SEC Day: Why Patty Gasso Says SEC is ‘a Different Animal’

The Sooners have been the class of college softball for the last decade with four straight national titles, but face a "different level" in the Southeastern Conference with a rebuilt roster.

Patty Gasso holds and granddaughter Grace Gasso / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

After winning four straight national championships, Patty Gasso acknowledged Monday that Oklahoma softball might look a bit different in 2025.

Facing her own roster rebuild at the same time her program is stepping into — and stepping up — the SEC, Gasso expressed a level of concern during her appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show” — but nothing that won’t make the Sooners better.

“Well, I started in the Big Eight,” Gasso told Finebaum during her trip through the rotation of OU guests on the SEC Network show. “I don't think many people are still alive that even remember the Big Eight. The Big Eight to the Big 12. Going into the SEC is just a different animal.” 

Although she can’t pinpoint exactly why, Gasso told Finebaum that the Sooners only play better against better competition. 

“I’m really excited. I think everyone here at Oklahoma is very excited,” Gasso said. “But we love competition. We never are afraid of it. We face it in the eye. That's why our team has been so successful — and most teams here on campus have as well. So we're looking forward to it. I know it's going to make us better but I know it's going to make this university flourish even more than we have already been.”

While OU has been the class of college softball for the last decade — Gasso has collected eight national titles overall and seven since 2013 — the SEC has evolved into the best collegiate conference. Last season, for instance, all 14 SEC teams made the 64-team NCAA Tournament field (plus newcomers OU and Texas, who played for the title in the championship series). That’s never happened before in any sport.

Still, it was Gasso and the Crimson and Cream that rose to the top in Oklahoma City.

“I think for the most part, this is going to be the challenge day in and day out,” Gasso said. “It’s another level at the SEC and softball is the No. 1 conference in the country. So to be part of that is an honor. But it's also going to be an extreme challenge. And I don't know that anybody can go through the conference undefeated, but you're gonna have to kind of go through and win at least two of three (every weekend). So it's definitely going to be a different level of challenge.”

Like she did after OU beat fellow SEC-newcomer Texas for the program’s eighth crown, Gasso said the 2024 season was a stressful one, and said it’s difficult to always be “the hunted.”

“Yeah, it's a hard place to live,” Gasso said. “I really learned, ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown.’ I learned what that meant this year. This was one of my toughest seasons. Our players could tell you the same. So it was definitely a challenge. Team chemistry would kind of have a hiccup at times. So we'd have to go in and fix that. 

“But when it comes down to the end is where, for some reason, we’re always our best. And I think a big part of that is we’re fearless. We’re not afraid to lose. And when you’re unafraid to lose, you're likely going to win. So we don't get caught up in all that. We just look straight forward. We trust each other. We’ve been in those big moments. We count on our captains, but it's a very calm — it's a different look on our face that might look different than others, which is celebrating all the little things that turn into championships.”

That OU opened the sport’s grandest stadium, Love’s Field, and then promptly lost a home game for the first time in forever, then followed with a conference loss to BYU, then a series loss at Texas and a series loss at home to Oklahoma State, caused confusion at best and panic at worst among the fan base. OU failed to win the Big 12 regular season for the first time in a generation. This is a program that went 61-1 in 2023 and made winning three titles in a row look easy, but now they couldn’t even win their own conference.

Despite all that, however, Gasso and the Sooners persevered and came out on top.

“Living in a world where we had seven losses, you would have thought the world was ending on us,” Gasso said. “So it's staying diligent, trusting our process, trusting our work ethic and so forth. And we're a tough team. And we had a lot of seniors — and that could be a blessing, it could be a curse at the same time — we had 10 seniors. But in the end, I know they know how to get there. So it's just trying to lead them in the right direction. I'm just the orchestra leader. They play the music, beautiful music, and that's what they did. Our upperclassmen really stepped forward and led the rest of the way, and a wonderful transfer named Kelly Maxwell lived out her dreams. That's something I'll never forget. So it was just an unbelievable finish.”

If the Sooners are to win their fifth consecutive national championship, it won’t come easy. While the Big 12 has had the best collection of elite teams at the top of the standings over the last four years with OU, OSU and Texas, the SEC’s talent and depth from top to bottom across every roster is undeniable. And of course, the Big 12’s two best programs will call the SEC home next year. 

Just in time for a major roster overhaul. Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen, Nicole May and others have graduated and exhausted their eligibility. It's time for the next generation of OU softball players to take over.

“We’ve got a new fresh look coming next year,” Gasso said. “I’m losing 10 elite athletes, but we have the No. 1 freshman class in the country coming in. We've had good success on the transfer portal. 

“Look, I didn't get a many welcoming text messages this morning. I got zero,” Gasso said. “So here we are, and I'm gonna try to make my way in somehow to get people to like us.”