Tag: Rylie Boone

‘It’s going to be bittersweet’: Oklahoma Sooners’ seniors ready for final road trip

Heading to Orlando to take on the Knights, Oklahoma’s senior class goes on the road for the final time.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ senior class is one of the best senior classes in the history of softball. Most have been a part of the three straight national champions or at least a part of some of the national titles during this stretch.

Those seniors include [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag], [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag]. This weekend they head on the road for what might be the final time in their career.

After this weekend in Orlando vs. UCF, the Sooners will close out the regular season in Norman against Oklahoma State. Then it’s onto the postseason where OU won’t have to leave Central Oklahoma.

With the final road trip coming, what is Alynah Torres thinking ahead of their series with UCF.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Torres said. “I think it’s going to be bittersweet. It’s going to be a long flight so it’s going to be really cool just sitting there and thinking about it and just having a good time. I think road trips are always fun because that’s when you get closest with your teammates.”

Torres went on to mention she’s excited for this trip in particular because it’ll be the Sooners’ first time to head to UCF as members of the Big 12. What better way to go out than for a series sweep against a conference foe before the start of postseason play in a few weeks?

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‘When they don’t get caught up in outcomes’: Patty Gasso on what calms her team

This senior group has been special for the Sooners but even they have their down times and need something to get them going each year.

The Oklahoma Sooners have 10 seniors on this year’s roster. Five of them have been a part of all three of their national championships.

That would be [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]. [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] has been a part of two of them, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] has been a part of one. The other three, [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] and [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag] are new to the team this year.

This season may not have gone like people expected, but the Sooners are still in a strong position to contend for the national title. Despite four losses, the sky certainly isn’t falling.

Patty Gasso shared that sometimes her team gets caught up in the outside noise but there is one thing that gets her seniors going. “When they get lost in the game,” Gasso said. “When they don’t get caught up in outcomes. You’ve seen some really uncharacteristic teams where we’re just getting really mad at ourselves. You might see the slamming of the bat. Something that’s really frustrating them. We try too hard. That is not our game. It just comes super natural because they are that elite of athletes.”

You can tell at times the pressure of winning a fourth title in a row is starting to weigh on them, especially, with all of the outside noise as well. But when they are playing their game, I still think they are the best team in the country regardless of what the standings say.

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Oklahoma Sooners’ pitching the lone bright spot over the weekend

While there isn’t a lot of positives to take away from the weekend, you can take away just how great the pitching was from the Sooners.

When you lose your first conference series in over a decade, there aren’t a lot of positives for fans to take away. Especially with how you lost the series.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ offense managed to score just seven runs in the three games, but there is one bright spot from the weekend. The pitching and defense were really good against one of the best offenses in the country.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag], [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] and [autotag]Paytn Monticelli[/autotag] held one of the best offenses in the country to just six runs in three games. Maxwell was dominant in Game 1 and got the start again in Game 3 and threw really well.

Patty Gasso spoke about her thought process giving Maxwell two starts in the series. “Another level,” Gasso said. “This is the best I’ve seen her. (She is) confident, cool, calm, execution, getting ahead. I liked it so much the first night, I wanted to see it again. She handled herself really well. I’m telling you, their offense and our offense, it’s almost side by side, identical. So, for us to shut them down to two runs, that’s a big deal.”

Holding them to two runs per game for the series would normally end in a series sweep for the Sooners. But Texas shutting Oklahoma’s lineup down to one run in the final two games of the series was the difference.

“I knew that today (Sunday) was going to be tough,” Kelly Maxwell said. “Credit Texas’ offense for picking up on my mistakes. I think there is just more opportunity to learn and grow from this weekend.”

The Sooners will have a day to regroup before traveling to face Wichita State on Tuesday.

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Texas Longhorns beat Oklahoma Sooners 2-1 on controversial call

Oklahoma lost their second game of the season as this one comes after a controversial late call.

The Oklahoma Sooners took on the Texas Longhorns in Game 2 of their three-game series on Saturday.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] singled to start the game but was forced out on a ground ball by [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag]. [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] doubled off the wall to put runners at second and third. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] drove home Brito to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead in the first.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] started in the circle for the Sooners. She walked one but was otherwise clean in the bottom of the first inning.

Texas threatened in the second inning, putting a runner on second. Oklahoma’s [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] made a great catch in the outfield to keep the Longhorns scoreless.

Texas took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Texas ran itself out of a bigger inning when a runner left base early and was called out on a pitch that was hit off the wall.

The Sooners had an opportunity in the seventh. Texas outfielder Kayden Henry made a fantastic catch on an Alynah Torres liner for the first out. Cydney Sanders grounded out to third for the second out, but Kinzie Hanse gave the Sooners hope with a single.

With two outs, Boone launched a ball over Henry.

Maya Bland, running for Hansen, received the green light from Patty Gasso to try to score, but she was tagged out at the plate. Initially, it looked as if Reese Atwood obstructed her path to the plate. Upon review, it was determined the errant throw created the obstructed path. As a result, the call stood. Bland was out, and Texas won 2-1.

May threw 4 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six.

