Tag: Kenny Gajewksi

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.

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 John on X @john9williams.

‘No one’s afraid to play anyone else:’ Patty Gasso speaks on Bedlam Softball’s future

With the Sooners moving to the SEC after the 2024 season, Bedlam Softball is in doubt, but there’s plenty of time to make it work.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are only scheduled to play this season and next with the Sooners departure for the SEC coming after the 2024 softball season. That move has left the Bedlam in doubt across all sports, not just softball or football.

With Bedlam beginning on the diamond on Friday evening, there are questions about the future of Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State head coach, Kenny Gajewski, was asked about the series potentially coming to an end after next season.

“I’ve tried to tell them (Oklahoma) that we want to play, but I don’t have very good luck getting responses,” Gajewski said Tuesday. “I’m pretty open that we want to play. I don’t know how that looks. I don’t know if we could play three games and it’s one [in Stillwater], one [in Norman] and one [in Oklahoma City], or if it’s a weekend. I think it would be good for both teams. I know that they’re going into the No. 1 conference. But it would shock me if they didn’t want to play, to be honest.”

Gajewski continued, “… I ought to think that we’ll play, but I don’t have any kind of clarification. I don’t have any communication.”

Why wouldn’t Patty Gasso want to keep Oklahoma State on the schedule in the future in a nonconference capacity? At the moment, it’s not even something that’s on her mind.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Patty Gasso described that she’s not even through making her 2024 schedule yet.

“It’s really interesting because I haven’t even gotten halfway through my 2024 schedule. So, it’s not on my mind whatsoever,” Gasso said. “I’m assuming that our athletic director (Joe Castiglione) will have some input on it. I’ve never been called and asked to play. It’s never even been discussed.”

“So, I’m not worried about it. When there’s a right time to even think about it, I will. No one’s afraid to play anyone else, anything like that. I have to understand the dynamics of what we’re walking into and what makes sense. So, first and foremost, I’m going to take care of my team and what’s best for us… We’ll come to that road when it’s time, but it’s not even close to being time.”

Gasso wants to get a feel for what SEC scheduling looks like ahead of their first season in 2025 before making any grand statements about what their nonconference schedule will look like.

The Sooners haven’t been shy about scheduling top teams from around the country in their nonconference schedule. They’ve played UCLA, Florida State, LSU, and Auburn in 2023 alone. Each a top-25 team, each a win for the Oklahoma Sooners. They’ve scheduled like that over the years because Patty Gasso wants her team tested as much as possible.

The SEC getting both Texas and Oklahoma makes it the best softball conference in the country. Those two are joining a conference that has six teams currently in the top 20 of the RPI.

Softball generates a ton of buzz in the state of Oklahoma, second only to football. Though the Oklahoma Sooners have been a large part of that, Oklahoma State’s rise to national prominence is a key factor in the continued growth of the sport in the state.

When the time is right, cooler heads will prevail. The series means too much to the state and to the two programs for it not to continue in a nonconference setting.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=683578888]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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

No. 1 Oklahoma wins Bedlam round four 10-2, claims Big 12 tournament title

No. 1 Oklahoma softball run-ruled No. 9 Oklahoma State 10-2 on Saturday to improve to 45-2 and claim the 2021 Big 12 tournament title.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball returned to the diamond at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City on Saturday afternoon looking to complete the clean sweep of conference titles by winning the Big 12 tournament final against No. 9 Oklahoma State.

After a highly contested and emotional three-game set in Stillwater last weekend, the anticipation was high for this one and the atmosphere represented that to be a big crowd that had a significant Sooners lean.

Senior Shannon Saile (16-0) would get the start and do a good job working out of trouble through the first four innings, frequently leaving runners stranded on base in key moments. She would exit in the fifth after allowing a pair of solo home runs, with freshman pitcher Nicole May relieving her to record the final four outs of the game.

Oklahoma wouldn’t wait long to get the bats going as they struck for three runs in the bottom of the first. Center fielder Jayda Coleman got the scoring started coming across on a wild pitch followed by RBI hits from second baseman Tiare Jennings and first baseman Taylon Snow later in the inning. The Sooners would go on to hold a 3-0 lead at the end of two frames.

