How does Oklahoma softball's Love's Field stack up against NCAA's largest?

The seven-time national champion Oklahoma softball program opened its beautiful new softball stadium on Friday in style, adding two more wins to its NCAA record 69-game winning streak.

The Sooners christened Love's Field, their new $48 million state-of-the-art softball complex, defeating the Miami of Ohio RedHawks 9-7 on a dramatic walk-off home run by captain and catcher Kinzie Hansen. Oklahoma finished off the Friday doubleheader with an 8-0 run-rule shutout of Liberty on a two-hit complete-game performance in the circle by Kelly Maxwell.

A record Oklahoma softball crowd of 4,450 was in attendance to see the Sooners improve their 2024 season record to 16-0 on Day 1 of the weekend OU Tournament and home season opener.

Head coach Patty Gasso, who is in her 30th season leading the OU softball dynasty, was at the helm when the Sooners played their games at Reaves Park, a public park owned by the city of Norman. In 1998, Oklahoma opened a new facility that ultimately became known as Marita Hynes Field. That was the Oklahoma home for 26 seasons and all seven of its national championships, including the past three in a row.

Love's Field is truly a tribute and what Gasso has built at OU and how far the Sooners have become since those earlier days at Reaves Field.

"I think of the 2000 team," Gasso told reporters earlier this week. "I think of the team that was over at Reaves and never got a locker room. I think about those athletes that are alums but never got to experience this...You've all built this."

After this season, the Sooners move to the SEC, which has some pretty good softball teams in its own right seven teams are ranked in the top-15 this week, not including Oklahoma and Texas) and some impressive stadiums to go along with it.

How Love's Field stacks up in size with other top collegiate stadiums

1. Oklahoma's Love's Field (capacity 4,200; opened 2024)

2. Alabama's Rhoades Stadium (capacity 3,940; opened 2000)

3. Arkansas' Bogle Park (capacity 3,200; opened 2008)

5. Florida's Katie Seashole Pressley Softball Stadium (capacity 2,800; opened 1997)

6. Missouri's Mizzou Softball Stadium (capacity 2,700; opened 2007)

7. LSU's Tiger Park (capacity 2.671; opened 1997)

8. Michigan's Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium (capacity 2,650; opened 1982)

9. Tennessee's Sherri Parker Lee Softball Stadium (capacity 2,200; opened 2008)

10. Kentucky's John Cropp Stadium (capacity 2,017; opened 2013)