OU notepad: Sooners head out for final road trip

NORMAN — Oklahoma got back on track last week with a series sweep over Houston.

Now, the Sooners have to build on that as they look towards the postseason.

The Sooners head out to UCF this weekend for their final road trip of the season. The Knights (26-18, 10-11) have been solid in their first season in the Big 12, sitting at No. 5 in the conference standings while boasting an offense and defense that both rank in the top five.

Patty Gasso's squad is likely to be tested, but the OU head coach knows this is when her team needs to be playing at their best.

"UCF is a very good team," Gasso said. "They’ve got very good pitching. Their numbers are very like any other team in the Big 12, like some of the top four teams. They have a good offense. They’ve got a good running game. They’ve got good defense and they have a lot of pitchers that can do a lot of different things. So this is going to be a huge challenge for the Sooners and I’m trusting we’re going to be ready for it."

Here's an overview of UCF and a couple other notes for the Sooners:

Record: 26-18, 10-11 Big 12

Series schedule: 5 p.m. Friday (ESPN+), 1 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+), 10 a.m. Sunday (ESPNU)

Offense: 4.3 runs per game in conference play (6th in Big 12)

ERA: 2.97 in conference play (4th in Big 12)

Takeaway: The Knights were riding high before last weekend's series at Baylor. It was a major defensive battle in Waco — the Knights held the Bears to just four total runs across three games. The problem? The Knights scored just one run.

It was a rare offensive struggle for a UCF team that scored 29 runs the previous weekend against Houston.

"They’ve got power and speed, a few slappers," Gasso said. "They played Baylor and scored one run in three games, which is unlike them. They can put up big numbers. Our pitching staff is going to have to be really good. Going to have to keep their playmakers off the base paths. They’re going to bow up."

Runs have been a bit hard to come by for the Knights in conference play, as only four players are batting above .297% in conference play. But the pitching staff has been solid. Sarah Willis has been very productive in conference play, posting an ERA of 2.49 in 56.1 innings pitched.

The sophomore has found a real groove in the circle. In her last two outings, she's allowed just two hits and no runs while striking out 14 batters in 13 innings. Over has last 11 starts, she's recorded 10 wins while posting an .42 ERA to go with four complete shutouts.

Deal is now ranked in the top five nationally in ERA (1.01 ) this season. That's the type of pitching the Sooners need behind Kelly Maxwell if they hope to make another national championship run.

"I think she used the work intent," Gasso said when asked by OU Insider. "'What is my intent on the mound?' And she has really grown into this and matured into this. She’s had two fabulous outings. You can see her body language, confidence, and it really doesn’t get shaken. And that is the right time for that pitcher to be firing on all cylinders.

Look for Deal to keep it up against UCF.

The Sooners' offense continues to score runs, and they still rank second in scoring offense.

However, capitalizing on base runners has been a big focus in recent weeks. It was a struggle in the Texas and BYU series, and it propped up again last weekend against Houston. The Sooners still outscored Houston 23-2, but they left 30 base runners stranded over the course of the weekend.

That'll be something to watch against UCF.

"Offensively, we’re scoring runs and doing enough to win," Gasso said after Sunday's win. "But we’re leaving runners in scoring position. We’re really trying to get that fixed."