Oklahoma softball head coach Patty Gasso said she expected Giselle Juarez, Nicole Mendes, and Shannon Saile back for the 2021 season in light of the 2020 season’s cancellation.
After the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of all Division I and Division II spring sports, the NCAA announced on Friday that all Division I student-athletes who participated in the spring season will receive an extra year of eligibility.
“I expect the three seniors back,” Gasso said at her teleconference on Monday.
Gasso explained that Juarez and Mendes, who had already missed significant time in the 2020 season, could receive medical redshirts. Juarez was limited to just 6.2 innings through the Sooners 24 games, and Mendes was just getting back in the swing of things with six at-bats in the last six games.
Saile had thrown more pitches than any other Sooner before the season’s cancellation. She led Oklahoma in innings pitched and strikeouts, and led the Sooners to an 8-3 record when in the circle, allowing just three runs in her last 20 innings pitched.
Oklahoma posted a 20-4 record before their season ended.
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