NORMAN — Oklahoma has certainly faced some adversity over the last few days.

The Sooners suffered their first loss of the season last weekend against Missouri and really battled with the Tigers in Game 3 before pulling away late. On Wednesday, the Sooners beat Wichita State but surrendered 16 runs, the most they've allowed in a game since 2019.

Now, they head into a weekend that could bring some more adversity, as the Sooners host Tennessee this weekend for a three-game series.

The Vols (27-6, 3-3 SEC) are a team with aspirations for the Women's College World Series, but things have been a bit bumpy in conference play. They opened with a series victory against Georgia before dropping the series at Arkansas, which saw them score just six runs across the three games. They were also beat 9-0 in Game 2.

But the Vols still pose a real threat, and the Sooners learned last weekend they can't assume anything. It'll also be a return weekend for catcher Sophia Nugent, who spent her first two seasons with the Sooners.

"Tennessee’s pitching staff is very, very good," Gasso said. "I think they probably lead the country in ERA and so forth. Their catcher is someone we know very well, who’s been doing a really great job. So I’m happy for her. They have some big hitters. They have some young players.

"We’re gonna pack this stadium. It’s going to be a night game. There’s lots of festivities and so I really hope that we embrace the crowd and they’re caught up in this night game and we just have a lot of fun. We now know how to play in front of our crowd. It took us time to figure that out."

Here's a few things to watch this weekend:

6:30 p.m. Friday (SECN+)

2 p.m. (ESPN)

1 p.m. (SECN+)

The Sooners' offense has been mostly electric all season, ranking second nationally in runs per game (8.68) while averaging 6.6 runs in conference play. But this weekend could be the toughest test they face all season.

The Volunteers rank first in the country in ERA (1.33) and batting average (.152), and they rank second in strikeouts per game (9.21). All five pitchers who've entered a game this season have an ERA of 1.82 or better.

But they're lead by Karlyn Pickens, who've been one of the best pitchers in softball this season. She ranks fourth nationally in ERA (0.86) and opponent batting average (.144), and seventh in strikeouts (131). She's allowed just 11 earned runs and 31 walks in 89.1 innings. She's been just as stellar in conference play, boasting an ERA of 1.17 and a batting average of .169.

Then, during Monday''s game against Arkansas, she threw a pitch that clocked in at 78.1 miles per hour — the fastest pitch ever recorded in NCAA history.

The Sooners will see a ton of Pickens this weekend. She's thrown 24 of the 44 innings the Vols have played in conference play. Given that they're coming off a series loss at Arkansas, the Vols will have plenty of incentive to go all out this weekend.

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and Gabbie Garcia have been the hearts of the Sooners' offense in conference play. It'll be interesting to see if they keep that going, and if anyone else like Ella Parker, Kasidi Pickering or Cydney Sanders find their rhythm.

The midweek game against Wichita State didn't do anything to quiet the concerns with the Sooners' pitchers.

Kierston Deal got the start and was pulled after 2.1 innings, when she surrendered six hits, six runs, and three home runs. Paytn Monticelli didn't fare any better, and the Sooners rode with Sam Landry for the final four innings.

Deal's performance was particularly disappointing, considering she had played better at Missouri. It was also very notable that Landry played in a midweek game.

That turns the attention to this weekend. Landry has appeared in five of the last six conference games, and she started Games 1 and 3 against Missouri. It'll be interesting to see how the Sooners deploy her. Will they look to start her in Game 1, and plan to use her as a relief pitcher (if needed) in the other two games? Or do they look to start her in two games and leave the bullpen to figure things out in the third game?

Speaking of the bullpen, the search continues for answers. Isabella Smith has a 9.48 ERA in SEC play and has only thrown four total innings in the last two weekends. Deal has been very up and down all season — she allowed just one hit in four innings against Missouri, but she has a 4.81 ERA in conference play and really struggled against Wichita State. Audrey Lowry hasn't played in two weeks, and it's unclear if she plays this weekend.

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