It's been an historic, record-breaking Oklahoma softball season, but that's just a byproduct of what the Sooners are really after this season.
"We're trying to win championships and put another trophy up on that (outfield) wall, and that's what we're fighting for," said Sooner head coach Patty Gasso in the press conference after the team broke the NCAA home run record in a win on Friday against Georgia.
Sooners already made home run history but it's clear the goal hasn't been reached it
The top-ranked Sooners just completed a three-game sweep over 11th-ranked Georgia, and in consecutive weekends before that, they won two of three games and the series against then-No. 4 Texas and No. 6 Arkansas. Oklahoma has won all seven of its SEC series this season with one to go at Texas A&M this coming weekend. The 10th-ranked Aggies will be the fourth top-15 opponent the Sooners have faced in as many weeks.
Oklahoma's nonconference schedule was not as challenging as its has been in recent seasons. In fact -- despite playing in the strongest softball league in college softball, where 11 out of 15 SEC teams are ranked in the top-25 and owning a 16-5 record in Quad 1 games (only Texas has as many Quad 1 wins as OU) -- the Sooners' strength of schedule is still surprisingly high, at No. 31 in the country, according to D1 Softball. Why that is, frankly, is a mystery to me.
Two weeks ago, after losing back-to-back games to OU's biggest rivals, Gasso delivered a stern message to her young team.
"It's unacceptable for the Sooners," Gasso said after a loss to Oklahoma State. "Listen, I'm not taking anything away -- (OSU) absolutely won that game and beat us. We just became the No. 1 team in the country. I know they know. We don't talk about it, but the history of this program is to bow up. And we got bowed up on.
"And that is OK, because we had to see what it looked like and learn how to punch back a little bit better. If it helps us this weekend versus Arkansas, against Georgia, against Texas A&M, then we'll take this, because we got to get that messaging through."
Message received. ... and action taken. Since those consecutive losses to Texas and Oklahoma State, the Sooners have won six of the last seven.
The 2026 edition of Oklahoma softball may be the best offensive team in Sooner softball history, and that's saying something when you look at all the NCAA team and individual records that have been held by Oklahoma. Already this season -- and we aren't even into the month of May yet -- OU has set a new NCAA record for home runs in a season. In addition, freshman Kendall Wells has broken the SEC and Oklahoma team records for individual home runs in one season while nearing the NCAA record.
Read more: Patty Gasso won’t celebrate but Oklahoma fans have every reason to
The 35-year veteran Sooner head coach has her team peaking once again at the right time of the season. OU has won six of the last seven games and next weekend will have the chance to clinch its second consecutive SEC regular-season championship, then move on to the SEC Tournament, where the Sooners were co-champions a year ago with Texas A&M, and get ready for another national championship run.
No team has been as dominant in the NCAA Softball Championship over the past decade-plus than the Oklahoma Sooners. As the No. 1 team in the country entering the final week of the regular season, OU is a virtual lock to host both an NCAA Regional and Super Regional, which typically is the easiest pathway to the Women's College World Series.
For example, since 2011, Oklahoma has served as an NCAA Regional the last 14 seasons the NCAA Championship has been held and went on to host and win 13 of the 14 Super Regionals that followed, punching its ticket to the Women's College World Series. The one season since 2011 that OU did not advance to the WCWS, the Sooners were eliminated by Alabama in the 2015 Tuscaloosa Super Regional.
Over that same 14-year span (2011-25), Oklahoma has won seven of its eight national championships (2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024) and twice finished as national runner-up (2012 and 2019).
A similar familiar path is being cut this season. And here's the kicker: 14 of Oklahoma's 21-player 2026 roster are underclassmen with another No. 1 recruiting class coming in right behind them.
As good as this team is this season, think how good it's going to be for the next several years. Starting to have a strong resemblance to the 2021-24 OU national championship teams, could this be the start of another era in the Sooner softball dynasty?
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