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Oklahoma Fights Fatigue Heading Into Hall of Fame Classic

The Sooners will have to contend with jet lag as well as a slate of five new opponents in Oklahoma City this weekend.

Ryan Chapman

Oklahoma Fights Fatigue Heading Into Hall of Fame Classic
Oklahoma Fights Fatigue Heading Into Hall of Fame Classic /

After an emotional record-breaking performance last weekend, Jocelyn Alo and the Oklahoma Sooners can now turn the page.

Alo launched career home run No. 96 in her home state of Hawaii, unseating Lauren Chamberlain as college softball’s Home Run Queen.

Now, the undefeated Sooners (20-0) return home to host a five-game set at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

Looking to press on into the next phase of the season, OU head coach Patty Gasso said her team will have a new foe to battle: fatigue.

When, How to Watch the Hall of Fame Classic

  • Game 1: Friday, OU vs. Sam Houston, 4 p.m., SoonerSports.TV
  • Game 2: Friday, OU vs. Indiana, 6:30 p.m., SoonerSports.TV
  • Game 3: Saturday, OU vs. San Diego, 1:30 p.m., SoonerSports.TV
  • Game 4: Saturday, OU vs. Houston, 6:30 p.m., SoonerSports.TV
  • Game 5: Sunday, OU vs. Iowa, 11:30 a.m., SoonerSports.TV

“The challenges we're dealing with now is just the jet lag,” Gasso said during a Zoom press conference on Wednesday. “ … We’re doing a lot of recovery.

“ … We were getting them up to work out at 9:30 in the weight room, then our regular practice in the afternoon. So they might take a little nap, and we talked to them. Naps are no longer than an hour, and then try to get back to sleep at your regular bedtime.”

While getting the team readjusted after a lengthy round trip to Hawaii is difficult, Gasso and her staff have a wealth of knowledge to fall back on. After years of success at the Women’s College World Series, the Oklahoma coaching staff has player recovery down to a science.

SB - Jocelyn Alo
Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jocelyn Alo set the all-time NCAA career home run mark last week in Hawaii.

Lead, Alo 96
OU Athletics

Alo's teammates have supported her during the chase for Lauren Chamberlain's mark.

Alo 96 team
Courtney Metzger via OU Athletics

When Alo hit her 96th bomb in Hawaii, they were waiting for her at home plate.

“I've got some really good people in my corner,” Gasso said. “From our athletic trainer to our strength coach, Dane (Bachman) to J.T. (Gasso), there's a lot of science behind what they're doing.

“… It's just about recovery. It's about eating, it's about timing of sleep. There's just so much that goes into it… We’re going to have to trust that these guys are doing this stuff on their own.”

As the team battles the physical toll of the non-conference schedule, they’ll get an emotional lift from the fans this weekend.

Friday’s opening contest against Sam Houston will be OU’s second game played in the state of Oklahoma this year, and there is expected to be a large crowd ready to greet the Sooners at Hall of Fame Stadium.

“It’s going to be awesome,” first baseman Taylon Snow said Wednesday. “I’m really excited to be back and play and just to see all of our fans and hear that noise.”

Snow tag v. FSU 2-1
John E. Hoover / SI Sooners

Taylon Snow has emerged as one of the team's best hitters this season.

Lyons-Snow high five v. FSU 2-1
John E. Hoover / SI Sooners

Snow (5) has also been one of the Sooners' best defensive first basemen.

Snow, Taylon_UTA_TR
Pool photo / Ty Russell

Snow's emergence into the OU lineup has been key to this team's consistency.

The task at hand is still to improve with each outing, however.

Oklahoma’s offense has been rolling, as the Sooners have run ruled 16 of their 20 opponents, but the team believes there are still improvements to be made in the field to continue to shore up the defense.

“In practice … we’re just working on applying pressure to our defense and just playing at a different level, practicing at a different level,” Snow said. “So once we see it in a game, it’s like, ‘Oh, I’ve got this. We’ve been practicing this.’ So it’s easy, in a sense.”

Oklahoma will get plenty of opportunities to spin those improvements from the practice field to competitive contests this weekend.

OU plays five games, with the first two on Friday against Sam Houston and Indiana. They’ll link up with San Diego and Houston on Saturday before closing the weekend against Iowa on Sunday morning.

All of the contests this weekend will be broadcast on SoonerSports.TV, and the radio call can be heard on 107.7 FM, The Franchise.

First pitch between Oklahoma and Sam Houston on Friday is slotted for 4 p.m.

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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