Oklahoma Sooners softball

Last updated
Oklahoma Sooners Softball
Softball current event.svg 2024 Oklahoma Sooners softball team
Oklahoma Sooners logo.svg
Founded1975 (49 years ago)
University University of Oklahoma
Athletic director Joe Castiglione
All-time Record2,015–794–2 (.717)
Head coach Patty Gasso (30th season)
Conference Big 12
Location Norman, Oklahoma
Home stadium Love's Field (Capacity: 4,200)
Nickname Sooners
ColorsCrimson and cream [1]
   
NCAA Tournament champions
2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023
NCAA WCWS runner-up
2012, 2019
NCAA WCWS appearances
2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023
AIAW WCWS appearances
1975, 1980, 1981, 1982
NCAA Super Regional appearances
2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
NCAA Tournament appearances
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Conference Tournament championships
1996, 2001, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024
Regular Season Conference championships
1996, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team represents the University of Oklahoma in NCAA Division I College softball. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference, and plays its home games at Love's Field in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners are currently led by head coach Patty Gasso.

Contents

Oklahoma has won their conference title 15 times, has won the Big 12 Conference tournament nine times, has been to the NCAA Tournament 30 times, has advanced to the NCAA Women's College World Series 16 times, and has won the NCAA championship seven times. Oklahoma also appeared in the AIAW Women's College World Series four times.

History

The Sooners won their first national championship back in 2000. They swept Harvard, Cal-State Northridge, and Oregon State at their home regionals to advance to their first appearance in the Women's College World Series. They beat California and knocked off Southern Mississippi and Arizona to advance to the championship game against UCLA. They beat UCLA 3-1 to capture their first national title.

They hosted and won their 2013 regional. They beat Marist and Arkansas with a combined score of 41-6. They hosted again their super regionals against Texas A&M where they outscored the Aggies 18-2. In Oklahoma City, they went through 8 seeded Michigan, #10 ranked Texas, and #11 ranked Washington to reach Tennessee in the championship. Game 1 was where Lauren Chamberlain hit her iconic two-run walk-off home run after 12 innings of play. In game 2, Keilani Ricketts drove in all four runs, and Michelle Gascoigne pitched a shut out to obtain their second national title.

Once again, they hosted their regional in 2016 where they beat Wichita State and Ole Miss. They went on to host their super regional against Louisiana-Lafayette where they swept to advance to the Women's College World Series once again. In their first game in the tournament, they beat Alabama in extra innings. They faced #12 Michigan in game 2, and beat LSU in their third to face Auburn in the championship. They won 2-1 in their final game where Paige Parker threw a complete game.

In 2017, Sooners hosted another straight regional and won against North Dakota State, Arkansas, and Tulsa. From there, they went to #7 Auburn for the Super Regionals where they won in two games. They held off Baylor in Oklahoma City, overcame #6 Washington, and beat Oregon to face Florida in the finals. They won game 1 in the longest game ever played in the finals in 17 innings. They finished off the series with a swept to capture their fourth national championship.

In 2021, the Sooners hosted their regional as the No. 1 overall seed and beat Wichita State, Texas A&M, and Morgan State. They advanced to host their super regional against Washington, which they won in two games. At the Women's College World Series, they lost their first round game to James Madison University; subsequently, they won four straight elimination games to advance to the championship series, besting Georgia, UCLA, and James Madison twice. In the championship series, they lost their first game to Florida State, but returned to win games two and three to claim their fifth national championship.

In 2023, the Sooners set an NCAA Division I softball record 53-game winning streak. [2] They finished the season with a 61–1 record and won their seventh national championship, and third consecutive championship. They became the first team to three-peat since UCLA from 1988 to 1990. [3] [4]

Love's Field

On October 28, 2021, it was announced a new softball stadium, Love's Field, was planned to break ground in 2022 and open before the 2024 season. Love's provided the naming gift following a $12 million total donation. [5] The estimated cost for the project is $47.9 million. [6] The overall square footage of the complex will be 44,000 square feet and will have a seating capacity of 4,200. [7] [8]

Coaching history

YearsCoachRecord%
1975–1976 Amy Dahl 18–16.529
1977–1984Marita Hynes257–188.578
1985–1993Michelle Thomas226–230.496
1994Jim Beitia58–15.795
1995–present Patty Gasso 1,456–345–2

Honors

National championships

SeasonRecordHead coach
2000 66–8 Patty Gasso
2013 57–4Patty Gasso
2016 57–8Patty Gasso
2017 61–9Patty Gasso
2021 56–4Patty Gasso
2022 59–3Patty Gasso
2023 61–1Patty Gasso

Conference championships

SeasonConferenceRecordHead coach
1996 Big 12 17–5 Patty Gasso
199911–3
200017–1
200914–4
201219–5
201315–2
201416–2
201514–2
201617–1
201717–1
201818–0
201918–0
202116–1
202217–1
202318–0

