NORMAN — Oklahoma simply needed to take care of business over the weekend. The Sooners can confidently say they did.

Patty Gasso's squad came away with a sweep over Mississippi State. They shutout the Bulldogs 4-0 in Game 1 before rallying back from back-to-back 4-0 deficits in Games 2 and 3, improving to 39-5 on the season and 13-5 in SEC play.

The wins not only helped the Sooners bounce back from losing consecutive SEC series. It also gives them some breathing room before facing Texas and Florida in their final two weekends of the regular season. The Sooners are tied for second with the Longhorns in the SEC standings, and both teams are just one loss behind Texas A&M for the top spot.

As they looked to solidify their postseason resume, and reestablish momentum after a couple of disappointing weekends, the Sooners really needed the sweep.

""Our destiny is literally in our own hands, and we know that," Gasso said. "... But that's what this conference is, is just over and over and over again. It's just really, really tough. It's exhausting, for all teams, for all coaches, for all players. It's exhausting. You've just got to keep going, and that's why this weekend was really, really big for us. We really could use a sweep and give us a little bit of a cushion going through the rest of the way.

"But I'm shocked. It's still mind blowing that we have two weekends left, because I feel like we just started. We still have a lot to learn... It just has happened really fast and that means that we're having fun."

Here's a look at the important takeaways from the weekend:

The weekend belonged to Coor.

The redshirt junior was sensational at the plate. In the opening game, she delivered a two-run home run that gave the Sooners much-needed separation. In Game 3 — with the Sooners trailing 5-2 — she sent a solo home run to right field. It was followed by a two-run blast from Nelly McEnroe-Marinas that tied the game. The pair of home runs from Coor were her first home runs of the season.

But she wasn't just productive at the plate. She provided two highlight plays defensively, including a sensational diving catch that robbed Mississippi State of an RBI that would've given them the lead in the third inning.

She also robbed a Mississippi State home run in the sixth inning.

Coor has essentially locked up that outfield spot, and she's started 13 of 18 games in SEC play. But she had primarily earned that spot with her defense. When she's providing the Sooners with big swings offensively, it drastically raises their ceiling.

"What she does is when she makes a (defensive) play, she starts running through the field, like the outfield, and Abby Dayton’s like, they’re zig zagging," Gasso said. "They’re chasing. I don’t know. They’re running like a mile before they get into the dugout. They’re celebratory chasing each other. I don’t know. It’s different, but it’s great. And it’s a big celebration.

"Hannah brings a lot of good energy to the team by her reactions and her celebrations and so we need her. And down in that nine spot is a great place to hide her because she does have some pop and she’s showing that."

It was arguably the most important development of the weekend.

With Audrey Lowry struggling to open Game 2, the Sooners inserted Smith into the circle. She was huge in stabilizing the defense, surrendering just three hits and one run in 4.2 innings. It was the most relief innings for a Sooner pitcher in a game this season.

It was huge given how much Smith has struggled in conference play. She has a 7.15 ERA against conference opponents while allowing 16 earned runs, 12 walks and a .368 batting average in 15 innings. As the season has gone on, the Sooners have opted to rely even more on Sam Landry as they've searched for some sort of consistency in the bullpen.

But against Mississippi State, Smith showed why the Sooners added her in the transfer portal.

"Coach Rocha and I have been working really, really hard just getting my mental right," Smith said. " I think that’s probably where I’ve struggled the most. But I came in today and this week I’ve really just been trusting my stuff and trusting the talents that God has given me. So just going out confident and knowing that my defense had my back the entire game along with the offense so I could just keep doing what I was doing and play free."

Smith had shown some positive signs in the previous weekend against Alabama. She was inserted into the third inning of Game 2, after Kierston Deal allowed a home run and a walk to open the frame. But Smith logged a strikeout on her first at-bat to help end the frame.

She gave up two hits — both on bunts that were the result of miscues by OU's defense — in the fourth inning, but it was a much-needed sign of confidence that carried into the weekend against Mississippi State.

"I think I was definitely closer for sure," Smith said about the Alabama game. "It just happened the way it happened and the other pitchers in the bullpen were able to pick me up. But yeah, I think I felt I was definitely getting closer, too, and I was allowed to take that into this week for bullpens and keep it going throughout the rest of the season."

Up next: The Sooners open the home weekend against Texas at 5 p.m. Friday (ESPNU).

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