‘Oh she is a blessing’: Patty Gasso on being able to turn to Riley Ludlam at catcher

One of the unsung heroes for Oklahoma this year has been the play of transfer, Riley Ludlam.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been without one of their captains for some time now. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] hasn’t played a full series since the Sooners played the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] as she deals with a knee injury.

She’s only played two games since then. It’s been huge for Oklahoma that they can turn to someone with a lot of experience like [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag]. Ludlam has started each of the last six games at catcher. Since replacing Hansen in the lineup in the opener against Texas Tech, she has just one hit, a home run, but she’s also walked 12 times and scored five runs.

“Oh she is a blessing,” Patty Gasso said of Ludlam. “We had a couple of catchers leave us unexpectedly and we went scrambling because a lot of catchers were already pulled in a lot of directions or universities. It was just a blessing for her and me to find each other. When I called her, she didn’t believe it was me. It took me a while to get her to understand that I am the coach at Oklahoma, and she came down for a visit. She was wonderful, her family was wonderful, and I knew I wanted her here.”

Ludlam had already proven to be a fantastic addition, even in a reserve role. But with Hansen out of the lineup, she’s become even more valuable. Her effectiveness at and behind the plate will allow the Sooners to be patient with Hansen’s recovery as the season goes along.

Ludlam is just one of many Sooners who aren’t talked about enough but are playing a big role right now.

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Oklahoma Sooners are taking it ‘one game, one week’ at a time

All they needed was a wake up call as the Oklahoma Sooners are back to showing their dominance.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ loss to Louisiana might have been the wake-up call they needed as a team.

That appears to be the case, as the Sooners have been flat-out dominant since suffering their first loss of the season. They are outscoring teams 137-16 during that span. That’s an average of 10.5 to 1.2. Just complete and utter dominance for the Sooners.

Jayda Coleman spoke about if they are on the path they need to be to hopefully win another national championship.

“I think where we’re going right now is really exciting,” Coleman said. “I think the main focus for us is to take it one game at a time. We have Wichita State. We have Kansas. Just thinking just one week at a time. If we start thinking about the postseason, that kind of thing, it’ll mess us up, so just one game at a time, one week at a time.”

The Sooners have done that so far this season. Now, they will spend a week in the state of Kansas.

They start things off on Tuesday with a midweek game against Wichita State before heading to play the Jayhawks on Thursday in a three-game week/weekend series. The Jayhawks are playing some really good softball. They are 7-2 in Big 12 play, with sweeps of Baylor and Houston to their ledger.

One thing Oklahoma can’t do is look ahead to next week as they have the big showdown with their rival down south. They’ve got to take care of business against a pair of teams from the Sunflower State on an NCAA Tournament trajectory.

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Oklahoma Sooners’ offense shines in sweep of the Baylor Bears

The Sooners offense was firing on all cylinders as the Sooners swept the Baylor Bears.

This past weekend it was all about the offense for the Oklahoma Sooners as they dominated the [autotag]Baylor Bears[/autotag] en route to a sweep. The Sooners outscored the Bears 27-8 over the three games.

The big offensive outburst was in the first game on Saturday. The Sooners entered the bottom of the fifth inning only up 5-3. They went on to score seven runs in the frame, capped off by an [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] walk-off grand slam to complete the run rule.

Patty Gasso talked about what impressed her the most on Saturday.

“The offense was explosive throughout the lineup,” Gasso said. “Timely hits all throughout the lineup, all day long. I thought our defense was really good too. I thought we made some big plays. Pitching was good, there were a few hiccups, but overall it was a good solid day against a very good team.”

The Sooners, although still very good, hadn’t seemed like itself earlier in the season. But, like the rest of the team, they’ve caught fire. They are now averaging just over nine runs a game. They are averaging 10.7 runs per game in conference play.

This is great news for Oklahoma. The pitching has been pretty stellar all season long, but the hitting had to pick up, and it has so far. It’s a perfect time to do so, as the Sooners have a big time matchup this week in Lawrence against a surprising Kansas Jayhawks team before traveling to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns.

