Weekend Wrap: Oklahoma 'Ready' for the SEC After Overwhelming Display in Omni Classic

The No. 2-ranked Sooners obliterated the field in Norman over the weekend, setting up a battle with unbeaten South Carolina to open SEC play in Norman.

Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso and pitcher Sam Landry / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma will carry plenty of momentum in the program’s first ever Southeastern Conference softball series. 

Patty Gasso’s No. 2-ranked Sooners remained perfect in the Omni Classic at Love’s Field this weekend, outscoring Marshall, Kansas and Kansas City by a combined score of 54-3 across five run rule victories.

It sets up a battle between OU (19-0) and No. 19 South Carolina, who are sure to move up in the polls after sweeping No. 9 Duke this past weekend. 

Marshall, Kansas and Kansas City have all endured their share of struggles to start the year, meaning this past weekend was always going to be about making the final adjustments before conference play. 

Gasso got everything she wanted and more, and she believes her team is ready to turn the page and start the next phase of the season. 

There was little even Gasso could criticize about her team’s performance this weekend as she looked with a trained eye to see what else needs fixing before conference play opens at Love’s Field. 

“We have a little bit of ups and downs, and we’re fighting through some things too. I think we’re battle ready,” she said after Friday’s victories over Marshall and Kansas. “… For what we have right now and so much newness, I'm really proud of this group, to be honest. They've worked really hard to try to live this legacy and it's hard. They're walking into something and like, here you go, here, everybody's talking five-peat.

“I’m like, no, blah, blah, no, no, no. Just get your feet grounded. Let's get grounded and let's, you know, get dirty. Let's get after it. So we're making those moves.”

Defensively, OU committed no errors across the weekend despite Gasso continuing to tinker with the lineup to get different players game time. 

Whether Tia Milloy, Sydney Barker, Maya Bland or Hannah Coor were tossed into the outfield, the result was the same. Barker was able to chip in at first base as well as shortstop, and the defense behind Oklahoma’s pitching staff remained as steady as ever. 

Saturday, Gasso was even able to quickly install a shift for Kansas leadoff hitter Presley Limbaugh. 

“We didn’t really even get to practice that,” Gasso said on Saturday. “We brought Abby Dayton (into the infield), we did it right before we were gonna go out in our indoor. ‘You stand here, you stand there, you’re there, you’re there. So when she comes up, you’re in. You move over.’ Like I’m trying to talk to them about what we’re going to do and they just did it. 

“So that’s what’s easy about it. They just kind of believe in us as coaches and follow our lead.”

Oklahoma’s pitching staff has excelled through the first 19 games — more on that in a minute — and as the competition ramps up, Gasso’s team is prepared to lean on pitching and defense to meet the moment throughout the SEC gauntlet. 

Surprise Fireworks Display

Oklahoma shortstop Gabbie Garcia hammered three home runs at the Omni Classic with a pair coming on Saturday. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

OU softball fans are used to seeing the Sooners hammer home run after home run. 

But the 15 home runs in five games even took Gasso by surprise. 

"Our power surge just came about here in the last couple of weekends, so that's been a nice addition,” Gasso said. 

But the OU coach still believes this team will make its money on the basepaths in conference play. 

“I’m learning as much as they are,” Gasso said. “… We've gotta generate them a little bit differently, which is fun, I think. I enjoy watching them execute. I used that card a lot, and we tried a two-out first-to-third squeeze with Abby Dayton. 

“We're trying things that are a little uncharacteristic and maybe catching others by surprise, and that's chaos, to steal the baseball word. We're trying to run bases like they do and create some chaos."

OU stole 12 bases at the Omni Classic, and got 31 free baserunners via hit batters or walks.

The plate discipline to draw 29 walks in five games gives Gasso at least one baserunner to work with virtually every inning, allowing Oklahoma to put as much pressure as possible on the defense — until a Sooner slugger clears the bases with another monster home run.

Fighters Out of the Pen

Oklahoma freshman pitcher Audrey Lowry / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In 19 games, Oklahoma pitchers have combined to allow just 21 earned runs. 

Campbell transfer Isabella Smith, who wasn’t able to pitch in the Battle Series last fall, leads the pack with a 0.27 ERA, followed behind by junior Kierston Deal (0.76) and Louisiana transfer Sam Landry (1.47).

And as good as the pitching staff has been from the start, every pitcher has shown the ability to step into games in relief and continue to confound opposing hitters — something that wasn’t always a given in 2024. 

"It's been really cool to see all of the pitchers grow a lot more comfortable, and I think growing our relationship off the field has helped with that,” OU catcher Isabela Emerling said on Sunday. “It's just been great. I can tell they're being a sponge when it comes to taking advice from coach Rocha and just picking her brain. It's cool to see them implement it in a game as well. So it's been really fun to watch."

And though the five games at the Omni Classic were relatively stress-free for the pitching staff, OU’s hurlers have already faced pressure situations this year. 

In California, Oklahoma played a pair of extra inning contests against San Diego State and Long Beach State where OU’s staff never flinched. 

Monday, the Sooners had to outlast Bowling Green after freshman Audrey Lowry admitted to battling nerves in her first start at Love’s Field. 

But a poor start has yet to spiral for any of OU’s pitchers, which will always give the Sooners a chance to get back into the game with their powerful offense. 

"They're tough. Punch 'em, they punch back twice as hard,” Emerling said of the staff. “It's just fun to see them be so resilient.”

OU’s biggest test of the season, the SEC series against South Carolina, will get underway at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Love’s Field — a battle Gasso is looking forward to. 

“Yes, 100 percent,” she said. “We are ready.”

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