Game 3 of the series takes place Sunday at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN+ and the Longhorn Network.

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Tiare Jennings’ great defensive play helps lead to win over Texas

Oklahoma’s defense was great once again, capped by a great play by one of the captains.

We wrote this week about how big the Oklahoma defense would need to be if the Sooners hoped to knock off the Texas Longhorns this weekend.

Texas has one of the best offenses in the country and the defense locked them down in Game 1, capped by an incredible play by [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag].

Texas scored twice in the seventh inning and had two on with the tying run at the plate. Katie Stewart hit a rocket to the left side that went off [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag]’s glove. Jennings snagged it out of the air while throwing to first to get the final out.

Kelly Maxwell talked about that incredible play to end the game.

“It just shows how talented she is in those types of moments,” Maxwell said. “I mean, we’re playing free, and we’re playing for something bigger than the game of softball, so for her just to step up in that moment was huge.”

That’s the kind of player Jennings has been her whole career. That’s why moving her from second base to shortstop was not a risky move. You know, when it matters most, she’s going to step up and make a play.

Which she did once again as she continues to do time and time again.

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Oklahoma Sooners hang on to beat Texas 5-2 in series opener

Kelly Maxwell was phenomenal through six innings, and Jayda Coleman provided the difference at the plate in the Oklahoma Sooners 5-2 win over Texas.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] was phenomenal through six innings, and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]’s three-run homer proved to be the difference in the Sooners’ 5-2 win over the Texas Longhorns.

In a highly-anticipated top-five matchup, the game lived up to the billing as Maxwell and Longhorns starter Mac Morgan battled to keep the score low.

The Sooners got things going in the third inning. However, a heads-up challenge from Texas head coach Mike White and solid defensive positioning from the Horns prevented Oklahoma from creating a bigger inning.

After her single moved Maya Bland to third, Kinzie Hansen was called out for leaving the base early on a [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] single, which wiped Oklahoma’s first run off the board and put Bland back on third. Instead of first and third and nobody out, the Sooners gave up an out with Hansen’s aggressiveness.

It ultimately didn’t matter as the Sooners cashed in, but the inning could have been bigger.

But Boone came through with one out, and Jayda Coleman’s drive to left could have gone for extra bases, but White had his team playing the line to take the double away, and [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] was forced to hold Boone at third. Coleman drove in Bland to put the Sooners on the board. On the next at-bat, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] drove in Boone to make it 2-0.

The Sooners then got things going again in the fifth, again on a rally started by the back half of the order.

In the fifth, Hansen looked to drive a double down the line, but another timely challenge from White ruled that the ball was foul as it went past third base. Hansen then grounded into a fielder’s choice. Rylie Boone singled on a chopper to put two on with one out for the reigning Big 12 and National Player of the Week, Jayda Coleman.

Facing a 2-2 count, Coleman launched a ball to right field for a three-run home run to put Oklahoma up 5-0.

More: By the Numbers: No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 4 Texas Longhorns

Things got interesting in the bottom of the seventh when Joley Mitchell singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. One of the best hitters in the nation, Reese Atwood, doubled down the left field line to score Mitchell and get the Longhorns on the board. Leighanne Goode walked and Viviana Martinez moved Adayah Wallace to third on a fielder’s choice. Ashton Maloney’s sacrifice fly scored Wallace to make it 5-2 and after a walk to Victoria Hunter, freshman Katie Stewart came up to the plate as the tying run with two outs.

The broadcast team mentioned during her at bat that in pregame batting practice, Stewart hit a ball over the fence and into the apartments beyond the stadium, breaking a window. With that kind of power, Texas was one swing away from tying the ball game. Stewart battled to a full count and Kelly Maxwell induced a groundball to [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] to close out the game and secure the win.

The Texas Longhorns offense came into this game sixth in the nation in scoring and second in batting average. Maxwell held them to two runs on three hits, three walks and recorded 10 strikeouts. At one point in time, Maxwell had struck out 7 of the 11 Longhorns batters that she’d faced.

After hitting .857 last weekend against Kansas, Coleman was the hero in this one, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Rylie Boone was the only other Sooners hitter with multiple hits on an evening where the vaunted Sooners lineup only collected seven hits. [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] walked twice

The win moved Oklahoma to 35-1 on the season and 13-0 in Big 12 play. The Sooners are now four games up on Texas in the regular season conference title race. Oklahoma State beat Houston to stay within three games.

It was the Sooners ninth win in a row over the Longhorns and they extended their nation leading win streak to 17 games.

Oklahoma and Texas get back at it on Saturday for game two of the Red River Rivalry series in Austin. That game can be seen on ESPN with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT.

More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 4 Texas Longhorns

More: Sooners, Blue Devils top consensus top 25 rankings for week 8

Oklahoma Sooners’ defense leading the way in 2024

While the offense gets the headlines, it’s the defense that Patty Gasso says is the best part of their game this year.

The Oklahoma Sooners are once again a juggernaut on the softball diamond. This weekend they’ll play a three-game series against their Red River rivals, the Texas Longhorns, who are currently a top-four team in the latest consensus rankings.