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‘She’s been waiting to have the offensive explosion’: Alynah Torres steals the show in Sooners win

The Sooners won big in their midweek game against UT Arlington in large part to the bat of Alynah Torres.

The Oklahoma Sooners put together a dominant showing in their midweek game against UT Arlington on Wednesday. The Sooners run-ruled the Mavs 12-1 in five innings.

It was in large part thanks to a big 2nd inning for the Sooners. They rattled off 10 runs to run away from the Mavericks. A big part of that was the bat of [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag].

Torres hit a two-run shot to center field early in the inning to help the Sooners take a 2-1 lead. She then made it back around and ended the scoring for the inning with another two-run shot, this time to left field to put Oklahoma up 10-1.

Patty Gasso shared what she has seen from her senior utility player. “She’s been waiting to have the offensive explosion that she’s used to before she came here,” Gasso said. “It’s hard when you have a new hitting coach and you are learning new things and trying to feel what feels right. So, a lot of that, I think she’s peaking now like this is what she’s been waiting for. She’s absolutely crushing the ball but what I love about Alynah is she’s just clutch in so many different ways. Not just offensively but defensively, we put her in a lot of different places.”

Torres transferred to Oklahoma last season after spending her first three years at Arizona State. She had 37 home runs in those three seasons before only having two a season ago at Oklahoma. This year, she is hitting .400 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

Torres talked about what she thinks the difference has been for her lately. “I’m just having fun with my teammates, honestly, and just keeping it really simple,” Torres said. “I’m not trying to critique everything I’m doing, just having fun and seeing ball, hit ball.”

Torres is another one of several Sooners starting to find their groove. Now, it’s up to them to keep it going as Oklahoma begins a three-game series with a top 25 Baylor team.

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‘You can see a kind of energy switch’: Jayda Coleman talks about when the Sooners settled in

Jayda Coleman after a rough start is starting to round into form for the Sooners.

Earlier in the season the Oklahoma Sooners just looked off. It was hard to pinpoint what exactly the issue was but they just didn’t look as crisp as we had grown accustomed to seeing.

Whether that was in the field, pitching or even at the plate the team just hadn’t locked in yet. Nothing was a greater example of that than their loss to Louisiana snapping their 71-game winning streak. It wasn’t just that they lost, but there were several uncharacteristic errors in the field and on the base paths that led to the loss.

One of the players it was most noticeable with was [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]. Coleman has been one of the best players on the team since she first came to Norman back in 2021. She’s been instrumental in them winning three straight national championships.

Her defense is elite and has been good this year as well but something has seemed off with her offense until lately. Coleman talked about what was happening earlier in the season.

“It’s really hard to get into your groove when you’re playing five different teams I feel like,” Coleman said. “So, those first three tournaments are always kind of brutal. But honestly probably around when we lost our first game, probably that next practice you can see a kind of energy switch towards our team and we usually have that every year. There’s a point in the season where we are like ‘Okay, now we know how it’s supposed to feel. This is what it’s supposed to feel like every day at practice and when we come to the games, it should show up.’ So, I would say somewhere around our first loss.”

Coleman is batting .529 since the loss to Louisiana. She’s also hit one home run and has six RBIs in that stretch. It’s been clear since the loss that Coleman and the Sooners are settling into a groove.

Which is a scary sign for the rest of the college softball world.

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Sooners catcher Kinzie Hansen ‘day-to-day’ with knee issue

Oklahoma Softball: Kinzie Hansen day-to-day with knee injury

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a sensational start to Big 12 play, sitting at 6-0 with the Baylor Bears coming to town for a three-game set this weekend.

As OU prepares to host the only team to beat them in 2023, they may have to play without one of their captains, catcher [autotag]Kinzien Hansen[/autotag]. Patty Gasso said on Tuesday that Hansen is dealing with a knee issue.

