NORMAN — Oklahoma has often had an abundance of riches on its pitching staff the last two seasons.

The Sooners were able to breeze through the regular seasons with a three-headed monster at pitcher. In 2023, the combination of Jordy Bahl, Nicole May and Alex Storako frustrated opponents. In 2024, it was Kelly Maxwell, Kierston Deal and May with some regular appearances from Karlie Keeney.

But in the end, the Sooners were always able to rely on an elite ace to push them to championships. Bahl and Maxwell both earned Most Outstanding Player at the Women's College World Series, respectively, in consecutive years as both players turned in elite performances in Oklahoma City.

But only Deal remains from those groups over the past two years. With a ton of new faces this season, the Sooners and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha will likely take a different approach to their pitching staff.

"I think you're gonna see a lot of confusion from the other team because we're gonna be bringing in pitchers whenever and however, as many times as needed," OU coach Patty Gasso said on Saturday.

It's a strategy that opponents have often deployed against Gasso's squads. With the Sooners' lineup boasting an elite assortment of talent, opposing teams have often resorted to changing pitchers regularly — sometimes deploying four or five in a single game — to try to keep the Sooners off balance. The Sooners even used a similar approach in the close out game against Texas in last year's WCWS championship series, when Rocha started Keeney before deploying four different pitchers over the final 4.1 innings.

That could be the approach the Sooners take as they learn the ins and outs of their pitching staff.

The Sooners brought in former Louisiana pitcher Sam Landry and former Campbell pitcher Isabella Smith during the offseason to give the Sooners a veteran presence. Smith is the most experienced pither on the roster, pitching nearly 600 innings in her three seasons at Campbell. Landry pitched over 460 innings for the Ragin' Cajuns, and she operated as the de-facto leading pitcher during the fall.

Outside of Landry and Smith, the Sooners have Deal returning as the player with the most institutional knowledge. Deal pitched 78.1 innings last season and finished with an ERA of 1.97, earning a spot on the All-Big 12 Second Team. Monticelli returns for her second season with the Sooners after pitching 19.1 innings with a 1.09 ERA last season.

The Sooners also have true freshman Audrey Lowry, who has drawn comparisons to Maxwell for her play style on the mound. Lowry — the 2024 Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year — could certainly see action this season as the Sooners figure out their pitching staff.

"Being honest right now, Sam Landry is leading this group," Gasso said. "But we've got a freshman, Audrey Lowry, who is really starting to be a tough pitcher for these guys to face. She's very unassuming... Her ball moves. She's throwing the ball hard. Paytn Monticelli has improved tremendously. (Deal) has experience. She's doing her thing. Bella Smith, you did not see in the fall but she's ready to come in. So I really like what we have going on."

The Sooners certainly have talent, experience and upside on their roster, but the question will be how it all fits together, and if one player asserts themselves as the ace. There's a lot to figure out, particularly with the Sooners also having to replace key offensive players like Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman and Alyssa Brito.

Gasso said the Sooners will likely do a lot of lineup tinkering, especially early in the season. That will certainly apply to the pitching staff, and the players see the benefits of using a by-committee approach.

"I think especially with how amazing our staff is here, no one here needs to throw every inning or a lot of innings or carry a majority of innings," Smith said back in November. "I think especially with this being Sam's senior year and this being my fifth year, we're getting up there in age so I think definitely having an entire staff that is capable and trustworthy is really going to help us especially going farther in postseason because it helps the longevity of our bodies being rested and our bodies not being completely worn out trying to get through conference."

If the Sooners can press the right buttons with the pitching staff, that could play a huge factor in their success this season.

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