Sooner Softball Streaking, Peaking and Well Positioned at Perfect Time
By Chip Rouse
Sooner softball has everything going its way right now, and tonight Patty Gasso’s squad begins the journey that hopefully will end in a destination just up the road at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City in the Women’s College World Series.
The Sooners, 47-7 on the season and seeded No. 3 overall in the 2016 NCAA Softball Championship, open up NCAA regional play on their home diamond, at Marita Hynes Field, as the host team to Wichita State, Tulsa and Ole Miss.
Oklahoma, riding a 22-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the country and winners of 29 of its last 30, is no stranger to postseason competition. The Sooners have made the postseason all 20 seasons the Big 12 has been in existence. This is their 23rd postseason appearance all-time in softball, which is tied for the 12th most in NCAA history.
This is the 13th time OU has hosted an NCAA regional and the sixth season in a row. In 21 all-time regional appearances, the Sooners have walked away as champions 14 times.
OU faces Wichita State in its opening contest on Friday night. The two schools have faced each other 52 times, with the Sooners winning 45 times. When the Shockers have gone up against Oklahoma in Norman, OU owns a 24-3 record.
What’s even more frightening, though – or heartening, if you are a Sooner fan – is how dominant the Sooners have been in the Patty Gasso era, which began in 1995. OU is a perfect 32-0 against Wichita State under Gasso. Since 2012, OU is 8-0 against the Shockers. The combined score in those eight contests is 71-6 in favor of the Sooners.
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If Oklahoma gets by Wichita State, as expected, it will square off on Saturday against the winner of the game between Tulsa and Ole Miss. The Sooners also have dominated in-state rival Tulsa, winning 39 of 49 games between the two teams and 21 of 25 played in Norman.
Should Ole Miss come out the winner over the Golden Hurricane, the matchup with the host Sooners will not be a familiar one. The two schools have met only three times in history and have not played each other since 2000. OU has been the victor in all three games.
The Sooners are in excellent position to win their regional this weekend, and if they do they will serve as host again next weekend as one of eight Super Regional sites.
Oklahoma has played 26 games this season against teams in this year’s NCAA Championship field. The Sooners are 20-6 in those games, which indicates that they certainly have it in them to go a long way in the postseason this year, which is something Sooner fans would love to see.