OKLAHOMA CITY — As the Sooners gear up for another Women's College World Series run, there's been a moment to reflect on how they arrived here.

While the Sooners (54-6) mostly cruised through the regular season, finishing as the No. 2-overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, there were definitely a few more bumps than usual on the team's path to Oklahoma City.

The Sooners' 72-game winning streak ended in March, when they dropped a game to Louisiana at home. Then they lost two of three games at Texas, marking their first Big 12 series loss in over a decade. Then they surprisingly dropped a home game to BYU, 9-4, just a week later.

The Sooners' uncharacteristic struggles, and the pressure they felt chasing a fourth-straight national championship, came to a head in the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State, when the Cowgirls beat them in back-to-back games. The Sooners then bounced back with an 8-2 win in the final game.

Senior Alyssa Brito pointed to that Bedlam series as an important one for the Sooners, in more ways than one.

"I feel like the OSU series was a turning point, that Sunday (win) we carried into the post-season," Brito said during Wednesday's press conference. "I know that was a grind. Just having Kelly (Maxwell's) back and other things like that. But also, I think that day specifically we focused on celebrating one another.

"From then on, that's what we've treated this entire rest of the season and this chapter of what we're writing here. Just celebrating the moments that we have. For some of us, the three here, this is our last. For us, it's cherishing these moments that we get to play on the field together. Also making that impact, that lasting impact, not only for the program, but for our team."

That's been visible from the way the Sooners have played since that OSU series. The Sooners are unbeaten in the postseason, winning eight straight games while outscoring their opponents 61-13. They swept Florida State in last week's Super Regional to advance to the WCWS for the eighth-consecutive season.

While another appearance was expected for a team of the Sooners' caliber, it wasn't a given. OU co-captain Kinzie Hansen attributes their growth to what they learned through their struggles, and doubling down on the connection of this senior class.

"I think this year we definitely saw us go through a little bit more adversity than normal on the playing field, which now we can look back and say it was pretty fun," Hansen said. "Going through that made us all the more better. I think that's what is so special about this team, is the love we have for each other. You have 10 seniors that are world-class athletes on this team.

"Being able to celebrate one another, being able to be here for a fourth year in a row, just celebrate one another, in this beautiful stadium. You see the freshmen kind of following in the lead of not only the seniors but just the standard of excellence at Oklahoma that we've been able to see throughout this entire decade. Coach Gasso has done a great job of leading by example, the culture we've set, the love we have for one another. That's really special. I think that's what has come to fruition throughout the adversity we faced."

Now, the Sooners and this senior class have one more mountain to climb. They open their WCWS slate with a matchup against tenth-seeded Duke (1:30 p.m. Thursday, ESPN), a defensive juggernaut that is likely to be the toughest test they've faced this postseason.

But the Sooners have battled through adversity before, whether that was en route to their last three championships or the ups and downs of this regular season. And for Gasso, the next few days presents a final opportunity for a senior class that is the best that softball's ever seen.

"There have been highs and there's been lows, but they've handled the lows like women," Gasso said. "They've sat in a room together and they really worked things out, whereas maybe other programs would say, 'Leave it alone, let it go.' We know that doesn't work.

"Our culture is very important to us. They may not all be best friends, but when they're on the field, they are sisters. You feel that. You feel that connection. You feel that energy. We wouldn't be here without that."