Patty Gasso's college softball dynasty was supposed to be over, or at least go on hiatus. Yet, the Oklahoma Sooners are the No. 1 team in the country and SEC regular-season champions.
The Sooners on Friday clinched the regular-season conference title before even stepping on the field to play the No. 7 Florida Gators in Gainesville, Florida, for Game 2 of the last series of the regular season.
In the first game of a doubleheader in Knoxville earlier Friday, Tennessee beat Texas A&M 5-1 to knock the Aggies out of title contention. After beating the Volunteers on Thursday, Texas A&M was the only team left that had a shot at stealing the crown from the Sooners.
But, as if she found the last Infinity Stone somewhere in the dirt at Love's Field, Patty Gasso is inevitable.
The Sooners won their fourth national championship in a row last year and eighth total under Gasso, who was just recently named College Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
But the Sooners had accomplished the task with a team loaded with experienced seniors and on their way out of the Big 12.
This offseason, Gasso had to replace nine players who got significant time in the starting lineup last season, including a pair of pitchers. And she had to rebuild all while preparing and enduring the program's first year in the SEC, which was the toughest conference in college softball this season.
The first time OU took the field for 2025, 11 different players made their debut as a Sooner. Yet, nothing really changed after that. The Sooners are 43-6 with one game left in the regular season and are regular-season conference champions for the 16th time.
College softball fans had become calloused to what Gasso was accomplishing at OU, but after all were expecting at least a slip from grace, the college softball world was in awe after Gasso and the Sooners were yet again the best team in their new conference.
Social media reacts to Sooners' SEC regular-season championship
Oklahoma lost NEARLY every player from a class that four-peated, then the Sooners join the BEST conference in all of softball. Gasso wins it with little experience and a lot of youth. Insane.
— College Softball Coverage (@collegesbzone) May 2, 2025
You can argue this is one of Patty’s best coaching jobs… https://t.co/gluhS8f5N3
OU Softball is your SEC Champion.
— Tyler McComas (@Tyler_McComas) May 2, 2025
A young team with so many newcomers has locked up the title with two games left.
Patty Gasso and staff have had a TON of incredible coaching jobs, but considering all that was lost, this one has to be towards the top
Tip of the cap to Patty Gasso and her staff.
— Charlie (@CharlieS_TFB) May 2, 2025
Remarkable job of coaching and roster building.
🥎There’s only one 2025 SEC Softball Champion.#ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/VHjd4ZuZYA
It’s hard not to be impressed by Patty Gasso these days because of how much she’s accomplished and the barriers she’s broken. But this coaching job is one for the ages. Took a very young and new team, and just won the conference title in the toughest conference in the country in… pic.twitter.com/4SjfWRX3CZ
— #1 Patty Gasso fan (@Nattys4Patty) May 2, 2025
Does anybody have a better argument for SEC Coach of the Year than Patty Gasso? I am genuinely asking.
— Seth Oliveras (@SethOliveras) May 2, 2025
Sooners softball and Patty Gasso walking into the SEC. pic.twitter.com/P3fBECCoqw
— Derrick .I (@soonerfan8380) May 2, 2025
Welcome to the SEC 🤣. Patty Gasso to everyone in the conference pic.twitter.com/SqXcAMZ8oQ
— Sheed (@rmolake07) May 2, 2025
One last shoutout to the Vols for helping get the Sooners here.
Thank you, @Vol_Softball! https://t.co/16lWBb8dV3 pic.twitter.com/FvmQCv6mA9
— Andrew Shepard (@The_Shep_) May 2, 2025
Come to the #SEC, they said!
— Jeremy Wood (@SoonerCubby) May 3, 2025
Your days of winning championships are over, they said!
First try!
FIRST TRY!#SECSB #ItJustMeansMore #ChampionshipMindset #BoomerSooner #OU https://t.co/M5kASRdhAL
The Sooners and Gators will meet in a rubber match at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Read more about OU softball