Conference tournament championships

SeasonConferenceHead coach
1996 Big 12 Patty Gasso
2001 Big 12Patty Gasso
2007 Big 12Patty Gasso
2010 Big 12Patty Gasso
2017 Big 12Patty Gasso
2018 Big 12Patty Gasso
2021 Big 12Patty Gasso
2023 Big 12Patty Gasso
2024 Big 12Patty Gasso

Records and statistics

Year-by-year results

Records by opponent

As of May 20, 2023 [9]
Big 12 Conference opponents
OpponentTMW–LLast meeting
Baylor 8773–14W 2–0
April 22, 2023
BYU 109–1W 3–1
February 8, 2020
Houston 1514–1W 8–0 (5)
March 19, 2022
Iowa State 12395–28W 9–0 (5)
May 12, 2023
Kansas 12278–44W 8–2
April 30, 2023
Oklahoma State 175103–72W 5–1
May 5, 2023
Texas 8257–25W 6–1
May 13, 2023
Texas Tech 7770–7W 7–0
April 8, 2023
UCF 22–0W 7–1
May 28, 2022
Former Big 12 Conference opponents
OpponentTMW–LLast meeting
Missouri 9655–41W 11–0 (6)
May 20, 2023
Nebraska 8945–44W 10–2 (5)
February 12, 2020
Texas A&M 8353–30W 8–0 (5)
February 24, 2023
Notable Non-Conference opponents
OpponentTMW–LLast meeting
Tulsa 5747–10W 6–0
May 2, 2023
UCLA 218–13W 14–0 (5)
February 26, 2023

NCAA Tournament seeding history

National seeding began in 2005. The Oklahoma Sooners have been a national seed 18 of the 19 tournaments.

Years → '05 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '21 '22 '23 '24
Seeds →14310714941711310411112

College World Series

Oklahoma has made 16 trips to the Women's College World Series, winning the title in 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023. OU finished as runner-up in 2012 and 2019.

YearWinLossPercent
2000 401.000
2001 12.333
2002 02.000
2003 12.333
2004 12.333
2011 02.000
2012 42.667
2013 501.000
2014 12.333
2016 51.833
2017 501.000
2018 22.500
2019 33.500
2021 62.750
2022 51.833
2023 501.000
Total4423.657

2024 Coaching Staff

NamePositionSeasons at Oklahoma
Patty Gasso Head coach 30th
Jennifer Rocha Associate head coach and Pitching Coach5th
JT GassoAssociate head coach and Hitting Coach8th
Falepolima SteeleAssistant coach1st
Lauren FosterGraduate assistant1st
Ryan WondrasekDirector of player development1st
Reference: [10]

Individual honors and awards

This is a list of individual honors at the national and conference levels, including All-Americans. [11]

First Team All-American

SeasonPlayer(s)
1999Lynette Velazquez
2000Lisa Carey
2001Kelli Braitsch
2003Leah Gulla
2004Heather Scaglione
2005Heather Scaglione
2006Kristin Vesley
2007Norrelle Dickson
2009Amber Flores
2010Heather Scaglione
2011 Keilani Ricketts
2012 Lauren Chamberlain, Keilani Ricketts, Jessica Shults
2013Lauren Chamberlain, Keilani Ricketts
2014Shelby Pendley
2015Lauren Chamberlain
2016 Paige Parker
2018 Jocelyn Alo, Paige Parker, Sydney Romero
2019Caleigh Clifton, Giselle Juarez, Sydney Romero
2021Jocelyn Alo, Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings
2022Jocelyn Alo, Jordy Bahl, Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Grace Lyons
2023Jordy Bahl, Alyssa Brito, Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, Tiare Jennings

Related Research Articles

The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other words, a team is eliminated when it has lost two games. After six teams have been eliminated, the remaining two teams compete in a best-of-three series to determine the Division I WCWS National Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Sooners</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run of 1889, which initially opened the Unassigned Lands in the future state of Oklahoma to non-native settlement. The university's athletic teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I in the Big 12 Conference. The university's current athletic director is Joe Castiglione.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Sooners baseball</span> Baseball team of the University of Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners baseball is the NCAA Division I collegiate baseball team of the University of Oklahoma (OU) based in Norman, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball</span> Womens college basketball team

The Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team represents the University of Oklahoma (OU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Huskies softball</span> Washington softball team

The Washington Huskies softball team represents the University of Washington in NCAA Division I college softball competition. A member of the Pac-12 Conference, they play their home games on-campus at Husky Softball Stadium in Seattle, Washington. Through 2020, the Huskies have made 14 appearances at the Women's College World Series and won the national title in 2009.

The Arizona State Sun Devils softball team represents Arizona State University in NCAA Division I College softball. The team competes in the Pac-12 Conference, and plays its home games at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Clint Myers, former head coach of the Sun Devils, guided the team to the Women's College World Series in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013. The Sun Devils team won the National Championship in 2008 & 2011.

