the road for the final time.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ senior class is one of the best senior classes in the history of softball. Most have been a part of the three straight national champions or at least a part of some of the national titles during this stretch.

Those seniors include [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag], [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag]. This weekend they head on the road for what might be the final time in their career.

After this weekend in Orlando vs. UCF, the Sooners will close out the regular season in Norman against Oklahoma State. Then it’s onto the postseason where OU won’t have to leave Central Oklahoma.

With the final road trip coming, what is Alynah Torres thinking ahead of their series with UCF.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Torres said. “I think it’s going to be bittersweet. It’s going to be a long flight so it’s going to be really cool just sitting there and thinking about it and just having a good time. I think road trips are always fun because that’s when you get closest with your teammates.”

Torres went on to mention she’s excited for this trip in particular because it’ll be the Sooners’ first time to head to UCF as members of the Big 12. What better way to go out than for a series sweep against a conference foe before the start of postseason play in a few weeks?

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Alynah Torres hoping to have no regrets as the end of her college career nears

Alynah Torres hoping to close out her Sooners career giving it everything she’s got.

When you’ve been the most dominant program in all of college softball for the past decade, it’s hard to imagine the players on this squad having regrets.  But typically players look back and wonder if they could have done things differently.

For some, it’s enjoying each day of your final season at the collegiate level. It’s bigger than that for others, like winning a national championship. Alynah Torres spoke about how she’s approaching these last few weeks of the season, hoping to have no regrets.

“I just think every day, day in and day out, it’s just hard to play at this level, especially where we are at,” Torres said. “Sometimes you are like, I don’t have 100 (percent) right now, and my body can’t stay where it’s at, but I think that’s where I got, ‘hey, one day I’m not going to be doing this so I need to give all I’ve got, I need to go forward.’ So, I think, ‘why not just leave it all out on the table?’ I have nothing to lose.”

That’s what Torres has done so far this season as she’s put together a really good year. Now she hopes to finish the season strong, giving it all she has so in the end she can say, she has no regrets.

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Two Oklahoma Sooners named to NFCA D1 Freshman of the Year top 25 watch list

The future is bright for two Oklahoma Sooner freshmen who were named to NFCA D1 Freshman of the Year watch list.

The future is very bright for the Oklahoma Sooners. While they are still a veteran team with a historic group of seniors, two freshmen are turning heads.

[autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] and [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] aren’t just turning the heads of their teammates or local fans, they are making noise nationally. So much so that both were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association D1 Freshman of the Year top 25 watch list for the 2024 season.

Both have a great shot at winning the award and are having stellar seasons. Pickering is batting .378 and has five home runs with 31 RBIs. Parker, on the other hand, is hitting .394 and has seven home runs with 39 RBIs. They also both have an on-base percentage over .500.

 

They’ve been playing at such a high level that they have played in every game this season. Only five Sooners have played in every game.

It’s gotten to the point where they’ve played so well that it would almost be a shock if they weren’t in the lineup. The only thing you worry about is them hitting the freshmen wall and start struggling down the stretch. That hasn’t been the case up to this point, and the Sooners hope that won’t be the case moving forward because pretty soon, those two will be the faces of Oklahoma softball.

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‘Our pitching staff is going to have to be really good’: Patty Gasso’s Sooners ready for UCF’s offense

It’ll be no easy task but the Sooners are ready to face UCF’s offense this weekend.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had the week to rest after their series sweep of Houston. Now, they are off to Orlando to play the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag] this weekend.

UCF brings in one of the best offenses in the country. They rank No. 38 in the nation in batting average, are tied for No. 62 in scoring and are No. 84 in on-base percentage. That means the Oklahoma pitching staff has to be on their “A” game. The Knights also don’t strikeout a lot, so the Sooners defense will have to be on point.

Patty Gasso spoke about the challenges of UCF’s offense. “They’ve got power, they’ve got speed, they’ve got slappers; I mean, they played Baylor this weekend, and over three games, they scored one run,” Gasso said. “Which is unlike them because they can put up big numbers. Our pitching staff is going to have to be really good. We are going to have to keep their playmakers off the base path. They’re going to bow up. There’s going to be a lot of noise. There’s going to be a lot of fans.”

