NORMAN — It was certainly a big move when Oklahoma landed veteran pitcher Isabella Smith via the transfer portal last summer. But with so many questions surrounding the Sooners' pitching staff, it was unclear how things would shake out this season.

Smith answered a lot of those questions over the weekend.

The Sooners traveled to California and came away with six straight wins to open the season, and Smith was impressive in her first games as a Sooner. Smith made three appearances through the weekend, throwing 14 strikeouts while allowing just two hits, zero runs and only one walk in 12.1 innings.

It's still early in the season for both Smith and the Sooners, but the five-year veteran certainly showed her experience.

"It was really, really fun," Smith said. "Definitely throwing against a different opponent, I was ready to see different faces in the box. We’ve worked a lot mentality-wise with getting into a rhythm as a pitcher and staying in that rhythm. And your rhythm on the mound is something that you can control personally so we’ve worked on that a lot.

"So honestly it really wasn’t difficult. It was just fun having the girls behind me and letting the offense do their thing but also being able to show off on the mound for them as well."

Smith excelled both out of the bullpen and as the starter.

Her first appearance came in the Sooners' season opener against Cal State Northridge. With the Sooners trailing 2-1 in the middle of the third inning, Smith entered in relief and retired all 10 batters she faced, throwing five strikeouts without allowing a base runner as the Sooners rallied to win 7-2.

Her first start came in the 8-0 run-rule win over California Baptist, as Smith struck out six batters and didn't allow a base runner while pitching all five innings. She didn't allow a hit or a walk until her third and final appearance of the weekend, when she struck out three batters while allowing two hits, one walk and zero runs in 4.1 innings against Long Beach State.

It was a bit of a role change for Smith. In her three seasons at Campbell, Smith started 90 of the 119 games she played, as she was the every-day ace for the Fighting Camels who rarely came out of the pen. But in opening weekend, Smith proved she can play different roles for the Sooners.

"I would say coming from Campbell, I held a lot of the innings on my own," Smith said. "There were situations where I did have to come in in relief, but it's going to be something that I am probably going to experience more here, which is completely fine. For me, I just want the ball whenever they need me to have the ball. I'm going to be ready whenever they need me.

"I wouldn't say that it's something I'm going to have to get comfortable with. I would say I'm comfortable with it. Just maybe something that I'm going to have to get used to."

One thing that has helped her to prepare is OU pitching coach Jennifer Rocha. Smith credits Rocha for helping her develop the mental aspect of the game, which in turn has helped Smith find a rhythm whether she's starting or coming out of the pen.

"I would say definitely the mental side of my pitching has elevated, which is really, really important for pitchers and athletes in general," Smith said. "That, and just learning to control what I can control in the moment.

"Coach Rocha will obviously tell us who's going to start the game and she might say who's in relief. But there also might be sometimes where she looks at you in the dugout and says, 'Go get hot.' But she's also trained us for that. She's put us in situations during practice where she'll just look at us and say, 'Go get hot.' So she's prepared us for any situation she's gonna put us through, so we're all prepared."

There were some ups and downs for the Sooners over the weekend, including escaping with wins over Long Beach State and San Diego State in extra innings, but they outscored their opponents 50-11 across the six games. A big reason for the undefeated start was the work of Smith and the Sooners' defense.

They'll look to build on that this weekend at the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas.

"It's relieving. I know that I can just spin my pitches through the zone. And it’s funny. I was just talking to our mentality coach before this and in my routine I tell myself before every pitch, ‘Trust your defense. Let your defense work,'" Smith said. "It’s just freeing to know that I can put a pitch pretty much anywhere and if it’s hit, they’re going to make the play behind me."

SATURDAY

12 p.m. vs. Hofstra (ESPN+)

2:30 p.m. vs. Baylor (ESPN+)

SUNDAY

10 a.m. vs. Hofstra (ESPN+)

3 p.m. vs. Baylor (ESPN+)

Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!

Follow us on Twitter @OUInsider and on Instagram @ouinsiderofficial!

Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here for daily video content on all things Oklahoma!