Oklahoma softball: Sooners’ journey to their greatest season ever at final stop

Oklahoma softball has been No. 1 virtually this entire season, and the Sooners have their sights firmly fixed on the No. 1 prize in college softball: the national championship.

The Sooners (50-2) are making their 14th appearance in the Women’s College World Series, all since 2000, in quest of what would be their fifth national championship. And the nation’s No. 1 team and top overall seed in this year’s NCAA Softball Championship doesn’t have to travel far to finish off what has been a record-breaking season for the Lady Sooners.

OU will open up the 2021 WCWS at newly expanded and full-capacity ASA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City with an 11 a.m. game on Thursday against unseeded James Madison, a Super Regional winner over No. 8 Missouri. This is the Dukes’ first-ever WCWS appearance.

Oklahoma and James Madison actually have something in common. Both teams have suffered just two losses so far this season. Of course, James Madison has played 11 fewer games than the top-seeded Sooners and against much different competition.

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Regardless, the Dukes earned their trip to Oklahoma City, and one of their two losses was to Missouri in the Columbia (Missouri) Super Regional. It should be noted that OU’s two losses this season came against teams that are in this year’s eight-team WCWS field, Georgia and No. 5 Oklahoma State, both of which are in Oklahoma’s side of the bracket.

Assuming Oklahoma is able to get by James Madison on Thursday, that will set up an intriguing matchup for the Sooners on Friday evening against the winner of the opening-round game between Oklahoma State and Georgia.

Oklahoma has had 13 50-win seasons in its softball history, including this one. Eleven of those have come under head coach Patty Gasso, who is in her 27th season at the helm. The Sooners have had a number of very good teams under Gasso’s leadership, but this year’s OU team may be the greatest of all.

The 2021 edition of Sooner softball can beat you in multiple ways. They can beat you with strong pitching, they can overwhelm you with offensive firepower, and they are the best defensive team in NCAA Division I softball. So, pick your poison.

Oklahoma’s starting lineup is like one continuous murderer’s row, top to bottom. Five of the nine players in the OU starting lineup are batting better than .400 and the first four hitters — Jocelyn Alo (.487), Tiare Jennings (.485), Jayda Coleman (.469) and Kenzie Hansen (.453) — rank 2nd, 3rd, 9th, and 12th nationally, based on batting average among NCAA Division I players with at least 100 at bats.

As as team, the Sooners are batting an eye-popping .420. Most of the top teams in the country have two or three big hitters in the lineup, but nothing like the firepower Oklahoma wields.

The Sooners lead Division I softball in virtually every offensive category and are averaging 11.33 runs per game, and 34 of their games have been decided by run rule, in fewer than the full seven innings.

OU leads the country with 146 home run, 43 more than the next closest team, and has knocked at least one over the fence in 50 of its 52 games. Six Sooners have hit at least 10 home runs this season and three have more than 20, including Alo’s nation-leading 30.

And if you think it has been all offense that has fueled Oklahoma’s 50 wins and No. 1 ranking this season, you’d be sadly mistaken. The Sooner pitching staff, headed by seniors “G” Juarez and Shannon Saile, is allowing opponents fewer than two runs a game and is tied with No. 2 UCLA, both with 22 shutouts on the season.

The Sooners have not trailed by more than four runs all season. OU backs up a deep pitching staff with outstanding team defense. The Sooners rarely make a mistake in the field in balls they can get to, as evidenced by their nation-best .985 fielding percentage, including just 17 errors in 52 games.

If Oklahoma wins the Women’s College World Series, as many are predicting, they could end the season with a 54-2 record or probably no worse than 54-3. Either way, that would be the highest winning percentage in program history.

The statistical evidence alone this season should be enough support the argument of this being the greatest of all the Oklahoma softball teams, but if not, then winning the national crown with a WCWS championship, accompanied by the highest winning percentage in program history, should be more than enough to seal the deal.