The Sooners’ pitching staff has risen to just about every occasion. They’ve been arguably the strength of the team. Gasso will need them to rise once again in this weekend’s series if the Sooners want to stay on top of the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] conference standings.

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2024 USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 softball rankings: Week 8

Top 5 rock solid in USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Top-ranked Katy continued to pace an unchanged first five in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 for a fourth week.

The (32-1-1) Tigers easily defeated Katy Taylor for the second time this season, 15-1 last Friday, but allowed just their second run in a nine-game stretch — which was also to the Mustangs in a 11-1 win on March 22. In its other game this past week, Katy blanked Liberty, 7-0 on Monday. The Tigers, who have outscored opponents 341-11 this season, open a best-of-three Texas Class 6A bi-district series with Fort Bend Dulles later today.

No. 2 Northwest Rankin (26-0) captured its lone game and third-ranked Jackson (15-1) won twice. Calvary Baptist (33-2) and Sterlington (31-1) both won their Louisiana state quarterfinals to advance to the final four later this week. Fourth-ranked Calvary faces Notre Dame in the Division III select semis, while No. 5 Sterlington plays Jena in Saturday’s Division III non-select matchup.

Seventh-ranked Watkins Memorial (18-0) stayed unbeaten and added seven victories to its ledger, including a 4-1 victory over then-No. 10 Lancaster last Saturday to move up three spots in the rankings. The biggest gainer of the week, though, was Lake Central (20-0), which advanced five places.

On the other side of things, Lancaster (18-2) and Oak Grove (19-1) both dropped six spots following losses, while two defeats apiece knocked Antioch, Ballard and Basha out entirely.

A pair of perfect New York squads — Shenendehowa (9-0) and St. Anthony’s (11-0) — jumped into the mix at No. 12 and 14, respectively. New Jersey’s Notre Dame (9-1), which has won three straight since a 1-0 loss to Robbinsville last Thursday, is the other newcomer this week at No. 20.

State rankings submitted by the 2024 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.

USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – April 25, 2024

1. Katy (Texas)

Record: 32-1-1 | PR: 1

2. Northwest Rankin (Miss.)

Record: 26-0 | PR: 2

3. Jackson (Wash.)

Record: 15-1 | PR: 3

4. Calvary Baptist (La.)

Record: 33-2 | PR: 4

5. Sterlington (La.)

Record: 31-1 | PR: 5

6. Saint Francis (Calif.)

Record: 18-0 | PR: 8

7. Watkins Memorial (Ohio)

Record: 18-0 | PR: 10

8. Anthony Wayne (Ohio)

Record: 13-0 | PR: 12

9. Diamond (Mo.)

Record: 31-0 | PR: 13

10. Lake Central (Ind.)

Record: 20-0 | PR: 15

11. Orange Beach (Ala.)

Record: 34-1 | PR: 6

12. Shenendehowa (N.Y.)

Record: 9-0 | PR: NR

13. Oak Grove (N.C.)

Record: 19-1 | PR: 7

14. St. Anthony’s (N.Y.)

Record: 11-0 | PR: NR

15. Lancaster (Ohio)

Record: 18-2 | PR: 9

16. Austintown-Fitch (Ohio)

Record: 11-1 | PR: 16

17. Bartow (Fla.)

Record: 23-1 | PR: 17

18. Owyhee (Utah)

Record: 15-1 | PR: 18

19. Sheridan (Ark.)

Record: 21-1 | PR: 14

20. Notre Dame (N.J.)

Record: 9-1 | PR: NR

21. Pacifica (Calif.)

Record: 21-2 | PR: 19

22. St. Thomas More (La.)

Record: 31-3-1 | PR: 22

23. Roncalli (Ind.)

Record: 11-1 | PR: 23

24. Marist (Ill.)

Record: 19-1 | PR: 24

t-25. Bingham (Utah)

Record: 14-2 | PR: 20

t-25. North DeSoto (La.)