The Sooners’ offense has stolen the headlines once again, but the defense shouldn’t be overlooked. The Sooners rank No. 1 in the nation in fielding percentage. It’s part of why their lone loss was so baffling. They made a number of costly defensive errors that put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

Patty Gasso spoke about the Sooners’ defense so far this season. “Defense is probably the best part of our game right now,” Gasso said. “I like the Alynah Torres, Avery Hodge (at second). You get the best defender and then the best out of your hitter. Both can do both things well. So, I’ve really liked how that has transgressed. The left side of the infield is money. Our outfielders, all of them, are great. Defensively I can bring in people later in the game who are more like defensive specialists. Kinzie Hansen is back so I feel really good about walking into there.”

The Sooners are going to need that defense not just this weekend against a high-powered offense but also the rest of the way. It’s what separates them from other teams and why they’ve won three straight national titles.

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‘Jayda leads the way’: Patty Gasso on her team taking it to another level

Speaking of her team’s performance of late, Sooners head coach Patty Gasso said, “Jayda leads the way.”

It seems like every single week, we are talking about a different player having a huge series for the Oklahoma Sooners. Over the last four weeks [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] were named Big 12 Player of the Week. Jennings and Coleman also won NFCA National Player of the Week for their efforts.

Last weekend, Coleman put on a show. The Sooners centerfielder, had six hits in seven at-bats in the three games for an .857 batting average. Coleman had three home runs, six RBIs, seven walks, and eight runs scored. She now leads the Sooners with a .466 batting average, walks with 30, and giving her an on-base percentage at .589.

Patty Gasso spoke about how well Coleman is playing of late. “I feel like the bigness of the season is starting to show up right now,” Gasso said. “They get that. So, they want to be at their best. All of them do. Jayda leads the way. She’s a good leader by example and play. Tiare (Jennings) is really swinging really well. (Alyssa) Brito always is swinging really well. It was just very timely and very clutch. That’s what you are going to have to have when you go to Texas.”

It helps that the Sooners have veterans like Coleman, Jennings, and Brito, because they come through in the big moments. Batting 1-2-3 in the Sooners order puts pressure on opposing pitchers right out of the gate. With the best leadoff hitter in the game coming on strong the last several weeks, the Sooners have gotten off to fast starts. And there’s no indication it’ll slow down anytime soon.

More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Texas

More: By the Numbers: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns

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Tiare Jennings solidifying herself as one of the all-time greats

She might not get all of the love that the others before her got but there is no question Jennings is one of the all-time Sooner greats.

[autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] has coached some of the best players college softball has had to offer. Whether that’s [autotag]Lauren Chamberlain[/autotag], [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag], [autotag]Shelby Pendley[/autotag], [autotag]Keilani Ricketts[/autotag] or [autotag]Kristin Vesely[/autotag] the list goes on and on.

One player who isn’t mentioned as much as she should be alongside the best all-time is [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]. Jennings has hit 88 career home runs, which is currently seventh in NCAA history and climbing. She’s just eight away from passing Chamberlain for second place, which would give Oklahoma the top three home run hitters in the history of the sport.

Jennings also ranks No. 7 in career runs batted in. She would need 37 more RBIs to break that record.

Patty Gasso discussed where Jennings ranks among the great players she’s coached. “You think of Alo and Chamberlain, big-time home runs. Just everyone has seen these big, long 300-foot home runs,” Gasso said. “Tiare you want her in clutch situations because she handles it so well. She’s a great two-strike hitter. She doesn’t strike out a lot. She doesn’t get nervous. She doesn’t try to overswing. She doesn’t try to show off. She’s just very team-oriented. ‘What can I do to help this team?'”

On the season, Jennings is hitting .446 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs.

Sooner Nation has had the opportunity to witness greatness on the diamond at Marita Hynes Field for more than two decades. This year at Love’s Field, Jennings is putting together another strong season on the way to one of the best careers of all time.  When it’s all said and done, she’ll be among the best to play the game. Can she cap off her incredible career winning a fourth national championship in four years?

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‘We’re going to be ready’: The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners ready for the showdown against the No. 4 Texas Longhorns

The biggest series of arguably the entire softball season is here and the Sooners are ready for it.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been the model of consistency in the college softball world for years. The Texas Longhorns, have long been nipping at their heels for some time but have never been able to get over that hump to this point.

The closest they got was just a few years ago when they faced off in the WCWS Final but the Sooners dominated the two games and won the national title.

Now, Texas feels they have a team that can really compete with Oklahoma. They have some really good pitching and one of the best offenses in the country. Combine that with this weekend series being in Austin and the Texas fans have something to be excited about.

Kinzie Hansen spoke about how they prepare for what they are walking into this weekend.

“Challenging ourselves at practice,” Hansen said. “We don’t walk into any series lightly but this one especially. Being confident in our preparation for sure. We’re working on everything that you could throw at us. So, we’re going to be ready and we’re going to be, we’re going to be ready.”

This game has been circled on the calendars of many across the softball world. It’s a series the Sooners can really make a statement in. Very similar to what they did to No. 1 UCLA last year.

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