Oklahoma would add onto their lead in the third with a solo home run from catcher Kinzie Hansen, her fifth of the tournament and 20th of the season, and a run coming in on a squeeze bunt from shortstop Grace Lyons. They would tack on another with a run coming across on a fielder’s choice in the fourth to have the advantage sitting at 6-0 heading into the late innings.

The Cowgirls’ bats would finally come to life in the fifth with a pair of solo home runs from shortstop Kiley Naomi and first baseman Alysen Febrey. Second baseman Hayley Busby looked to have made it a third with a drive to center, but Sooners center fielder Jayda Coleman went up and over the wall to rob the home run. Freshman Nicole May would then enter for Saile to record the final out of the inning.

Oklahoma would go on to get those two runs right back in the bottom half of the inning on run-scoring hits from the two leading RBI getters on the team in designated player Jocelyn Alo and second baseman Tiare Jennings. The Sooners had the bases loaded with two outs, threatening to run-rule, but were unsuccessful and the game headed to the sixth sitting at 8-2.

After May kept Oklahoma State off the scoreboard in the top of the sixth, Oklahoma would finish the job this time around in the bottom half of the inning. With runners on second and third and two outs, designated player Jocelyn Alo grounded a ball right up the middle to plate the two runners and give the Sooners the 10-2 run-rule win.

The win improves Oklahoma to 45-2 on the year heading into postseason play with a strong argument to be the No. 1 overall seed in the country when the brackets are revealed on Sunday. This was a totally dominant outing against a top-10 opponent, there isn’t a much better way to cap off your tournament resume than with that. What an incredible year it has been for Patty Gasso’s team.

The Sooners will now await further instruction on who their next opponent will be next weekend in Norman. The NCAA Tournament selection show is set for 8:00 p.m. CT on Sunday night and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

No. 1 Oklahoma wins Bedlam finale 11-8 to claim ninth consecutive Big 12 title

No. 1 Oklahoma softball took the finale of the Bedlam series on Sunday 11-8 to claim their ninth consecutive Big 12 regular season title.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball capped off their biggest series of the year in style on Sunday winning the Bedlam finale 11-8 against rival No. 7/9 Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

The game was the unofficial Big 12 championship, with the winner claiming the regular season title after they split the first two games of the series on Friday and Saturday. With the win, the Sooners have now won the league’s regular season crown in nine straight years – an absurd feat for a goliath program built by Patty Gasso.

Getting the start for Oklahoma was Giselle Juarez (16-1) and she had some rare struggles only completing two innings and allowing four runs. It was an offensive day in Stillwater, with not even Juarez being immune to balls flying all over the park throughout the afternoon.

Fortunately for Juarez, she had quite the cushion to work with as the Sooners jumped out to a big early lead 6-0 in the top of the second. RBI hits from left fielder Mackenzie Donihoo and center fielder Jayda Coleman paired with multiple errors from the Cowgirls allowed the marathon inning to get Oklahoma out to the quick advantage.

After Oklahoma State got one back in the bottom of the second, the Sooners would strike for three more runs in the third inning on a three-run shot to right field off the bat of right fielder Nicole Mendes. At the middle of the third frame, Oklahoma held a commanding 9-1 lead.

But, the Cowgirls weren’t going to go down easy. They matched the Sooners’ six-run second inning with a six-run frame of their own off of Juarez and fellow senior pitcher Shannon Saile. Shortstop Kiley Naomi and first baseman Alysen Febrey both connected with two-run home runs in the big inning to help draw the game to a 9-7 score after three.

In the fourth, the two teams would trade solo home runs with Oklahoma second baseman Tiare Jennings hitting one in the top half before Okalhoma State designated player Haley Busby got one in the bottom half. The Sooners took a 10-8 lead into the fifth.

There, Coleman gave Oklahoma an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to make the score 11-8. That would go on to be the final score thanks to the star of the weekend – Sooners freshman starting pitcher Nicole May.

After getting her first save of the season in Saturday’s game, she picked up her second here working a masterful 4 1/3 innings out of the bullpen allowing just one run and three hits while striking out four. In a rare occurrence where the two outstanding veteran pitchers struggled, the young gun stepped in a gigantic way.