Keilani Johanna Ricketts Tumanuvao is an American softball pitcher for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). She played college softball at Oklahoma from 2010 to 2013, where she was the starting pitcher and helped to lead the Sooners to the national championship in 2013. As a member of the United States women's national softball team she won 2011 World Cup of Softball. Ricketts currently plays for the USSSA Pride in the National Pro Fastpitch. She is the Sooners career leader in wins and strikeouts. She also ranks for career records in both the Big 12 Conference and the NCAA Division I, where she is one three players to win 100 games with 1,000 strikeouts and hit 50 home runs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 California Golden Bears softball team</span>

The 2012 California Golden Bears softball team is the representative of the University of California in the 2012 NCAA Division I softball season. The team plays their home games in Levine-Fricke Field and they entered the 2012 season after making the Women's College World Series with a 45–13 record in 2011 and making the postseason for 27 straight years.

The 2015 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 14 through June 3, 2015 as the final part of the 2015 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 293 teams on May 10, 2015. Thirty-two teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and thirty-two teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2015 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

The 2016 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 20 through June 8, 2016 as the final part of the 2016 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college softball teams were to be selected out of an eligible 293 teams on May 15, 2016. Thirty-two teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and thirty-two teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2016 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City in which the Oklahoma Sooners were crowned the champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Madison Dukes softball</span>

The James Madison Dukes softball team represents James Madison University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) and plays home games in Veterans Memorial Park. JMU has won six CAA championships, including back-to-back Championships in 2016 and 2017. The Dukes have been to the NCAA Division I softball tournament nine times, hosting Regionals and Super Regionals in 2016. The team's head coach is Loren LaPorte, leading the Dukes to a 197–74 record in six seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 NCAA Division I softball tournament</span> norepalce

The 2017 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 18 through June 7, 2017, as the final part of the 2017 NCAA Division I softball season. The 64 participating NCAA Division I college softball teams were selected out of an eligible 293 teams on May 14, 2017. Thirty-two teams were awarded automatic bids as champions of their conferences, and the remaining 32 were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2017 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma would repeat as National Champions, defeating Florida in 2 games and 17 innings in the first game. Oklahoma became the lowest seeded team to ever win the National Championship, winning as the 10 seed.

The 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 31 to June 4, 2019, as the final part of the 2019 NCAA Division I softball season. Thirty-two teams were awarded automatic bids as champions of their conferences, and the remaining 32 were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee. The 64-team, double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2019 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. The UCLA Bruins won their 13th championship, defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in two games.

Rachel Lauren Garcia is an American former softball pitcher. She most recently served as the pitching coach for UC San Diego. She played college softball for the UCLA Bruins and led the Bruins to the 2019 Women's College World Series championship, where she was named the Most Outstanding Player.

The 2018 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2018. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2018 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2018 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held annually in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 4, 2018.

The 2021 NCAA Division I softball tournament was held from May 21 through June 10, 2021 as the final part of the 2021 NCAA Division I softball season. 31 teams were awarded automatic bids as champions of their conferences after the Ivy League opted out of the 2021 softball season. The remaining 33 were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I softball selection committee on May 16, 2021. The tournament culminated with eight teams playing in the 2021 Women's College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

Giselle "G" Juarez is an American, former collegiate All-American softball pitcher. She played college softball at Oklahoma and Arizona State.

Nicole Rangel Mendes is an American former college softball player and current member of Mexico women's national softball team. She played college softball for the Oklahoma Sooners where she helped lead the Sooners to four consecutive Women's College World Series appearances from 2017 to 2021, and won the national championship as a freshman in 2017 and redshirt senior in 2021. She represented Team Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordy Bahl</span> American softball player

Jordyn Bahl is an American college softball pitcher for Nebraska. As a freshman at Oklahoma in 2022, she was named NFCA National Freshman of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Oklahoma Sooners softball team</span> American college softball team

The 2023 Oklahoma Sooners softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Oklahoma during the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were led by Patty Gasso in her twenty-ninth season, and played their home games at OU Softball Complex. They competed in the Big 12 Conference, where they finished with a 61–1 record, including 18–0 in conference play. The Sooners only loss on the season was during an early season tournament in Waco, Texas to the Baylor Bears, 3–4.

References

  1. ↑ "Colors – OU Brand Guide". April 20, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  2. ↑ Brunt, Cliff (June 8, 2023). "Oklahoma wins third straight WCWS title, extends record win streak to 53". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ Post, J.J. (June 8, 2023). "Oklahoma softball joins elite company with title three-peat". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ Auerbach, Nicole (June 8, 2023). "Oklahoma softball wins third consecutive national title: How Sooners cemented a dynasty". The Athletic . Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Love's Travel Stops Contributes Lead Gift for New Softball Stadium". soonersports.com. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  6. ↑ Aber, Ryan (September 14, 2023). "New OU Softball Stadium on Track for 2024 Opener". The Oklahoman . Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Love's Field Capacity Announced" . Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  8. ↑ Bailey, Eric (October 28, 2021). "OU to begin construction of Love's Field, a $27 million stadium for softball program". Tulsa World . Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  9. ↑ "OU Softball Opponents". soonerstats.com. Sooner Stats. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Oklahoma Softball Coaches". SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletics. Retrieved 8 Jan 2023.
  11. ↑ "Big 12 Softball Records" (PDF). Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. pp. 86–89. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.