Tag: Bedlam Softball

Bedlam Softball to continue in 2025

On Tuesday, Patty Gasso revealed that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State administrators have been working toward getting Bedlam Softball on the schedule for 2025.

Oklahoma’s move to the SEC has cast doubt on the future of Bedlam on the football field. Given the proactive nature of nonconference scheduling, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State don’t have many open dates in the near future to keep the in-state rivalry going.

But other sports aren’t scheduling their nonconference games too far out and the diamond sports often add nonconference games midseason. So, it comes as no shock that administrators from Oklahoma and Oklahoma State reached an agreement to play Bedlam softball in 2025.

“Our sport administrator reached out to theirs. I think we came up with a mutual date, I don’t know what it is, but the plan is to play at Hall of Fame Stadium,” Patty Gasso shared with the media on Tuesday. “There’s been rumblings that I don’t know about, but I do know that we reached out to them and it sounds like it’s happening.”

Two of the best teams in the sport reside in the state of Oklahoma. The Sooners and the Cowgirls have been a big part of the growth of the sport. The rivalry that has often had Big 12 title and postseason implications needed to continue. It’s a matchup that moves the needle in the state and in the world of softball.

Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski told The Oklahoman on Tuesday night that he’s “always been open pretty open about” keeping the matchup going beyond 2024.

“I know that recently our sport administrators, Jesse Martin and Toby Baldwin, have been talking about a single game in OKC,” Gajewski added. “I know we looked at a couple dates. I didn’t know anything was official yet, but I knew we were working toward that. I think it will be good for the state of Oklahoma and I think it’ll be a marquee game whenever it’s played.”

The details may not be ironed out at this point, but it sounds like it’s just a matter of time before those get worked out. Putting the game in Hall of Fame Stadium would be fantastic for both programs and the sport. It would provide more seats for fans creating a great atmosphere for both teams.

Their final series as Big 12 foes takes place this weekend at Love’s Field. Beginning on Friday, 2024 Bedlam will have huge implication in the regular season Big 12 title race.

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Oklahoma bookends regular season No. 1 in D1Softball’s top 25

The Oklahoma Sooners finish the regular season No. 1 in D1Softball’s top 25, while Texas and Oklahoma State fall out of the top 10.

Not that they needed to sweep Oklahoma State in their Big 12 series finale to say so, but the Oklahoma Sooners reaffirmed their status as the top team in the country. The Sooners were really only in trouble in one of the games, but with a little seventh-inning magic, came back to stun the Cowgirls.

The first game of the series was an 8-3 win where the offense was just too much for the Cowgirls. On Sunday, they got a couple of timely two-run hits and road [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] to victory. The weekend was a testament to the Sooners’ ability to win in a variety of ways with the No. 1 offense, No. 1 pitching staff in terms of ERA, and the No. 1 defense.

The Sooners closed the season on an incredible 41-game winning streak.

Oklahoma remains No. 1 in the nation in the latest D1Softabll top 25.

UCLA comes in at No. 2, followed by Florida State, Tennessee, and Washington in the top 5. After being swept by the Baylor Bears, the Texas Longhorns dropped six spots to No. 11 and Oklahoma State fell five spots to No. 12 after being swept by Oklahoma.

Baylor, who needed a big weekend to prevent them from falling back in the Big 12 standings, came up huge to maintain their spot as the four-seed heading into the Big 12 championships. The Bears rose seven spots to No. 13 in the latest top 25.

This has already been a historic year for Oklahoma. The Sooners are on a mission to keep it going into the postseason. The presumed favorite to win the national title won’t have their challengers. It’s a deep year in collegiate softball, but the Sooners look unstoppable heading into postseason play, starting with the Big 12 championships, which begin on Thursday.

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Social media reacts to Sooners sweep of Oklahoma State in Bedlam

A look at how social media reacted to the Oklahoma Sooners sweep of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in Bedlam.

