Could OU softball play a game at Owen Field? For Patty Gasso, it's possible
Could the OU softball team one day play a game at Owen Field?
If there’s a way to do it, Patty Gasso is certainly interested. The long-tenured OU softball coach first mentioned the idea on Sunday after the Sooners defeated Kansas 8-2 at Marita Hynes Field, securing the program’s 11th-consecutive Big 12 regular season title.
The idea stemmed from the recent news that Nebraska’s volleyball team had sold out its doubleheader scheduled for Aug. 30 at Nebraska Memorial Stadium, the program’s football venue. The event is expected to break the NCAA record for attendance at a women’s college volleyball game.
Addressing the crowd after Sunday’s win, Gasso suggested the OU softball team could do the same thing in Norman.
“If you are looking at what we’re capable of — women’s volleyball at Nebraska is putting a court on the middle of their football field and they’ve sold out. 80,000 fans,” Gasso told the crowd. “So you know what my next conversation with (OU athletics director) Joe Castligione is (going to be).”
In a radio interview with KREF on Tuesday, Gasso expanded upon her interest in playing a game at Oklahoma’s football stadium.
“First of all, I’ve gotta apologize because my emotions got the best of me and I just started spouting things off,” Gasso said during her radio interview. “It was the wrong time, probably. I wasn’t trying to gain traction on that. I was just thanking the fans for being so supportive and putting us, and our sport, in places we’ve never seen before.
“With that being said, yes, I’ve seen some of the renderings. I’ve even already talked to Joe Castiglione about it. If there’s a way to possibly do it, we’re going to find a way to do it. But I know there are some issues with dimensions, and is it cost effective? Because I’m definitely going to have to put some money into making it happen. So if it can happen, I can tell you Joe Castiglione can find a way.”
If it ever happened, there’s plenty of reasons to believe fans would support it.
The back-to-back national championships are again ranked atop the college softball world with a 45-1 record. They lead the country in shutouts (26) and offense (8.37 runs per game).
Earlier this season, 8,390 people were in attendance for the Sooners’ game against Texas at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, shattering the previous attendance record for a college softball regular season game. The softball program is also set to open next season at their new stadium, Love’s Field, which will increase their capacity to nearly 4,000 fans. Marita Hynes field currently seats around 1,400.
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which seats over 86,000, would certainly help give the OU softball team, and college softball, an even bigger platform.
"We are here to raise the ceiling for women’s athletics, for women’s softball here,” Gasso said Sunday. “You guys are making history for us. I can’t tell you how much you mean to this program, to this team, where we’re going, where we’ve been. Look at this stadium, because you won’t be sitting in it next year.”