The home softball series this weekend between No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Oklahoma could easily be the most important the Sooners will play this season.
For one thing, it's a Red River Rivalry matchup, and that is always big, no matter the sport. Additionally, both Oklahoma and Texas are in serious contention for an SEC championship in the first year for both as members of the conference.
With just six games remaining in the regular season, the Sooners and Longhorns are tied for second place, half a game behind league-leading Texas A&M.
Oklahoma and Texas were the last two teams left standing in two of the last three Women's College World Series. The Sooners swept the Longhorns in the best-two-of-three championship series in both 2022 and 2024 as part of their record-setting four consecutive national championships.
Oklahoma hosting Longhorns for championship game rematch
That brings us to this year's regular-season series. OU and Texas have both held down the No. 1 spot in the national rankings this season and have remained in the top five all season long. The difference between the series this weekend and the last time the Sooners and Longhorns met in the WCWS last June is that this time around it is Texas, on paper at least, that appears to have the stronger, more experienced roster.
Texas retained most of its starters and key contributors, as well as its top three pitchers from last season, while Oklahoma lost five position starters and its two best pitchers.
"They've got power. Big hitters. They've got speed," Gasso said in assessing this weekend's opponent in a press conference earlier this week."Very athletic. Good arms in the outfield. Great catcher. They've got it all. So this is a huge challenge for us."
The Sooner pitching staff, which other than workhorse Sam Landry has been atypically inconsistent this season, is going to have a giant challenge in containing a good-hitting Texas lineup and limiting scoring opportunities.
That's just half the challenge the four-time defending national champions will face this weekend. The Longhorns have the second-best pitching staff in the SEC, and OU's run production has not been as dynamic this season against stronger SEC competition.
"We gotta have to have some success off of their pitching staff," Gasso said. "Have a good game plan, stick to it. Not get too high, not get too low. Just keep staying in the game, staying ahead of the game, the best we can, both with our minds and the scoreboard."
The series starts at 5 p.m. CT Friday before concluding on Sunday afternoon. Every game will be nationally televised.
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