Tag: Patty Gasso

Oklahoma’s senior class pulled off the unthinkable with four-peat

Five of Oklahoma’s seniors earned four national title during their time with the Sooners. An absolutely unbelievable run.

Winning one championship in sports is difficult. Winning two straight puts you in the history books forever. Winning three in a row means you’re a legend. But winning four straight? That’s unheard of in team sports, only being accomplished by a small handful of times throughout history.

“People say, ‘Let’s go win one,’” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “You’re like, ‘OK.’ It’s not like that. It’s very difficult. Everything has to go right. The thing about them is they’re resilient. They have a lot of pride in that.

The 2024 senior class for the Oklahoma Sooners softball team will finish their college careers not knowing how it feels to walk away from a season without a championship.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] now have four rings. They’re joined in this senior class by [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag], [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], all transfers who started their careers elsewhere.

“This one was the hardest one that I’ve ever had to work for in my life,” Jennings said via The Oklahoman. “This team, the adversity that we went through, we did it and we overcame everything.”

Oklahoma’s senior class finished with as many national championships as [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag] loses, as OU finished off Texas on Thursday night. It was an 8-4 victory in Game 2 of the [autotag]WCWS[/autotag] final to win championship number eight, tied for the second-most all-time.

The Sooners won their unprecedented fourth-straight championship, giving [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] a record-tying eight rings. Half of them have now come in succession.

The Sooner seniors wowed many inside and outside the world of sports with a career sweep of national championships, but a quote from their head coach tells their story better than anyone else can.

“This is the best senior class that has ever played the game, and I’ll stand behind that as long as I live,” said Gasso of their incredible run.

Patty Gasso has built a historic dynasty in Norman, and this senior class has pulled off something few imagined could ever be done. And we may never see another run like this again. But given what Oklahoma’s done, who’s to say they can’t run it back.

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Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners national championship clinching win over Texas

A look at the best photos from Oklahoma’s 8-4 win over Texas to clinch their fourth-straight national championship.

The Oklahoma Sooners battled for five innings, trading leads with the Texas Longhorns, before pulling away in true OU fashion in the bottom of the sixth to secure their fourth straight national title.

In the win and over the course of the season, the Sooners showed resilience. They overcame a pair of deficits to beat Texas and gained big hits from [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] to erase those Longhorns leads.

It was the Sanders’ three-run double that put Oklahoma ahead, 5-3, for good in the fourth inning. And when Texas cut the lead to one in the sixth inning, the Sooners responded in a way that has become characteristic of this championship run.

Oklahoma used patience at the plate and timely hitting to set the stage for [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] to give the Sooners some insurance in the form of a four-run lead heading into the top of the seventh. And over the last four years, a four-run lead was an automatic win.

Four straight national titles is an incredible feat that may never be matched. Only one other time has a team had an opportunity to pull it off and that was more than 30 years ago.

What [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] and her team have accomplished sets them apart as one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports. And we’ve been witnesses to its greatness.

Here are the best photos from Oklahoma’s 8-4 win over Texas to earn the national title.

Kelly Maxwell saves Sooners to earn her first national title

After transferring to Oklahoma from Oklahoma State, Kelly Maxwell was there for the Sooners when her team needed her.

Oklahoma Sooners pitcher [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] received a lot of backlash for her decision to cross the Bedlam lines and transfer to OU last fall.

She faced immense pressure following her decision to move to Norman from Stillwater. Maxwell also stepped into the unenviable role of replacing [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag], a dominant pitcher who was a legend in the crimson and cream.

Maxwell shouldered some of the blame when the 2024 edition of the Sooners didn’t always measure up to previous championship iterations.

But make no mistake about it, the Sooners don’t finish off their four-peat if Maxwell stays in Stillwater instead of moving to Norman. She was instrumental in making history happen. It was an emotional roller coaster of a season and the emotions came to a head on Thursday night.

“Just gratitude,” Maxwell said after helping the Sooners win their unprecedented fourth consecutive WCWS title. “Just thankful for everything that I’ve been through and all that I’ve gone through and just being able to have a team that loves me an supports me — all the glory to God — and I think just being able to fight for them as they had my back too.”