“She’s got a little bit of a tweak in the knee that we don’t want to mess around with right now,” Gasso said Tuesday. “We’re just kind of playing it very cautiously. Riley Ludlam’s done a great job in that spot. So it’s just kind of day-to-day. She’s not out for the season or anything like that, we’re just kind of taking it day to day.”

Hansen has been fantastic in her final year with the Sooners, hitting .367 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs. Her work behind the plate defensively and with the pitching staff have also been critical to Oklahoma’s success.

In her only at bat last week, Hansen launched a solo home run in Friday’s game against Texas Tech in her first plate appearance. She didn’t play the rest of the weekend.

Taking her place in the ambiguous nature of day-to-day is [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag]. Ludlam, who transferred from Furman last offseason is having a really good year with the Sooners. She’s hitting .385 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and has recorded 13 walks this season. Her on-base percentage of .528 is third on the Sooners behind [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag].

Patty Gasso also revealed that in the even the Sooners need another catcher, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] will work as the emergency backstop.

The Oklahoma Sooners will play UT Arlington on Wednesday before they begin their three-game series with Baylor on Friday night in Oklahoma City at Hall of Fame Stadium. The final two games of the series will take place at Love’s Field in Norman.

More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma vs. UT Arlington

More: 5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s sweep of Texas Tech

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Kelly Maxwell dazzles, Tiare Jennings hits two home runs in Sooners win over Texas Tech

The Oklahoma Sooners got a fantastic outing from Kelly Maxwell and Tiare Jennings launched two home runs as the Sooners beat Texas Tech 14-0

The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners traveled to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. OU took the first of three games 14-0.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] threw six innings, striking out 10, allowing two hits and four walks to move to 8-0 on the season, and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] led the way with two home runs and six RBIs.

Oklahoma got the scoring going in the top of the first. After [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] stole second, Jennings brought her home on an RBI double to put Oklahoma up 1-0.

In the second inning, [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] hit her seventh home run of the season to put Oklahoma up 2-0.

In the third innings, the Sooners put up three runs on a pair of walks from [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] and the first of Jennings’ two home runs to give the Sooners a commanding 5-0 lead.

Oklahoma added another run in the fourth to make it 6-0.

Maxwell cruised throughout the game until running into a bit of trouble in the sixth inning. She allowed a leadoff walk, then hit the next Texas Tech batter before issuing another walk to load the bases. The veteran star then showed incredible poise, striking out the next three Red Raider hitters to keep the game scoreless through six.

Then in the top of the seventh, the Sooners lineup put an exclamation point on the evening with an eight-run inning to leave no doubt.

Alyssa Brito led off the inning with a single and then Tiare Jennings launched her second home run of the game to put OU up 8-0. [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] walked and then with one out, so did Alynah Torres. Singles by [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and a [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] fielder’s choice tacked on three more runs before [autotag]Maya Bland[/autotag] doubled to bring in two more and make the score 13-0. Jennings and Ludlam walked to load the bases for [autotag]Quincee Lilio[/autotag] who also walked to score Bland and make it 14-0 Oklahoma.

[autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] came in to pitch a scoreless seventh, striking out two and hitting a batter to close out the game.

The Sooners moved to 25-1 on the season and 4-0 in Big 12 play.

Tiare Jennings led the way at the plate with a 3-for-3 day with two home runs, six RBIs, a double, and two walks. She retook the team RBI lead and now sits with nine home runs and 31 RBIs on the season. Jennings’ batting average is now up to .423.

Cydney Sanders, who had been red hot in the month of March, didn’t record a hit in the game, but walked four times had an RBI and scored a run. Jayda Coleman was 2-for-4 and reached base on a walk.

Over her last three starts, Kelly Maxwell is 3-0 and hasn’t allowed a run while recording 25 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched.

