Super Performance From Super Seniors Leads the Way For Oklahoma

Oklahoma's outgoing players dominated Wednesday and are stepping up on softball's biggest stage.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma used a super performance from super seniors Wednesday in a 16-1 demolition of conference rival Texas in Game 1 of the Women's College World Series championship.

Hope Trautwein completed another masterclass performance, allowing just two hits and one run with two strikeouts. The defense looked shaky early, allowing a first-inning, bases-loaded scene, but responded with suffocating play for the remainder of the game.

Part of the reason for the confidence on the defensive end stemmed from a dominant performance at the plate. 

Leading the charge on the offensive end were three super seniors that chose to come back to Oklahoma for one final run at a national championship.

Jocelyn Alo, Taylon Snow and Jana Johns all crushed home runs at Hall of Fame Stadium Wednesday night, leading the Sooners to a crucial series-opening win. The three have been irreplaceable for Oklahoma all year and set the tone in Game 1.

"It's special," said Snow. "Just being able to do that on this stage with each other, for three of us in the super senior class, it's awesome. But again, it's about this whole team. It's not just about one individual's performance. We all collectively got this W together."

Alo’s inevitability is increasing with every at-bat, as it’s more of a surprise when she doesn’t hit it out of the stadium. Starting off hot was a point of emphasis, as the Sooner star hit a two-run shot in her first appearance at the plate. Alo is now 11-for-15 in the Women’s College World Series with five home runs. She finished the game with two home runs, going 3-for-3 with a double.

"It's definitely cool to see what it is that we can do as the stakes get higher and as the stages get bigger," said Alo. "We just continue to keep our heads down and do what we do."

Johns has been a defensive ace at third base for the Sooners, while Snow has been a steady hand at first all season. Both super seniors were able to showcase their skills with the bat Wednesday. For Snow, her three-run blast in the first inning marked her first home run since March 19 against San Diego. In addition to Johns’ deep shot, she was hit by a pitch for the 96th time in her career.

Out of the Sooners' 60 games so far this season, Johns started 58 while Snow started 48. Alo, who was named the USA Softball National Player of the Year, has started every game for Oklahoma.

Patty Gasso’s 2022 lineup consists of plenty talented youngsters including a trio of sophomores in Jayda Coleman, Alyssa Brito and Tiare Jennings, along with star freshman Jordy Bahl. On a team featuring so much young star power, having multiple seniors decide to come back for an extra year was huge. Oklahoma has relied on a unique mix of veteran leadership and underclassmen heroics all season , and this time, it was the veterans that led the way.

The Sooners take on the Longhorns on Thursday for Game 2 at 6:30 p.m. Now, after opting to call Norman home for one more season, Oklahoma’s home run hitting trio of super seniors is just one game from a national championship.

"We're prepared," Alo said. "We're going to have the momentum. It's time to win another ballgame."