The Oklahoma Sooners completed the 2023 regular season with a sweep of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in Stillwater. Two of the three contests weren’t all that close as the Oklahoma Sooners pitching staff continued its  incredible run on the way to a Bedlam sweep.

During the sweep, Alex Storako moved to 16-0 and recorded strikeout No. 1,000. She’s been such a huge pickup for Patty Gasso this season; she has provided a veteran presence that can throw a bunch of innings.

In the Sunday win, Grace Lyons and Alynah Torres provided the offense the Sooners needed to complete their Big 12 slate undefeated.

As Oklahoma prepares for the Big 12 championships in Oklahoma City, here’s a look at how social media reacted to the sweep.

Oklahoma Sooners close regular season with 5-1 win over Oklahoma State

Alex Storako notched career strikeout No. 1,000 and the Oklahoma Sooners beat Oklahoma State 5-1 to close the regular season on a 41-game winning streak.

Oklahoma finished off a dominant regular season after a Bedlam series sweep against Oklahoma State. They won the final game of the series 5-1 in a strong showing to close out their last trip to Stillwater for the foreseeable future.

It’s Oklahoma’s 41st win in a row and the Sooners closed out the Big 12 regular season undefeated at 18-0. It was the final hurdle on the schedule until the postseason begins in the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City.

The Sooners got the scoring started in the third inning with senior shortstop Grace Lyons driving in Cydney Sanders and Jayda Coleman with a two out double.

Oklahoma had a chance to bust the game wide-open in the fourth, but failed to capitalize with the bases loaded and one out in the inning. After leaving runners on base in the fourth, the Sooners would push a couple more runs across the plate in the fifth to extend their lead on Alynah Torres’ two-run single to make it 4-0.

Lyons picked up her third RBI of the game in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly to make it a 5-0 game in the late innings.

The Cowgirls avoided a shutout with Micaela Wark’s RBI double in the bottom of the sixth.

The biggest story of the game for Oklahoma was pitcher Alex Storako who finished with a 16-0 record this season and recorded strikeout number 1,000. It was a dominant performance for the WPF’s first overall pick, throwing a complete game, allowing six hits one run while striking out four Cowgirls.

Oklahoma State’s pitching was more of a mixed bag, with Lexi Kilfoyl getting the start and throwing six innings. She allowed seven hits, five runs, but also had five strikeouts. Kyra Aycock came in for the seventh and picked up where she left off on Saturday night, holding the Sooners scoreless in the seventh inning.

The win for the Sooners cements them as the top overall seed in the Big 12 championships. As the one-seed, Oklahoma gets a bye into the semifinals and will face the winner of Baylor vs. Iowa State in the opening round on Thursday.

Iowa State finished the season strong, going 10-4 in their last 14 games, including a series win over Baylor in Ames last weekend. The Bears rebounded to the upset in Ames with an upset of their own, sweeping the Texas Longhorns in Waco and outscoring the Big 12’s No. 2 seed 16-4.

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Jordy Bahl battles, Cydney Sanders erases early deficit in Sooners 8-3 win over Oklahoma State

Jordy Bahl locked in after allowing a first inning home run, and Cydney Sanders continued her hot run going 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, in Oklahoma’s 8-3 win over Oklahoma State.

The Oklahoma Sooners took advantage of a tight strike zone against Oklahoma State Cowgirls ace [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] to get on the board in the top of the first.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] walked, and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] moved her to second with a single. With two outs in the inning, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] and [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] earned back-to-back walks to bring Jennings in to take a 1-0 lead.

However, that 1-0 lead was shortlived as the Cowgirls put pressure on Jordy Bahl in the bottom half of the inning. Oklahoma State’s [autotag]Rachel Becker[/autotag] led off with a walk, and [autotag]Kiley Naomi[/autotag] earned a one-out walk to put two on for outfielder Cheyenne Factor. Factor took the first pitch she saw from Jordy Bahl and launched it to left center to give the Cowgirls a 3-1 lead.