The win moves the Sooners to 42-2 overall and 16-1 in Big 12 play to conclude the regular season and, obviously, gives them the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament in Oklahoma City.

This was billed as the biggest series of the year for both teams and one of the biggest in the country all year long, and it lived up to the hype. The emotion was high all throughout three action-packed games. But, once again, it’s Gasso and Oklahoma who reign supreme in the Big 12.

The Sooners will now have some time to celebrate and catch their breath with four days away from game action before starting the Big 12 Tournament on Friday.

No. 1 Oklahoma bounces back to take second game of Bedlam series 6-4

No. 1 Oklahoma softball bounced back to take the second game of the Bedlam series on Saturday 6-4, setting up a finale for the Big 12 title.

No. 1 Oklahoma continued their massive three-game weekend Bedlam series against No. 7/9 Oklahoma State on Saturday in Stillwater after dropping the opener on Friday for just their second loss of the season.

The winner of this series wins the Big 12 regular season title, meaning the Sooners needed wins both in Saturday’s game and in the Sunday finale to extend their conference title streak to nine straight years. Well, the first part of that proposition was fulfilled in this game with Patty Gasso’s squad bouncing back to win 6-4.

Shannon Saile (14-0) got the start for Oklahoma and was quite good working all the way into the seventh and allowing just two earned runs. Nicole May would lock things down in the seventh for her first save of the season.

The game wouldn’t see its first runs until the top of the third when Oklahoma struck for two to snag an early lead. Center fielder Jayda Coleman and designated player Jocelyn Alo would team up for back-to-back RBI knocks to provide the early offense. The Sooners would take a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning.

There, catcher Lynnsie Elam came through with a huge two-out, two-run single to push the lead out to 4-0 and provide some much-needed breathing room in the late innings. Those two runs would come in handy right away in the following half-inning as the Pokes got them right back off of Saile to have the score stand at 4-2 Oklahoma at the end of five frames.

In the sixth, right fielder Nicole Mendes connected on a solo home run to right field to tack on an insurance run and make the score 5-2. Grace Green, pinch-hitting, would tack on another in the seventh on an RBI double to make the score 6-2 heading to the bottom of the final inning, where things would get very interesting.

Oklahoma State was not about to go down quietly, and they put together a ferocious rally to make the Sooner faithful sweat it out. Saile started the inning, but was relieved in favor of Olivia Rains after allowing a home run to open the frame.

Rains would then run into struggles of her own, allowing the Cowgirls to load the bases with nobody out. In the biggest spot of the entire season, Oklahoma elected to turn to freshman pitcher Nicole May to try to record the final three outs and escape the jam.

May would proceed to do just that and record the next three outs in order, allowing just one run to score on a sacrifice fly, and preserve the 6-4 win and keep the Sooners hopes of another Big 12 crown alive. The freshman stepped up in a major way in an ultra-high pressure moment, picking up a massive strikeout to silence the Stillwater crowd and end the game.

The win moves Oklahoma to 41-2 on the season and 15-1 in conference play and sets up what is essentially an unofficial Big 12 championship game in the finale on Sunday. The first two games of the series have already provided lots of drama and emotion, and the final matchup should be the boiling point in all facets. It will be a sight to behold on Sunday.

The third and final game of the Bedlam series is set for 11;00 a.m. CT tomorrow back in Stillwater.

[lawrence-related id=29366]

No. 1 Oklahoma bounces back to take second game of Bedlam series 6-4

No. 1 Oklahoma softball bounced back to take the second game of the Bedlam series on Saturday 6-4, setting up a finale for the Big 12 title.

No. 1 Oklahoma continued their massive three-game weekend Bedlam series against No. 7/9 Oklahoma State on Saturday in Stillwater after dropping the opener on Friday for just their second loss of the season.

The winner of this series wins the Big 12 regular season title, meaning the Sooners needed wins both in Saturday’s game and in the Sunday finale to extend their conference title streak to nine straight years. Well, the first part of that proposition was fulfilled in this game with Patty Gasso’s squad bouncing back to win 6-4.

Shannon Saile (14-0) got the start for Oklahoma and was quite good working all the way into the seventh and allowing just two earned runs. Nicole May would lock things down in the seventh for her first save of the season.

