Weekend Wrap-Up: Oklahoma Reaction to Adversity Rooted in Attempting to ‘Keep It Simple’

admin | April 14, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Patty Gasso’s Sooners responded to hardship after losing Friday’s game against BYU, demonstrating that they are still a work in progress by 2024.

Oklahoma has been nearly unstoppable for the past two years.

OU had lost four total games on the way to Patty Gasso’s second and third consecutive titles during this most recent three-year reign of terror, rewriting the record books and breaking preconceptions of what it means to be a dominant force in softball.

The 2024 Sooners might still be the best team in the country, but they are human.

One week after losing its first conference series since 2011, Oklahoma faced BYU on Saturday looking for a series win.

OU’s 9-4 loss on Friday was erased by a 7-3 victory in the series decider on Saturday, as the Sooners demonstrated tenacity ahead of an interesting final month in the Big 12.

Failure to Convert

Friday’s defeat was marred by mistakes.

There were only two fielding errors, which fell far short of Oklahoma’s high defensive standards.

The OU pitching staff allowed 11 hits, five walks, and two hit batters.

Despite the fact that Oklahoma allowed so much movement on the base paths, additional run support was needed.

The Sooners drew ten walks but left ten runners stranded, which both Gasso and the team found unacceptable.

“We were popping the ball up a lot,” OU catcher Kinzie Hansen said after Friday’s loss. “We were swinging at changeups, which is not typical of us. We were also taking pitches that we often hammer.

“…sometimes we get caught up in trying to be so perfect and hit that exact pitch so perfectly. Everything has to be perfect.” However, if you swing hard at a good pitch, regardless of the pitch, it will go somewhere and go hard. So simply being able to trust ourselves and our timing and rely on it.”

The pursuit of perfection, particularly at the plate, will result in missed opportunities.

“When you’re trying to be perfect at the plate,” Gasso went on to say. “You’re gonna be you’re gonna be frozen, you’re gonna be stuck.”

Saturday, the Sooners performed better at the plate.

OU still stranded 11 hitters, but it went 4-of-11 with two outs, scoring four of its seven runs with two outs.

Gasso is optimistic that the club will reduce the number of runners on base if they continue to fight through each at-bat.

“We’re getting on base, so we can be encouraged by that,” he said. “We are going to solve it. “I am certain of that.”

Maxwell Still Firing

For the second consecutive weekend, Gasso relied on the veteran left-hander to finish off the series finale.

Maxwell cruised until the sixth inning, when she encountered traffic at the bases for the first time.

She escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth before giving up two runs in the eighth, which only added to BYU’s setback.

“I’m really proud of her,” Gasso stated on Sunday. “There were times when I wasn’t sure if she was feeling her best. Elite athletes just let it go. They don’t use that as an excuse. Continued to pursue it. I’m quite pleased of Kelly’s success. The crew stepped up for it. They learned about it later in the game and reacted swiftly.”

So that element of Oklahoma’s pitching rotation is set. Maxwell is the best, and she has proven she can win OU games every other day.

Now the Sooners have to figure out how to get the best out of the rest of the pitching staff.

Nicole May has a 2.89 ERA in Big 12 play and has not looked like her dominant form from the past.

She pitched effectively enough to keep Oklahoma in the second game against Texas, conceding only two runs, but she gave up three runs in the first three innings of Friday’s loss to the Cougars.

Then, in relief, Kierston Deal allowed two runs, and Karlie Keeney gave up four more.

“Not good enough.” “Not gritty enough,” Gasso remarked. “We can’t rely on one arm; we need combatants.

“… We just we just got to trust our stuff and we just got to be that just gritty type of pitching staff.”

OU has a midweek game against Tulsa before facing Houston this weekend, allowing Gasso and assistant head coach and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha plenty of opportunities to strengthen the pitching staff.

Still in the Fight

According to Gasso, Oklahoma was too emotional on Friday.

Saturday, the team showed an edge and looked more like the Sooners supporters have gotten accustomed to seeing in recent years.

Flipping the switch was critical, but it did not necessitate a significant change, according to third baseman Alyssa Brito.

“I just think we came to the conclusion of stepping in and asking, ‘Who are we?'” Who do you want to be this year? “I don’t think there should be any pressure,” she remarked, “because we’ve been in these situations before.”

Oklahoma knows how to compete at a high level.

This season, they defeated Duke, Washington, and Texas, all of whom are ranked in the top ten.

The Sooners do not have to be perfect, either.

Oklahoma’s three previous national championship teams lost an average of 2.66 games per season. The past 20 champions lost an average of 8.95 games per year. The last three Oklahoma City championship teams were the exception rather than the rule.

Many of Oklahoma’s current players understand how that feels, but for the time being, the team’s leaders urge them to play loose in order to get the most out of one another.

“Just play free, keep having fun in the game,” shortstop Tiare Jennings said on Friday. “… Just keep passing the bat and keeping things simple. And I think that’s a great approach to start this fire.”