[autotag]Katelynn Carwile[/autotag] earned a two-out walk, a third of the inning for Bahl, and [autotag]Morgyn Wynne[/autotag] followed that with a double to put runners on second and third. Bahl locked in and struck out Taylor Tuck on three pitches to end the threat.

The Sooners came out strong in the top of the first in an effort to reassert their first inning lead. Rylie Boone led off with a walk, and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] was hit by a pitch following Sophia Nugent’s strikeout. After a fielder’s choice by Tiare Jennings moved Boone to third, Coleman was put out at second, leaving runners on first and third with two outs.

Continuing to trend in a positive direction for the Sooners, sophomore Cydney Sanders took a 2-0 offering to right center field to give the Sooners a 4-3 lead and they wouldn’t look back.

Bahl responded from her difficult first inning to shut the door with the help of some excellent defense from the Sooners. The sophomore pitcher allowed just four base runners the rest of the way.

 

Alynah Torres provided an insurance run in the fifth inning and Oklahoma added a run in the sixth on Alyssa Brito’s team-tying 13th home run of the season. But Oklahoma wasn’t done there, putting a pair of runs across the plate in the seventh to put the game out of reach for the Cowgirls with the way Bahl was pitching.

Jordy Bahl struck out eight in the complete game effort, scattering five hits, four walks, and a hit by pitch across her seven innings of work. The first inning home run was the first run allowed for the USA Softball National Player of the Year finalist since March 31 vs. Texas. Bahl improved to 15-1 on the season and her ERA is sitting at 1.19.

Cydney Sanders continued her hot stretch of the season, posting a 3-for-5 effort with the three-run home run and a run score. Back on April 1 against Texas, Sanders’ batting average dropped to .214 on the season. She’s raised it to .294 over the last five weeks, batting .400 with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 11 runs scored.

In addition to the offensive outburst from Sanders and Brito, the two combined for an incredible defensive effort in the bottom of the fourth.

The Oklahoma Sooners extended their winning streak to 39 games and are now 16-0 in Big 12 play and 47-1 on the season. Game two of the series can be seen on ESPN on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.

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No. 1 Oklahoma Softball at No. 7/6 Oklahoma State: How to watch, weekend preview, key players

The Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowgirls get set for a top 10 Bedlam matchup.

For the final week of the regular season, all eyes turn to Stillwater, Oklahoma for 2023’s edition of Bedlam Softball.

The Oklahoma Sooners come in 46-1 and 15-0 in Big 12 play, riding a nation’s best 38-game winning streak. Oklahoma State is 45-10 and 10-5 in conference play. They’ve lost seven of their last nine games, including upset losses to Texas Tech, Iowa State, Wichita State, UNT, and were swept by the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

Though the Cowgirls are reeling a bit, they’re a force on the diamond and have gone 19-3 at home this season.

As the Sooners and Cowgirls get set for Bedlam Softball in Stillwater, here’s a look at how you can tune in, players to watch, a series outlook, and our prediction.

Social media reacts to Oklahoma Softball’s 10th straight Big 12 regular season title

Some of the best social media reactions to the Oklahoma Sooners 6-0 win over Oklahoma State for their 10th straight Big 12 regular season title.

10 consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles. It’s a feat as grand as [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag]’s all-time home run record. And it’s fitting that the two have gone hand in hand for Alo’s tenure with the Oklahoma Sooners.

On Friday night, the Oklahoma Sooners clinched the Big 12 regular-season title with a 6-0 win over Oklahoma State. [autotag]Hope Trautwein[/autotag] pitched 5.1 scoreless innings to lower her NCAA-leading ERA once more and [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] pitched 1.2 innings to finish off the Cowgirls in Norman.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] was on hand for the championship-clinching performance and threw out the ceremonial first pitch before joining the Sooners in their pre-game huddle around the pitcher’s circle.

The Oklahoma Sooners now set their sites on the Big 12 tournament title and the College World Series.

Before the Sooners close out the regular season with their finale against Oklahoma State on Saturday, let’s look at some of the best social media reactions from Oklahoma’s championship-clinching win.