The game wouldn’t see its first runs until the top of the third when Oklahoma struck for two to snag an early lead. Center fielder Jayda Coleman and designated player Jocelyn Alo would team up for back-to-back RBI knocks to provide the early offense. The Sooners would take a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning.

There, catcher Lynnsie Elam came through with a huge two-out, two-run single to push the lead out to 4-0 and provide some much-needed breathing room in the late innings. Those two runs would come in handy right away in the following half-inning as the Pokes got them right back off of Saile to have the score stand at 4-2 Oklahoma at the end of five frames.

In the sixth, right fielder Nicole Mendes connected on a solo home run to right field to tack on an insurance run and make the score 5-2. Grace Green, pinch-hitting, would tack on another in the seventh on an RBI double to make the score 6-2 heading to the bottom of the final inning, where things would get very interesting.

Oklahoma State was not about to go down quietly, and they put together a ferocious rally to make the Sooner faithful sweat it out. Saile started the inning, but was relieved in favor of Olivia Rains after allowing a home run to open the frame.

Rains would then run into struggles of her own, allowing the Cowgirls to load the bases with nobody out. In the biggest spot of the entire season, Oklahoma elected to turn to freshman pitcher Nicole May to try to record the final three outs and escape the jam.

May would proceed to do just that and record the next three outs in order, allowing just one run to score on a sacrifice fly, and preserve the 6-4 win and keep the Sooners hopes of another Big 12 crown alive. The freshman stepped up in a major way in an ultra-high pressure moment, picking up a massive strikeout to silence the Stillwater crowd and end the game.

The win moves Oklahoma to 41-2 on the season and 15-1 in conference play and sets up what is essentially an unofficial Big 12 championship game in the finale on Sunday. The first two games of the series have already provided lots of drama and emotion, and the final matchup should be the boiling point in all facets. It will be a sight to behold on Sunday.

The third and final game of the Bedlam series is set for 11;00 a.m. CT tomorrow back in Stillwater.

[lawrence-related id=29366]

No. 1 Oklahoma softball suffers their second loss of the season 6-4 in Bedlam

No. 1 Oklahoma softball suffered their second loss of the season on Friday night falling in the Bedlam opener 6-4 to No. 7/9 Oklahoma State.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball began their biggest series of the season on Friday night in Stillwater for Bedlam against No. 7/9 Oklahoma State. The winner of the series will be the Big 12 regular season champions, which adds a whole extra layer of drama to an already intense series between two good teams and in-state rivals.

Getting the start for the Sooners was Giselle Juarez (15-1) who had a very rare clunker, allowing five runs and only being able to work into the third inning. Friday would mark her first loss of the entire season.

Oklahoma was the team to jump out early, though, with center fielder Jayda Coleman connecting on a two-run home run in the second to put the Sooners ahead 2-0. Then, after the Cowgirls got a run back on a homer of their own in the bottom half of the inning, left fielder Jocelyn Alo hit a mammoth two-run blast in the third to push the lead to three runs at 4-1. Patty Gasso’s club, seemingly, was in total control.

But, momentum would shift heavily to the Oklahoma State dugout in the bottom of the third as the Cowgirls hit two two-run home runs off of Juarez to give the Pokes their first lead of the night at 5-4. From there, the Sooners’ bats went stunningly silent.

Oklahoma State pitcher Carrie Eberle (19-1) had early struggles allowing the home runs, but from the fourth inning on she was simply nails not allowing another run the rest of the way. The Cowgirls would tack on another run in the fifth, but Eberle wouldn’t need it. She was lock down the rest of the way to help Oklahoma State get the win 6-4.

This is the first win for the Cowgirls in Bedlam softball since April 27, 2011 and snaps the Sooners’ 57-game regular season conference game winning streak. Oklahoma State was game for this challenge, and they responded with a big time win and are now just one more away from claiming a Big 12 title.

Conversely, Oklahoma, now at 40-2 overall and 14-1 in league play, finds themselves needing to win the next two days to win the conference for a ninth consecutive season. The Sooners are, of course, more than capable of doing that. But, this was a legitimate statement from the Pokes in the opener.

Game two of the series will be back in Stillwater on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT.

[lawrence-related id=29366]