Maxwell’s incredible week included shutting out UCLA in a 1-0 win on Saturday, rescuing the Sooners from elimination in a marathon win over Florida on Tuesday, and winning Game 1 against Texas on Wednesday on no rest.

All of this happened before [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] called her in to seal the deal in Game 2 against the Longhorns on Thursday night.

The game teetered in the balance, as the ‘Horns were making a comeback in the top of the sixth inning. Maxwell, normally a starting pitcher, was brought into the game with two outs and two on to save the day. Maxwell got OU out of the inning with the lead, then finished off Texas 1-2-3 in the seventh to get the sweep.

Maxwell’s performances earned her Most Outstanding Player honors for the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag]. She was 5-0 with two saves and a 1.88 ERA, etching her name in history following a gutsy three week display of excellence.

When the book is written about the Sooners Dynasty, let’s all make sure we save a chapter for Kelly Maxwell. Championship number eight doesn’t happen without No. 28 refusing to back down and rising to the occasion to earn her first national title.

More: Social media reacts to Oklahoma’s national championship win over Texas

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Oklahoma Sooners beat No. 1 Texas 8-4, win 4th straight national championship

The Oklahoma Sooners made history as the first team to win four consecutive national championships with their 8-4 win over the Texas Longhorns.

The Oklahoma Sooners made history in their 8-4 win over the Texas Longhorns. The Sooners won their fourth-straight national championship, and this senior class capped off the most successful run in softball history.

The Texas Longhorns got the scoring going in the top of the second on Kayden Henry’s RBI single. But [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] answered with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning to put the Sooners up one.

The Longhorns tied the game up in the third off of starter [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag]. [autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] came in with the bases loaded and kept the game tied 2-2. Texas then took a 3-2 lead in the fourth.

In the bottom of the fourth, however, the Sooners began to take control. Consecutive singles by [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag], and [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] set the stage for [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag]. Sanders proceeded to launch a double to the right-center gap to clear the bases and put Oklahoma up 5-3.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] took over in the fifth and had a dominant outing with a 1-2-3 inning and got two outs in the sixth before [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] came in with runners on second and third. Maxwell induced a ground ball by Mia Scott, and a Texas run scored to make it 5-4. But Scott got caught off the bag, and [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] flipped the ball to Sanders to get the final out of the inning and leave a runner stranded on third.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Sooners ran away from the Longhorns. Boone earned a one-out single, Sanders walked, and Hodge was hit by a pitch to load the bases. [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] added to the Sooners lead with an RBI single through the right side of the infield. With two outs in the inning, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] continued her incredible postseason with a two-RBI single to put Oklahoma up 8-4.

In the top of the seventh, Maxwell went up against the heart of the Texas lineup. Maxwell got Viviana Martinez to fly out and struck out Big 12 Player of the Year Reese Atwood before getting Katie Stewart to ground out to [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], who made a perfect throw over to Sanders to get the final out and send the Sooners into the record books.

Maxwell earned her second save of the NCAA Tournament and earned Most Outstanding Player, going 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to the national championship.

It’s the Sooners’ eighth national title and their seventh since 2013. With four straight national titles, Oklahoma is the only program to accomplish this feat. The Sooners move into a tie for second with the Arizona Wildcats for most national titles.

Seniors [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], and [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] will go down as the most decorated class in softball history, with four national championships in their career.

With eight national titles, [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] is now tied for the most in the history of the sport.

It was an incredible run for the Oklahoma Sooners, who lost just one game during the postseason, dating back to their Big 12 tournament title run. In the two games against Texas the Sooners outscored their Red River Rivals 16-7 to win the national title.

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Patty Gasso owns baserunning miscue from 9-3 loss to Florida

Oklahoma couldn’t capitalize with a runner on third and one out and Patty Gasso took responsibility for the running miscue.

In a game where nothing went right from the circle, the Sooners’ bats squandered opportunities in the early going to make something happen. Oklahoma got the lead-off runner on base in each of the first two innings of their 9-3 loss to Florida.

Though they couldn’t move [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] around the base paths in the first, they had a great opportunity to cash in with [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] in the second inning.

