Oklahoma Softball: Sooners Looking to Finish Off UCF and Return to the WCWS
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners are just one win away from a return to the Women’s College World Series.
Patty Gasso’s top-seeded squad easily dispatched of the 16-seeded UCF Knights on Friday, breezing to an 8-0 win in Game 1 of Super Regional play.
And yet, the Sooners (53-2) appear to be just now hitting their stride.
“What I feel happening right now is this team is starting to peak,” Gasso said on Friday after the win over the Knights (49-13). “And that is good news. We’ve been kind of waiting. We’ve been playing well, but we haven’t been at our best.
“Our defense is outstanding right now… The pitching staff is on point. Like everything is kind of hitting on the right cylinders right now.”
Unfortunately for OU fans, if the Sooners are able to punch their ticket back to Oklahoma City on Saturday, it will also mark the end of an era.
A victory against UCF in Game 2 would mean that Jocelyn Alo, Lynnsie Elam, Jana Johns, Taylon Snow and Hope Trautwein will all have played their final game at Marita Hynes Field.
The OU super seniors have been key cogs in the Oklahoma machine this year, but as the season winds down Alo said she’s still taken the time to try and cherish every moment.
“I’m definitely just trying to soak it in,” she said after the win on Friday. “But at the same time just still trying to get the win. Ultimately that’s what matters to me.
“We’d like to go out with a win at my last home game. So just focusing on wining the game.”
While the seniors will take center stage in the batting lineup, it’s likely an underclassman in Nicole May will get the ball in the circle.
May was dominant last weekend in the Norman Regional, pitching nine scoreless innings while only allowing a couple of base runners. The Sooner sophomore ranks sixth in the nation with a 0.99 earned run average, and has been essential to the Oklahoma pitching staff while Jordy Bahl has been out of action.
OU’s freshman phenom could be available as well, however, as Gasso said Bahl had been throwing a bit in the bullpen this week leading into Super Regional action.
Whoever gets the nod to start in the circle will likely have a hungry UCF lineup to face, as the Knights were unable to carry their momentum from last weekend into Game 1 on Friday.
Still, Gasso said UCF approached the weekend with the right mentality, and she expects the Knights to come out firing on Saturday.
“They came ready to play,” Gasso said of UCF. “They are not afraid of the Sooners. They are here to win.”
But if the Sooners can repeat their dominant performance from Friday, OU will punch its ticket to a 10th WCWS in the last 11 seasons.
Action from Marita Hynes Field will start at 1 p.m. Saturday, and the Super Regional battle will be broadcast on ESPN.
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