OU Softball: Why Oklahoma Feels 'Really Good' About Its Pitching Staff Ahead of the WCWS

Oklahoma's pitchers consistently battled through long at-bats to limit Florida State's offense ahead of the Women's College World Series.

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s pitching was good, but it wasn’t dominant.

The Sooners held Florida State’s talented offense to five total runs in two games, but OU coach Patty Gasso loved the fight she saw from her staff. 

“I'm telling you,” Gasso said after Friday’s 4-2 win, “when you hold a team like Florida State to two runs, that's winning because they are incredible swingers, they are just really good hitters.”

Thursday, Kelly Maxwell issued a season-high six walks and needed to throw 118 pitches in five innings to notch the win. 

Friday, Kierston Deal, Karlie Keeney and Nicole May held Florida State to two runs, but the staff failed to strike out a batter for the first time since Oklahoma’s contest with Northwestern on Feb. 28, 2020.

Just as she did in the Big 12 Tournament Championship against Texas, Gasso brought May in to close the game. 

She retired five straight batters to shut the door on the Longhorns in Oklahoma City, and May sealed a return to the Women’s College World Series on Friday by sitting down the six Seminole batters she faced in order. 

"I feel like I've been with (May) — well, I have been with her since she was a kid,” Gasso said on Friday. “And you now watch her in these moments and I think Nicole has been unfairly judged and she knows that we've got her back and we've got her support. This is a great example of coming in and just being an absolute boss on the mound and getting it done for the Sooners. 

“So there's no one in that moment that I would rather have than Nicole May because of her hard work and her professionalism as an athlete, but her absolute commitment and loyalty to this program."

Oklahoma pitched Maxwell, Keeney, May and Paytn Monticelli in regional action, and then used Maxwell, Deal, Keeney and May against the Seminoles. 

No team has yet to score more than three runs against the Sooners in the NCAA Tournament, and Gasso is confident her entire staff will be ready for the spotlight in the WCWS.

“It’s hard to have one pitcher go seven innings against Florida State,” Gasso said. “But Coach (Jennifer) Rocha did a really nice job of piecing it together at the right time. 

“KD was the leadoff (on Friday), and she handled it really, really well. I’m really happy about that. But also taking this show on the road to the World Series. They all had opportunities to do good things on the mound. It makes us feel really good going forward.”

The three-time defending champions have the experience, and now they’ll have the rest as well.

Oklahoma and UCLA were the first two teams to punch tickets back to Oklahoma City as both of those super regionals started on Thursday. 

The Sooners won’t take the field again until Thursday, while the remaining teams in the field will have to play on Saturday and potentially Sunday if other matchups across the country go to Game 3. 

“It’s exhausting, really is,” Gasso said. “It is for all of us, really. I think they’re all gonna sleep, sleep in. we aren’t going to see each other for a while. 

“They’re going to sit and watch games and watch them beat up on each other. Learn about our opponent, whoever that is.”