Pickering got to third on a passed ball and a fielder’s choice. With one out in the inning, [autotag]Riley Boone[/autotag] rocketed a ball to deep centerfield that looked like it might go beyond the outstretched arm of Florida outfielder Kendra Falby. Pickering started to go home but was forced to retreat to third when Falby made the spectacular running catch.

It was a missed opportunity to tie the game and give the Sooners some momentum. But the running miscue prevented Oklahoma from cashing in with a runner on third and one out. Sooners head coach [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] took responsibility for the critical error.

“That was an unbelievable play,” Gasso said. “I’m looking up, I’m telling her, ‘OK, it’s through, go.’ I’m looking for the next runner. That was on me. It was nothing she did wrong. I own that.”

It’s hard to know just what that moment meant in the big scheme of things, but tying the game early could have changed the trajectory of the afternoon for Oklahoma.

Instead, the Sooners prepare for an elimination game Tuesday afternoon, in a rematch with the Gators. Oklahoma’s been really difficult to beat twice during their three-plus years of dominance. But Oklahoma will have to prove their ability to bounce back still exists after losing series to Texas and Oklahoma State during the regular season.

They’ll get one more opportunity to prove they’re the best when they take the field against the Florida Gators today at 1:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners win over UCLA Bruins

The best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners thrilling win over UCLA 1-0 in the Women’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved on to the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series with a thrilling 1-0 win over the UCLA Bruins. [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] threw a game for the ages, with 11 strikeouts over seven shutout innings.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] provided the only offense the Sooners needed with a solo home run in the third inning. It was her 23rd of the season and fourth of the NCAA Tournament. In a game where the Sooners were able to get runners on base but couldn’t cash in, Jennings’ home run was just what the doctor ordered.

UCLA’s defense took away hits from [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] and [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] that likely would have gone for extra bases and scored runs. Instead, the Bruins kept the Sooners from pulling away.

But it didn’t matter as Maxwell was masterful throughout the game. Even when she did get in a little bit of trouble, she found a way to work out of the inning. She’d been great for the Sooners in 2024 but took her game to another level in the win over the Bruins.

“Kelly decided to throw one of the best games of her life today,” Gasso said. “There was no way we would be pulling her after the job she was doing.”

Maxwell was absolutely phenomenal in the win, stifling a UCLA offense that was red-hot coming into the game. The Sooners are now one win away from the championship series.

Here’s a look back at the Oklahoma Sooners win over UCLA in our latest photo gallery from the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag].

Oklahoma Sooners beat UCLA Bruins 1-0

Kelly Maxwell recorded a career high 11 strikeouts as the Oklahoma Sooners beat the UCLA Bruins 1-0 in the Women’s College World Series.

The No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners softball team came into a marquee matchup against fellow softball blue-blood UCLA after beating Duke on Thursday. Saturday’s game against the No. 6 Bruins was a much closer battle, but the Sooners moved on to the NCAA semifinals with a 1-0 win.

After a scoreless first two innings, OU struck first with a solo home run by [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

It was Jennings’ 96th-career home run, which put her in third on the all-time list, passing former Sooner [autotag]Lauren Chamberlain[/autotag]. Jennings trails only Miami (OH)’s Karli Spaid and OU legend [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag].

The story of the rest of the game was Oklahoma’s [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag]. The pitcher shut down the Bruin offense with a career-high 11 strikeouts and pitched a gem of a shutout.

UCLA managed to get runners in scoring position in the third and sixth innings, but Maxwell’s career day turned the Bruins away at every turn. The top of the sixth inning, in particular, may have been Maxwell’s finest moment. With two on base for the Bruins, she forced a pop out and got a strikeout to thwart the UCLA threat.

Maxwell faced UCLA’s All-American Maya Brady four times on the afternoon and got the better of Brady each time. The first three were strikeouts before forcing a groundout that ended the game in the top of the seventh.

The Bruins will face Stanford in an elimination game on Sunday night, while the Sooners will wait until Monday for their next game.

[autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag]’s team is one win away from the championship series, and their next game will come against either Alabama or the loser of Saturday night’s Florida–Texas game.