Record: 30-4 | PR: t-25

Dropped out: Antioch (Ill.), Ballard (Ky.) and Basha (Ariz.).

About the NFCA:

The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention. 

Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!

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Patty Gasso wants more ‘consistency’ before postseason play

So far the Oklahoma Sooners haven’t shown the consistency that their head coach is used to seeing.

While their offense and elite defense get the headlines, their consistency is one of the most important things to the Oklahoma Sooners’ historic run. You rarely, if ever, see an off-game from the team.

This year has been a little different. There have been several games that have left fans scratching their heads and not recognizing the team on the diamond. Still, they are 42-4 and No. 2 in the nation. So, it’s not like they’ve fallen off, they’ve just not been as consistent as in years past.

Patty Gasso talked about how they need to find that before postseason play starts. “I think we just want consistency,” Gasso said. “We’re able to win games. We’re winning a lot of games. We’re still in charge of our own destiny. I think it’s (having) zero regrets as we go through this and finish it and look out for your teammates. Communicate with your teammates. Check in with your teammates. Sometimes, we get lost in what we’re doing here. The expectations are grand, and it can just get really tiring. They’ve been doing it for now their fourth year in a row. It’s hard to outdo yourself year after year.”

That’s why these last two series are so important. The Sooners can not only clinch the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] regular season title but they can also build a ton of momentum toward the postseason while also working on that consistency that Gasso wants to see.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on X @JaronSpor.

‘When they don’t get caught up in outcomes’: Patty Gasso on what calms her team

This senior group has been special for the Sooners but even they have their down times and need something to get them going each year.

The Oklahoma Sooners have 10 seniors on this year’s roster. Five of them have been a part of all three of their national championships.

That would be [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]. [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] has been a part of two of them, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] has been a part of one. The other three, [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] and [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag] are new to the team this year.

This season may not have gone like people expected, but the Sooners are still in a strong position to contend for the national title. Despite four losses, the sky certainly isn’t falling.

Patty Gasso shared that sometimes her team gets caught up in the outside noise but there is one thing that gets her seniors going. “When they get lost in the game,” Gasso said. “When they don’t get caught up in outcomes. You’ve seen some really uncharacteristic teams where we’re just getting really mad at ourselves. You might see the slamming of the bat. Something that’s really frustrating them. We try too hard. That is not our game. It just comes super natural because they are that elite of athletes.”

You can tell at times the pressure of winning a fourth title in a row is starting to weigh on them, especially, with all of the outside noise as well. But when they are playing their game, I still think they are the best team in the country regardless of what the standings say.

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Oklahoma’s Kierston Deal named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

After a sensational week, Oklahoma’s Kierston Deal was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

Kierston Deal had a fantastic week in the circle for the Oklahoma Sooners. She threw a no-hitter last Tuesday in a midweek matchup vs. Tulsa. Deal followed up that performance with a seven-inning shutout of the Houston Cougars on Sunday where she recorded 10 strikeouts in the win.

After her incredible week, Deal was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. It’s the first Big 12 weekly honor of Deal’s career and the third Pitcher of the Week selection this season.

She’s now 10-1 on the season and leads the Sooners with a 1.01 ERA through 55.1 innings and 12 starts. Deal’s become an integral part of the Sooners pitching staff, developing into a great option for the Sooners in three games series.

Deal has allowed just two runs over her last seven outings, spanning 23.1 innings.

As the Sooners get set for their final two weekends of the regular season, it’s all about preparing for the postseason. Deal is proving she’ll be a valuable piece to the Sooners staff as Oklahoma hopes to contend for their fourth straight national title.

Could Texas Longhorns softball catch Oklahoma for Big 12 regular season title?

Currently on a 9-game winning streak, the Texas Longhorns softball team sits a game back of rival Oklahoma in the Big 12 softball standings.

After winning two of three contests against the former No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, who had a 40-game Big 12 Conference winning streak before that, the now No. 1 Texas Longhorns have buoyed those two wins into a current 9-game winning streak. Continue reading “Could Texas Longhorns softball catch Oklahoma for Big 12 regular season title?”