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Published May 24, 2023
Patty Gasso focused on beating Clemson, not winning streak
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Jesse Crittenden  •  OUInsider
Beat Writer
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@jessecrittenden

As Oklahoma continues winning games, they get closer and closer to the record books.

But head coach Patty Gasso isn’t letting the Sooners think about that.

After last weekend’s sweep at the Norman Regional, the Sooners (54-1) sit at 46 consecutive wins on the season. They’re just two victories away from breaking the NCAA all-time record for consecutive wins, which was set by Arizona when it won 47 straight games in 1996-1997.

The Sooners can set that record in this weekend’s super regional, when they host Clemson in a best-of-three series for a spot in the Women’s College World Series. But for Gasso, the winning streak hasn’t been the focus.

“I’m not somebody that even knows unless you all are saying it,” Gasso said during Wednesday’s availability. “I don’t count the wins. I don’t look back in the record books. What does this do for us? What does this give us? It gives us maybe a bragging right. I don’t talk about it, we don’t think about it. We just want to get to the World Series. That’s it. However that works. It doesn’t give us anything. It doesn’t give us a trophy. Trophies stay here forever, titles stay here forever.

“Records are meant to be broken. Nobody thought that Stacey Nuveman’s (home run) record would break and then (Lauren) Chamberlain broke it, then (Jocelyn) Alo broke it. These records are all going to be broken and nobody’s going to care anymore. I don’t get caught up in that, nor does the team. So it’s just focusing on what our goal has been from the beginning and that’s getting to be in that final eight.”

The record isn’t a focus for the Sooners, but it could become reality with the way they’re playing. They outscored their three opponents last weekend 38-3 and defeated California 16-3 in the regional final to advance to super regionals. The Sooners smashed 10 home runs over the weekend, including six against Cal that tied the NCAA record for a single game.

However, the Sooners do host a Clemson team this weekend that has been playing well. Led by Valorie Cagle, who is a USA Softball Player of the Year finalist, the Tigers (49-10) defeated Auburn 5-1 in the Clemson regional to advance. The Tigers rank second nationally in ERA (1.36) and 15th in scoring offense (6.14 runs per game) on the season.

While the Sooners are preparing for the Tigers, they are also preparing for their final weekend at Marita Hynes Field. With the team moving to Love’s Field starting next season, this weekend marks their final games at the stadium that’s been their home for nearly 25 years.

“I will tell you one thing that is more on my mind than anything is this… the last time we will be on Marita Hynes Field,” Gasso said. “That means something to me, because my life was built right here. So those are things that I care more about than a winning streak.”

The Sooners open super regional play at 1 p.m. Friday on ESPN2. Saturday’s game is set for noon and Sunday’s if-necessary game time is TBD.

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