The Oklahoma Sooners head into the Mary Nutter Classic coming off of their first loss of the season, a 4-3 defeat to the Baylor Bears. They had their opportunities against Dariana Orme and Ailyah Binford but left a number of runners on base.
The Baylor loss was a bummer, but it shouldn’t erase what they did on opening weekend when they picked up three top 25 wins.
And Patty Gasso doesn’t want her squad to feel like they have to respond this weekend with a statement series in California.
“It’s the journey, the process,” Gasso said when meeting with the media earlier this week. “We could end up losing two or three games this weekend, and we’re still going to be OK. We play over 60 games. I don’t want them to feel that kind of pressure. I want them to learn how to play free and confident and not be worried about the outcomes. Because that’s when the problems come in when you’re afraid.
“So there’s no panic and there’s no ‘we have to do anything.’ We don’t have to until we get down to the very end, and if you don’t then you’re going home. It’s just staying with that mindset that we have.”
The way the Oklahoma Sooners have played over the last two seasons have created sky-high expectations. But Coach Gasso’s been around the game long enough to know it’s a long season. The Sooners haven’t even played 10 games yet this year. With the number of transfers Oklahoma added and the loss of Jocelyn Alo, this team is still working through what they have on the roster.
When this team is playing at its best, they’re playing loose and having fun. And that’s what the Sooners hope to get back to when they open the Mary Nutter Classic against Cal State Fullerton on Friday.
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