Oklahoma is one of the 16 teams left in the NCAA Softball Tournament after defending their home turf at the Norman Regional. Heading into the weekend, the No. 3 overall seed Sooners had to address a major concern that made fans worry about their contention for a ninth national championship.
The pitching staff looked like a completely different group than the one that faced a disappointing early exit by fellow Super Regionals qualifier and No. 10 overall seed Georgia in the SEC tournament, as they steamrolled through Binghamton, Kansas and Michigan and gave up only one run to the opposing hitters across the three games.
OU’s pitchers make a comeback in Norman Regional sweep
The Sooners were back to dominance in the first portion of the national championship stage with five-inning mercy rule victories shutting down the Bearcats on Friday and the Jayhawks on Saturday, with Miali Guachino tossing a complete game in the second round. Michigan’s lone home run off Audrey Lowry in the second inning of the Norman Regional final on Sunday spoiled a bid for a complete weekend shutout, but Kierston Deal and Sydney Berzon denied any further scoring opportunities from the Wolverines.
Although OU effortlessly punched their Sweet Sixteen ticket, they were under pressure to perform well enough and change the subject of their Women’s College World Series prospects after the wake-up call in the SEC tournament.
In that single game, 10 runs and 11 hits within a 6.3-inning span were given up to the Bulldogs. The runs-in-innings ratio significantly shrunk in the Norman Regional after Patty Gasso gave a rousing speech to her squad that has changed the mindset of the pitching staff into being more comfortable on the mound.
Their 3.02 ERA places at 11th among the final 16 pitching staffs and the MS Bulldogs have a lower number of 2.15, alongside Florida with 2.73 and Texas Tech with 1.81 for possible opening round draws in Oklahoma City.
What challenges could Sooners pitching face in the Super Regionals?
Now with sights set on the Super Regionals, Oklahoma has to face an unfamiliar conference member in Mississippi State to show that the crimson-and-cream dynasty is Women’s College World Series bound once more, but the rival arms will only get tougher to hit off by this stage.
Besides the Red Raiders who eliminated the Sooners in the semifinals last year and the defending champions Texas, other teams like Tennessee, Alabama, and Nebraska are also serious title contenders that they'll want to pay close attention, while Oklahoma State who beat OU in Bedlam at the same location this year is also present.
The Sooners have gotten this far due to raw talent, and Gasso won’t allow upsets to come by easily.
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