This is a loss that's going to sting for quite some time. After a dominant win in Game 2 against Mississippi State, it looked like Oklahoma and Patty Gasso were in a prime spot to get back to the Women's College World Series for the 10th consecutive season. Instead, the bats went cold and a 6-0 loss in Game 3 was posted.
Patty Gasso's Oklahoma gamble backfired with the World Series dream now dead
Just like that, the national title dreams have ended and the season is over for the Sooners. As you probably could have guessed, the locker room was heartbroken following the loss to the Bulldogs, as the Mississippi State players and coaches celebrated in style at Love's Field. Not long after the final out, Gasso spoke with the media and she was fighting through tears:
Here’s #Sooners coach Patty Gasso following Oklahoma’s Game 3 loss to Mississippi State.
— Colton Sulley (@colton_sulley) May 24, 2026
Said she felt Miali Guachino threw some good pitches, balls just found spots. pic.twitter.com/9H8SNsplxz
Patty Gasso was understandably emotional after the season-ending loss to Mississippi State
"I think sometimes when you want some things so bad, sometimes it just can't come out that way," an emotional Gasso said . "This team wanted it bad. They were taking hacks, we just kept flying out and I think sometimes we were overswinging or our angle was wrong. Got something to the ball, but just nothing."
If you're an Oklahoma fan, you're probably battling some sadness right now, too, watching Gasso struggle through that presser. No one can ever question how much she cares about the program, as she was ready to help the Sooners push for yet another natty.
She's got eight WCWS rings to her name, but No. 9 will have to wait until next season at the earliest. While Gasso was devastated over the loss, you'll notice in the video above, too, that she was quick to give props to the Bulldogs and Oklahoma legend Samantha Ricketts, the head coach at Mississippi State.
Rickets was a two-time All-American with Oklahoma, which only made this three-game series against her alma mater even more intriguing. Of course, Gasso didn't want to lose this one, but there's a part of her that could not be more proud of her former standout. In the end, the bats for OU just could not wake up and the shutout loss went down.
Pitching was the major story for Oklahoma in the postseason, as the wheels fell off in Game 1 - that loss immediately had Sooners fans ready to hit the panic button. Audrey Lowry was sensational in the Game 2 win, opening the door for OU to still pull things off. Unfortunately, Miali Guachino did not bring her best stuff with her, with Mississippi State making her pay in this one.
The rough offensive showing just made things worse, as the Sooners were never able to get into any kind of a rhythm, while the opposite could be said for the Bulldogs. Yup, this was not the way Oklahoma wanted to see its season end, as the Sooners were once heavy favorites to win the WSWS..That won't be the case this year, with Gasso knowing her players could have done more, while also understanding they gave it their all on the way out in 2026.
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