Why Oklahoma Transfer Alex Storako is 'Thrilled' About Not Having to Carry the Pitching Staff

After a heavy workload last year at Michigan, Storako is finding her place as one of four reliable pitchers on the OU staff.

For Oklahoma pitcher Alex Storako, being a Sooner means taking a day off.

Storako threw 200 innings at Michigan last year. One, she was good enough. Two, she had to.

“Previously, I was throwing three games in a weekend,” Storako said Wednesday, “so being able to throw a little bit less is really exciting for my physical health and my arm as a whole.”

In her four years in Ann Arbor, Storako pitched 563 2/3 innings. In addition to her heavy workload in 2022, she pitched 142 1/3 innings as a true freshman and 146 as a junior. Last year, with all the extra work, her ERA rose from 1.05 to 1.71.

OU’s busiest pitcher last year was Jordy Bahl, who went 141 1/3 innings. In 2021, Giselle Juarez led the team with 128 innings pitched, while Shannon Saile pitched 100.

That’s more aligned with how Patty Gasso wants pitching coach Jen Rocha to spread out her rotation moving forward.

In 2019, Juarez’ first season at OU after transferring from Arizona, she threw 186 1/3 innings. Before that, Paige Parker threw 867 1/3 innings across four seasons — 217 in 2015, 252 in 2016, 210 in 2017 and 187 in 2018. That’s too much, Gasso said. The hope is that Storako won’t ever have to do that in her one season at OU.

“Hopefully the days of … leaning on Paige Parker are over forever for this program,” Gasso said. “Because I hit a point where I was so uncomfortable with what we were doing with her physically, that I promised myself we were never gonna do that again. So these four pitchers are gonna be able to hand the ball off.”

In addition to Storako and Bahl, the Sooners have experienced junior Nicole May, who’s thrown 177 innings in her career so far, and freshman left-hander Kierston Deal.

So far, so good for the OU rotation. The No. 1-ranked Sooners stayed undefeated last weekend with five wins in the Mark Campbell Invitational in Irvine, CA.

In her start against No. 14 Stanford, Storako pitched 5 2/3 innings (it was a six-inning run rule) and gave up one run on three hits and no walks with six strikeouts. She threw just 78 pitches.

“It’s just super exciting,” Storako said. “We’re able to stay really, kind of in shape but also like just the ability to stay healthy and not have to use so much energy within a weekend.”

“I think she’s thrilled,” Gasso said. “I do, I think she’s thrilled. When you throw somebody that much and lean on them that hard, they lose effectiveness, but you injure — they get hurt. And I think Alex loves the idea of going out and being fresh every time she’s on the mound.

“I think all of our pitchers are gonna feel that. They’re all that good. We don’t have to rely on one.”