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Oklahoma Sooners take on ACC Champion Duke Blue Devils to open WCWS

The Oklahoma Sooners will face Duke in game one of the Women’s College World Series as they begin their quest for a four-peat.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team has once again made it to the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag], which will take place from May 30 to June 7. The Sooners are the No. 2 seed in the eight-team field. It’s their eighth trip in a row and 16th appearance to WCWS in program history.

Oklahoma will face Duke in their first game of the WCWS, with first pitch set for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City.

The Sooners rolled through the first two rounds of the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag]. [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag]’s team won the Norman Regional two weeks ago before sweeping Florida State in last week’s Norman Super Regional.

Duke went on the road and beat Missouri in the Columbia Super Regional last week. The No. 10 Blue Devils are making their first-ever trip to the WCWS after a 2-1 series win over the Tigers.

Of course, the Sooners are no strangers to the WCWS. They’re searching for their unprecedented fourth-straight national championship. Another title would bring their overall total to eight, all coming since 2000 with Gasso at the helm.

The road will be a bit different for OU in 2024, as the Sooners won’t be the top overall seed this year. No. 1 Texas will face No. 8 Stanford after winning the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] regular season championship. The Sooners exacted revenge over the Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship, winning the final conference tournament before both teams move to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

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Oklahoma softball facing a familiar foe in Florida State Seminoles

The OU softball team draws Florida State in the NCAA Super Regionals, building on an already impressive rivalry.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team steamrolled through the regional round of the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag], as [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag]’s team looks to be regaining their form at the right time.

Their Super Regional opponent at Love’s Field will be a familiar foe, though, a team the Sooners know very well. The Florida State Seminoles come into Norman as a 15-seed and heavy underdogs against No. 2 Oklahoma.

The Women’s College World Series has been decided between the Sooners and the Seminoles two out of the last three seasons. Back in 2021, Florida State grabbed an upset win in Game 1 of the championship series before the Sooners stormed back to win the national title.

In 2023, Oklahoma continued its historic win streak with a sweep of Florida State, winning championship number seven and completing the three-peat.

Though this Florida State team isn’t ranked as highly as they were in 2021 or 2023, the Seminoles still pose a dangerous threat to the Sooners. They’re a championship-caliber program with players that have plenty of experience in postseason games.

The Norman Super Regional will begin Thursday night on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. with Game 1. The three-game series winner will return to Oklahoma City as one of the eight teams competing in the WCWS.

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Best Photos from Oklahoma’s 3-2 win over the Oregon Ducks to advance to Super Regionals

The Oklahoma Sooners advanced to the Super Regionals with a 3-2 win over the Oregon Ducks. Here are some of the bet photos from the win.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a great weekend in the Norman Regional, sweeping through the competition with a win over Cleveland State on Friday and then a pair of wins over Oregon to advance to their 14th consecutive Super Regionals next weekend against Florida State.

The Sooners received another fantastic start from [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], who allowed one earned run in five innings of work. May scattered five hits and struck out six and [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] allowed a hit over two innings to earn the save and push the Sooners on in the NCAA tournament.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] scored on a sacrifice fly from Kasidi Pickering in the first. Coleman then doubled [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] home later in the game to put the Sooners up 2-0.

With the scored tied 2-2 in the fourth, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] drove in Coleman on a 3-2 count, which ended up being the winning run. It was a fantastic day for Coleman, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

The win was an emotional one for [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] and the Sooners coaching staff after welcoming back former Sooner greats [autotag]Missy Lombardi[/autotag] and [autotag]Sydney Romero[/autotag]. Like the team typically does after a series, the coaching staffs from the Oregon Ducks and the Oklahoma Sooners met at home plate for their own prayer circle.

For a Sooners team looking to win its fourth consecutive national championship, this weekend was a strong start to their run to the Women’s College World Series. Oklahoma received timely hitting, and the Sooners pitching staff didn’t allow a walk in the 20 innings pitched this weekend. If they can pitch like that during the postseason, they’ll be in great shape.

Florida State comes to town next weekend in a rematch of the 2023 Women’s College World Series Championship.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Sooners win over Oregon on Sunday.