OU's goal to straighten things out
There’s just that different expectation when it comes to Oklahoma softball. Even though the No. 1-ranked Sooners went 5-0 last weekend and beat three top-20 teams, there was a lot that was simply off to begin the season.
Head coach Patty Gasso knows it. The team knows it. As OU prepares to play in the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas, this weekend, there’s a lot to clean up.
But still a lot to be encouraged about.
“I’ve learned this throughout all my years: a very good team can play bad, or not get breaks or not play well, and still find ways to win,” Gasso said. “We’re finding ways to win. And we know we walked out knowing we didn’t do enough.
“We had a lot of nerves. I don't know if it was just newcomers. It almost felt like throughout the lineup. I don't know if it was expectations. We talked about it. It was taking the bats away from us. When you're nervous, your head isn't set right. You swing at things out of the zone. You are swinging at bad two-strike pitches. I thought nerves definitely were there.”
The Sooners had to battle, especially in wins against Liberty (1-0, 8 innings) and Washington (5-4). Both of those times OU had junior pitcher Nicole May rise to the occasion.
She pitched all eight innings against Liberty and came in relief in the fourth inning against the Huskies to shut the door, entering at the 5-4 score.
“Poised. Controlled. Never panicked,” Gasso said. “Her goal was just to get us unscathed out of those innings, and she did such a great job of that. I just thought her poise, demeanor and maturity showed more than ever thus far in her career.”
Bahl a work in progress
It was not the opening weekend sophomore pitcher Jordy Bahl was hoping for. In two outings, she wasn’t her usual dominant self.
The issue more than anything was her control. In just over 10 innings pitched, Bahl walked eight and allowed eight hits and four earned runs.
“I think she was a little nervous, to be honest,” Gasso said. “I don’t think she’s thinking in her head about the injury or anything like that. It’s just a lot of nerves, honestly. It’s going to take some time to get her back to where she wants to be.”
Lee’s impressive debut
Gasso said the team will still be without catcher Kinzie Hansen this weekend, but it was a banner start for Haley Lee to her OU career.
The transfer from Texas A&M was in mid-season form at the plate and did well handling the pitchers, said Gasso.
And now Gasso knows there’s another gear in Lee that doesn’t always appear in practice.
“It’s funny because Haley Lee has such a chill, kind of free-living type of athlete,” Gasso said. “Sometimes I get aggravated because at practice it’s not 100 percent. It’s just good enough to get it done. But to see her in a game, though, it looked completely different. She was hustling. I was like, wow, I haven’t seen you look like that before. I thought she was poised as well.”
Lee hit .462 last weekend with one home run, five runs scored and five RBIs.
Quotable
“Scheduling has always been difficult for us being in the Big 12, specifically as teams were dropping in softball. So it's always having to go out and find heavy-hitting tournaments and bolstering up our RPI. Then we get pretty good and people don't want to play us. And it's costing us a lot of money to create a lineup that is seen as a tough schedule, create a schedule that looks tough.
“Going into the SEC, I can wipe my hands of that. I don’t have to beg. I don’t have to pay. I don’t have to do those things anymore. But I’m excited. The competition there is going to be tough. It’s going to be a grind. It’s day in and day out, all throughout. It is a very, very, very competitive softball conference. I’m going to enjoy the rest of my time in the Big 12, but I’m certainly ready to take that next step.” – Gasso on OU moving to the SEC in 2024 instead of 2025