Oklahoma Softball: Rylie Boone Waited Patiently, Delivered When OU Needed It Most
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma came out with passion Thursday, but couldn’t find a rhythm to channel it offensively.
Early on in the Sooners’ first-round battle against Northwestern, there were flashes of last year’s postseason upset. Last June, OU became the second No. 1 seed to lose to an unseeded opponent in James Madison.
Jayda Coleman and Grace Lyons both expressed displeasure with strike calls that would’ve advanced them to first base. When Alo was walked, she fired up the dugout down the first base line.
It was clear that Oklahoma was frustrated with the flow of the game early on. After a Northwestern home run in the top of the third, the Sooners had no energy on the field.
That's when Rylie Boone stepped up to the plate in the third inning — with the Sooners trailing 1-0 — and flipped the script.
It was the first time Oklahoma had trailed since May 14 against Oklahoma State. Boone, who’s been an energizing player all season, had just one hit in the last five games.
The outfielder from Owasso, OK, knew just what the Sooners needed as she stepped up to the plate. Boone crushed a line drive to right field and used her lightning fast speed to scamper to second base. The passion, energy and swagger following the right field rip changed the course of the entire game.
After Boone’s leadoff double, the onslaught was on. Jana Johns singled to left center, bringing Boone all the way home from second. With the game tied at 1-1, Coleman advanced Johns to second and Alo was walked to load the bases. Tiare Jennings finished the job, blasting a grand slam to center field and adding four more runs for the Sooners.
In that same inning, Boone singled up the middle in her second at-bat, adding an RBI and extending OU’s lead to 6-1.
Oklahoma’s third-inning spark can be directly traced back to Boone.
After missing a good portion of her freshman season due to injury and playing a key contributing role last season, Boone’s rise has been a full-circle experience.
"I was just celebrating internally because this is a young lady that has waited for an opportunity and been in and out of the lineup for a long time, including last year," said OU head coach Patty Gasso. "She's really started to solidify herself. ... She just got focused in and she's worked really hard to get there. To see her go off like that was tremendous."
In the Sooners’ opening game loss to James Madison in 2021, Boone got just one at-bat, recording no hits.
The story this season was completely different, though, as Boone's improvements were dramatic. Before Thursday's contest, she was batting .405 on the season with 45 hits and 25 RBIs. She was also a force in the field, too, posting a .964 fielding percentage.
Now Boone and her teammates hope to keep that momentum going as the Sooners take on Texas in Saturday's second-round game at Hall of Fame Stadium. The Red River Rivalry starts at 2 p.m. and will be carried by ESPN.
For Gasso, this is exactly what she envisioned when Boone was in high school, and ultimately how Boone ended up in Norman.
"She was pitching and the team couldn't make plays sometimes," Gasso said. "But she was always like, 'We got this, don't worry.' Just everything about her, I knew I must have her."
Years later, making sure Boone ended up a Sooner paid off for Gasso. After waiting in the wings, Boone's heroics helped jumpstart the Sooners' quest for a sixth national championship.
"Today takes me back to what I saw before," Gasso said. "She got on second and fired everybody up. That's one thing about her besides her play is just her style, her emotion, her passion, her work ethic ... her personality. Her style is so loyal to this program."