Oklahoma softball: Four stats that tell the tale of Sooners WCWS title defense

By now the entire Sooner nation is probably aware that Oklahoma softball is sitting nicely at 2-0 in its defense of the Women’s College World Series championship it took home at this time a year ago.

The Sooners 3-1 victory over No. 6 Washington on Friday night at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City left the Crimson and Cream one win away from playing in the championship series for the second straight year and the fourth time in the last six seasons. And if you are among the very few Sooner faithful who do not know, you know now.

Oklahoma, winners of 35 of its last 37 games and 8-1 this postseason will have Saturday off and play next on Sunday against either Oregon, Baylor, or LSU, depending on the outcome of the two elimination games on Saturday.

The Sooners managed just five hits in the game off of Washington pitcher Taran Alvelo on Friday night, four of them singles. OU starter Paige Parker was even better, holding the Huskies to just three hits while striking out six.

“It would have been hard to beat us tonight with the way we played.” –OU head coach Patty Gasso on her team’s win over No. 6 Washington

Sophomore third baseman Sydney Romero had the only other Oklahoma hit, a solo home run in the sixth inning, her 12th of the season.

“We were ready for a battle, and we got it,” said Sooner head coach Patty Gasso, who has led OU to 11 WCWS appearances in her 23 seasons in Norman.

Speaking to reporters after the win over Washington, Gasso said, “Offense was attacking, and the pitching staff (Paige Parker and Paige Lowary) was phenomenal. It would have been hard to beat us tonight with the way we played,”

The defending national champion Sooners need just one more win to lock down a spot in the WCWS championship series.

Here are four stats that build a strong case for a Women’s College World Series title defense by the Oklahoma Sooners.

• Oklahoma is now 24-15 all-time in the WCWS, including wins in seven of their last eight World Series games. Only UCLA, among teams in this year’s WCWS field, has more World Series wins than the Sooners.
• This is the fifth time in11 Women’s College World Series appearances that Oklahoma has gone 2-0 in its first two WCWS games. Three of the previous four times the Sooners were unbeaten through two games, they won the national championship (2000, 2013 and 2016). The other time, OU made it to the championship series, but finished as the runner-up (vs. Alabama in 2012).
• Oklahoma pitching ace Paige Parker was the WCWS Most Outstanding Player this time last season. She is 25-5 in the circle this season, with a 1.37 ERA. She averages nine strikeouts per seven innings, and has pitched in just a little over half of the Sooners games this season. But here is the telling stat: Parker has won her past 15 postseason decisions.
• The Sooners committed a highly uncharacteristic four errors in their first-round win over Baylor. But fielding may just be the best part of their game. OU led the Big 12 in fielding percentage and ranks 6th nationally. When the offense is hot, which it has been of late. -, when it counts the most. – and the OU pitching staff is firing blanks, there isn’t a more complete team in the country. All of which makes the Sooners a good choice to repeat as national champions again in 2017.