OKLAHOMA CITY — If there's any exhaustion for Oklahoma ace pitcher Sam Landry, she isn't showing it. She's pitched 18.1 of 21 possible innings for the Sooners through three games, but she reiterated that she's feeling good mentally and physically.
Monday will pose another challenge for Landry and the Sooners.
The Sooners clash with Texas Tech in the Women's College World Series (6 p.m.) and will need to beat them twice to stay alive and advance to the championship series. But the matchup will have a special meaning for Landry.
The Red Raiders are led by Gerry Glasco, who was Landry's head coach when the two were at Louisiana. The Red Raiders also have several players on the roster who were Landry's teammates at Louisiana.
It's a bit of a homecoming for the former Louisiana standout.
"I don't think a lot of the girls on our team know about my history with him and the girls there," Landry said after the Sooners' 4-1 win over Oregon Monday. "... God is so good to have us all here at the same place and to be able to play.
"I'm excited, like I said earlier. We'll have a family reunion after the game. We're here to do a job. So, super excited for them, excited for this team."
Both on and off the field it'll be another test for Landry, who has been delivering for the Sooners all season.
Landry arrived in Norman last offseason after three years at Louisiana. She's been the Sooners' ace all season, pitching 185 innings with a 1.89 ERA, and her workload has taken a huge jump in the postseason. In addition to pitching all 14 innings in the first two WCWS games against Tennessee and Texas, Landry pitched 4.1 innings in relief in the win over Oregon that helped the Sooners stave off elimination.
She's likely to throw a lot more against the Red Raiders. And while she acknowledged there's a lot of memories with Glasco and her former teammates, the focus has to be on keeping the Sooners' season alive.
"I think I'm a completely different pitcher, person, player than I was when I was at Louisiana," Landry said. "We're still going to work it like any other game, get the scout on them, find some holes and go through it.
"Just keep it like any other game and not make it too big."
There will certainly be enough to keep Landry engaged on the field. Texas Tech opened the WCWS with a 1-0 win over Ole Miss before beating UCLA 3-1. Ace pitcher NiJaree Canady has been stellar, allowing just six hits and one run while pitching every single frame. Beating the Red Raiders twice won't be easy.
OU coach Patty Gasso is confident Landry will be able to keep her focus.
"She's quite a different pitcher than she was and she really, really showcased -- she threw really well tonight. Really well," Gasso said.
"I hope that will carry over for her and just really have tunnel vision and blinders on and just not worry so much on that side but more about her girls on her side."
The Sooners have leaned on Landry a lot, both in the regular season and at the Women's College World Series. They'll need to lean on her a bit more.
Landry is ready for the challenge.
"Physically I feel good," Landry said. "Mentally I feel pretty good. So, just ready to go."
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!