It was a strong performance to set the stage for the weekend on a cool night in Lubbock. The Sooners will take the field Saturday at 1 p.m. CT against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

More: How to watch the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Tech

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‘We’re going to have to be pretty pinpointed’: Sooners pitchers have to be sharp vs. Texas Tech

Sooners will face one of the best offenses in the country this weekend and it’ll be no walk in the park for their pitchers.

The Oklahoma Sooners (24-1) returned to their spot as the consensus No. 1 team after splitting the rankings with Texas last week. This weekend they go on the road for the first time this month to face one of the better teams in the country.

The [autotag]Texas Tech Red Raiders[/autotag] are 21-5 and 6-1 at home this season. They are receiving votes but are just outside the top 25. While every game presents challenges, this one is going to be tough for Oklahoma and, specifically, its pitching staff.

The Red Raiders have scored 190 runs, which averages to just over seven runs a game. They’re third in the Big 12 in runs and home runs, behind Oklahoma and Texas. For comparison, Oklahoma averages 8.5 runs per game.

Patty Gasso was asked about the challenge they’ll face this weekend.

“Any team we play that has a bat in their hand is going to be a challenge for us, and that’s the way we’ll look at it,” Gasso said. “We’re going to have to be pretty pinpointed. We’re not going to try to outhit them. We’re just going to be us. Trusting that will be good enough.”

Typically, Oklahoma just being itself has been good enough. In the one loss this year, the Sooners weren’t themselves and it showed. This is when we will find out what this pitching staff is made of and which pitchers start to separate themselves.

There is no doubt these are measuring-stick games, and it’s going to be must-see television this weekend.

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‘We’re spoiled’: Oklahoma Sooners defense shines against Iowa State

After a rough defensive outing in the loss to Louisiana, the Sooners looked like themselves vs. Iowa State.

One of the more shocking things when Oklahoma Sooners’ 71-game winning streak came to an end was how bad their defense played that game. They had a number of mistakes they just don’t make.

While the offense has gotten all of the attention the last few seasons Oklahoma has also been one of the best defensive teams in the country as well. In Oklahoma’s sweep of the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag], the Sooners’ stellar defensive play returned.

Patty Gasso talked after the game about their defense against the Cyclones. “We’re spoiled,” Gasso said. “Jayda Coleman makes some of the greatest plays out there. She will not be denied, but it bleeds on to Hannah Coor, who made some good plays and almost had one tonight. Defense looks solid. It was very clean. It was very pure style of play, specifically Game 2.”

Gasso went on to say she thought her team came out a little flat with almost a “boring” style of play. But that changed in the second game of the day when the Sooners won 11-2. The offense is going to be there almost every single game but it’s the defense that is going to be the difference if this team ends up winning another national championship.

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Cydney Sanders’ has big weekend in Sooners sweep of Iowa State

Cydney Sanders showed off her power in a big weekend vs. Iowa State.

The Oklahoma Sooners started Big 12 play with a bang as they beat the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] in all three games to start. The Sooners won 4-0, 11-2 and then 14-1.

The star of the weekend was first baseman [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag]. Sanders hit four home runs and recorded nine RBIs. Sanders spoke to reporters after Saturday’s doubleheader about the day she had.

“Just seeing a strike and swinging,” Sanders said. “Honestly, in my last at-bat, I told coach I was going to swing at my first pitch strike. I ended up not but it ended up working out in the end. Just seeing pitches and getting good swings on them.”

That she did. We had been waiting for a breakout day from Sanders since she transferred before last season. As a freshman, she hit 21 home runs and had 63 RBIs for Arizona State. In her first year with the Sooners she hit nine home runs with 31 RBIs and her batting average dropped from .425 to .284.

This year Sanders is up to .385 and already has eight home runs and 20 RBIs. That would put her on pace for about 20 home runs and 46 RBIs. She’s had six home runs and 15 RBIs in the month of March alone. And it’s only March 10.

If they can keep getting this version of Cydney Sanders, it could be huge fir Oklahoma’s chances of winning a fourth straight national title.

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