OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooners had a 50-minute practice window at Devon Park on Wednesday. It was their only real time to get a sense of the field where they'll be competing for their fifth consecutive national championship.
They wasted no time getting warmed up.
Every single player was involved in the action. For the first portion, OU coach Patty Gasso hit grounders to the infield while assistant coach JT Gasso sent long balls towards the outfield. Later, Patty Gasso sent shots to the outfield as OU players made multiple diving catches.
It's easy to look at the Sooners' resume and assume they'd be familiar with the facilities. They've made it to Oklahoma City every year since 2016. They've won it all in each of their last four trips. The Sooners played two regular season games at Devon Field earlier this season.
But this isn't the same group that is used to winning. Only eight players on the roster played last season, and a smaller group is playing meaningful roles this season. Most of the championship pedigree resides with the coaching staff.
"I want them to be in this venue," Patty Gasso said. "You get one shot. You get 50 minutes to feel this field. We have been here before, but I want them to work game speed.
"Anytime we come out here, it's not like, 'Hey, let's feel good, take a few ground balls. It's, 'Go (get) game-ready.' There are new things that some of these players haven't seen. There's outfield bleachers now, the wall looks different. There's things that look different. I really feel that's how we operate. We just go game speed. We don't do anything just kind of halfheartedly."
There's certainly a sense of urgency with the Sooners this season. Now, this relatively new group will look to again reach the heights the Sooners have before.
They won't have the traditional championship experience to lean on, and that's been the growing experience this season.
True sophomores Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering are anchoring the OU offense after playing pivotal roles last season. Senior Cydney Sanders — one of only three seniors on the team — is in her familiar place at first base. Junior Kierston Deal remains part of the pitching rotation.
But many of the Sooners biggest contributors have never made it this far. That includes transfers like Sam Landry, Isabela Emerling, Ailana Agbayani and Abigale Dayton, who are every-day starters. Freshmen Gabbie Garcia, Sydney Barker Nelly McEnroe-Marinas had never played a collegiate inning before this season.
But the Sooners made it back to Oklahoma City. And they did that through staying together through some of the growing pains of the season as the new group foraged an identity. While McEnroe-Marinas is the team captain, the Sooners have all collectively stepped into leadership roles.
"I think the biggest thing is you only get what you put in," McEnroe-Marinas told OUInsider. "And the more we put into each other, the more we receive out of each other.
"Just as we have grown throughout this season and just learning to trust each other, have faith in each other, believing in each other, those are the biggest things. Especially when you make it this far into the season, we only have each other, so we're going to trust each other. We're going to believe in each other, have faith in each other because it's literally us who are doing it."
That'll be the focus for the Sooners as they play on softball's biggest stage. They know they'll be tested, and that includes in Thursday's opening game against Tennessee (1:30 p.m. ESPN), a team that beat them twice in Norman earlier this season. But even without a ton of experience leading the way, the Sooners have already reached a ton of milestones.
This group has gotten farther than even Patty Gasso expected. And she's not going to put a ceiling on them.
"It's been a lot of coaching," Gasso said. "It's been a lot of push. And they've taken it, and they've run with it. And they want it, and that's the difference. They want to be pushed. They want that extra ground ball. They want those extra swings. They come in and swing on their own.
"They do things the right way. And that's literally why we're here, because they trusted in the coaches and what we were doing, and they always, always want more."
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