Tag: Patty Gasso

Oklahoma given No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Tournament

Oklahoma softball picked up the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament in Sunday night’s bracket reveal.

The No. 1 ranked team in the land has been given the top spot as Oklahoma softball was given the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament set to begin later this week.

Despite being the top-ranked team for the vast majority of the season with their gaudy 45-2 record and 32 run-rule wins, it was widely speculated the Sooners could potentially be given the No. 2 spot with UCLA being selected above them due to Oklahoma’s relatively light schedule in terms of difficulty. But, the committee obviously didn’t see it that way giving Patty Gasso’s club the honor.

Joining the Sooners in the Norman regional will be Morgan State, Texas A&M and Wichita State. Oklahoma already faced the Shockers once earlier this season, knocking them off 14-3 in five innings just under a couple of weeks ago.

It is also worth noting that Oklahoma State, who the Sooners beat three times in four meetings in just the last nine days, were given the No. 5 overall seed. Only the committee can say whether or not Oklahoma’s run-ruling of the Cowgirls in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game had an impact on them getting the top seed – but there is no way it didn’t at the very least make the decision more comfortable if they were already leaning that way.

The NCAA Tournament will begin on Friday with the Sooners beginning play against Morgan State at approximately 7:30 p.m. CT at Marita Hynes Field.

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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 softball defeats Texas Tech 8-2, punches ticket to championship game

No. 1 Oklahoma softball knocked off Texas Tech 8-2 Friday night to punch their ticket to the championship game against Oklahoma State.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball returned to Hall of Fame Stadium for the night cap on Friday against Texas Tech after knocking off Baylor earlier in the day to open up pool play.

After Oklahoma State’s two wins over Texas and Iowa State in the other pool, this game served essentially as a semifinal with the winner matching up with the Cowgirls in the championship on Saturday afternoon.

Getting the ball for Patty Gasso’s squad was senior Giselle Juarez who was effective working five innings and allowing just two runs – one of which being unearned. Freshman Nicole May would record the final six outs to finish things off.

After both teams came up empty in the opening inning, Oklahoma would strike first on a solo home run by catcher Lynnsie Elam in the second to get the Sooners out in front 1-0. The Red Raiders, however, would respond back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning off of Juarez to get themselves out in front by a run 2-1.

That would remain the score until the fourth when the Oklahoma bats would come alive again on a solo home run by first baseman Kinzie Hansen and two-run blast from Elam for her second homer of the day. The Sooners held a 4-2 advantage heading into the fifth.

There, designated player Jocelyn Alo would lead things off with her 27th home run of the year –ย  a solo shot to right center to push the lead to 5-2. The Sooners would go on to load the bases with nobody out, but were unable to add on.

They would add on, though, in the sixth with Hansen going deep yet again for her second home run of the game and fourth of the day to go with her two blasts in the Baylor game earlier in the afternoon. Her two-run bomb paired with a solo home run from second baseman Tiare Jennings had Oklahoma holding a comfortable 8-2 lead midway through the sixth.

May would then enter the game in relief of Juarez and shut things down in the sixth and seventh to complete the 8-2 win.

The victory moves the Sooners to 44-2 on the year and punches their ticket to the championship game on Saturday afternoon against Oklahoma State for Bedlam round four. Oklahoma and the Pokes have been the two best teams in the conference all year long, so it seems only fitting they collide one more time for the conference crown.

Saturday’s title game is set for 3:00 p.m. CT back at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

No. 1 Oklahoma opens Big 12 tournament with 10-2 run-rule win over Baylor

No. 1 Oklahoma softball opened up the Big 12 tournament on Friday with a 10-2 run-rule win over Baylor to move to 43-2 on the season.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball began postseason play on Friday with the first day of the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship in Oklahoma City.

The top-seeded Sooners opened pool play with a 10-2 win against the fourth-seeded Baylor Bears as they look to claim the tournament this weekend for the clean sweep of conference titles. They won the regular-season crown last weekend in Stillwater.

Getting the start for Patty Gasso’s club was redshirt senior Shannon Saile (15-0) who allowed two first-inning runs but then tossed four straight scoreless innings, finishing with 10 strikeouts.

Baylor’s runs in the first came on an RBI single from third baseman Taylor Ellis and an error.

In the second, Oklahoma took a 4-2 lead on a sacrifice fly from first baseman Taylon Snow and a three-run home run from center fielder Jayda Coleman.

Oklahoma expanded that lead to 6-2 in the third on a moon shot solo home run from catcher Kinzie Hansen and an RBI double from left fielder Mackenzie Donihoo.

After another scoreless inning from Saile in the top of the fourth, Hansen went deep for her second home run of the day — a three-run blast that just cleared the center field fence and gave the Sooners a 9-2 lead.

In the fifth, Oklahoma needed one run to win via the run-rule. Second baseman Tiare Jennings happily obliged with a sacrifice fly to score Coleman.

Oklahoma (43-2) did what it often does: dominate. Oklahoma will return to action in Oklahoma City this evening at approximately 7:30 p.m. CT to face Texas Tech looking to punch their ticket to Saturday’s championship game.

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When, where, how to watch No. 1 Oklahoma softball in the Big 12 tournament on Friday

Everything you need to know for No. 1 Oklahoma softball’s two games against Baylor and Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament on Friday.

No. 1 Oklahoma (42-2, 16-1) begins postseason play on Friday in the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship in Oklahoma City.

The format of the Big 12’s softball postseason tournament is much different than the baseball or basketball iterations, as the league only has six teams in softball as opposed to nine or the full ten. The teams are divided into two three-team “pools” comprised of the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 seeds and the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 seeds.

Everyone plays two games on Friday in a round robin format amongst their pool, with the two pool winners facing off in the championship game on Saturday afternoon. So, the No. 1 seed Sooners will match up with No. 4 Baylor (27-18, 8-9) first followed by No. 6 Texas Tech (19-25, 3-15) later on in the evening.

Oklahoma is trying to win this tournament for a fourth straight season to make it another clean sweep after claiming the regular season crown on Sunday for the ninth consecutive year. After receiving a plethora of Big 12 honors earlier this week, the Sooners are looking to cap off a dominant year in the league with three wins this weekend heading in the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma played both the Bears and the Red Raiders just a few weeks ago in late April sweeping a doubleheader against Baylor in Waco and sweeping a three-game series against Texas Tech in Norman. They combined to win those five games against their two Friday opponents by a total margin of 58-1 – shutting out the Raiders in all three contests.

For the Sooners first two matchups of the conference tournament, here is everything you need to know:

Game 1 – Baylor

WHEN:ย  ย 2:00 p.m. CT

WHERE:ย  ย Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Hall of Fame Stadium)

HOW TO WATCH:ย  ย Big 12 Now on ESPN+

HOW TO LISTEN:ย  ย Sooner Sports Radio Network – The Franchise 2 103.3 FM/1560 AM; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank)

Game 2 – Texas Tech

WHEN:ย  ย 7:30 p.m. CT

WHERE:ย  ย Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Hall of Fame Stadium)

HOW TO WATCH:ย  ย Big 12 Now on ESPN+

HOW TO LISTEN:ย  ย Sooner Sports Radio Network – The Franchise 2 103.3 FM/1560 AM; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank)

Oklahoma softball takes four of five Big 12 yearly awards, numerous players named to all-conference teams

No. 1 Oklahoma softball took four of the five yearly conference awards on Wednesday including numerous players being named all-conference.

Oklahoma softball is preparing to attempt to follow up their Big 12 regular season title with a victory in the annual conference tournament later this week. When they do so, they’ll be taking some hardware there with them as the Sooners took four of the five yearly Big 12 honors on Wednesday.

Head coach Patty Gasso was named Coach of the Year after leading the team to an absurd 42-2 record and the mantle as the widely-viewed best team in the country essentially all year long. She was an easy choice winning the award for the ninth straight year.

Senior outfielder Jocelyn Alo picked up the Big 12 Player of the Year selection after leading the country in home runs with 26. She’s the 14th Sooner to win the award.

Freshman infielder Tiare Jennings earned the Freshman of the Year choice unanimously after leading the country with 72 RBIs and being just behind Alo with 23 home runs.

Lastly, junior infielder Grace Lyons was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as one of the elite defensive shortstops in the country on an Oklahoma team that is one of the top defensive teams in the sport.

Joining Alo, Jennings and Lyons on the All-Big 12 first team is senior pitcher Shannon Saile and freshman outfielder Jayda Coleman. Senior pitcher Giselle Juarez, senior catcher Lynnsie Elam and sophomore infielder Mackenzie Donihoo were named to the All-Big 12 second team.

Coleman, Jennings and freshman pitcher Nicole May were selected to the All-Big 12 freshman team as well to round out the plethora of honors for the Sooners.

This team had a tremendous year so all of these awards really come as no surprise. But, as they would all surely agree, they don’t mean nearly as much as finishing off the year with a championship would.

The Sooners will begin postseason play in the conference tournament on Friday in Oklahoma City against Baylor at 2:00 p.m. CT.

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Big 12 softball tournament matchups, start times finalized

The 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship bracket was finalized on Sunday night with Oklahoma beginning play Friday at 2:00 p.m. CT.

The No. 1 ranked Oklahoma softball team clinched their ninth consecutive Big 12 regular season title on Sunday taking the finale of the Bedlam series 11-8 over in-state rival Oklahoma State. Now, they turn their attention to taking care of business in the postseason as well.

With the regular season wrapped up, the bracket for the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship was officially set in stone on Sunday night including start times across the two-day tournament to take place on Friday and Saturday. The Sooners, of course, are the No. 1 seed.

(Via Big 12)

Oklahoma will open up pool play on Friday at 2:00 p.m. CT against Baylor before finishing up the day against Texas Tech later on that evening at 7:30 p.m. CT. Should they win both games, they will play in the conference championship game on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT against the winner of the Oklahoma State/Texas/Iowa State pool.

Given the conference’s low number of teams (just six), the softball tournament format is a little unorthodox with the round robin system of the first round as opposed to some of the other sports. But, for the Sooners’ goals it is quite simple. Win three games, win the conference.

Oklahoma’s two games on Friday will both be available to be watched on streaming with ESPN+ with the title game set for national broadcast on ESPN. The other two Saturday games will also be on ESPN+.

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.

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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.

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