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Patty Gasso is on her way to being the greatest-ever coach at OU, in any sport.  OU dominates college gymnastics, both men's and women's.  But not many schools compete in top-level gymnastics.  A lot of schools compete in softball.  And Patty has the best program in the country.  And it's a joyful program full of feel-good stories.

It's all about joy of the journey for Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso, Sooners 
By Clay Horning | Senior Sports Columnist
The Norman Transcript

It was eight years ago and it was an education. Or so, perhaps, I thought.

Oklahoma, having gone six seasons without returning to the Women’s College World Series, finally made it back, riding both the bat and left arm of sophomore pitcher Keilani Ricketts. It was where those Sooners ventured to advance that made it so impressive.

Tucson.

Ricketts hit a home run in each game and didn’t give up a run in the circle until surrendering two in seventh inning of the second game. Yet, before Arizona's Lini Koria unleashed her two-run shot, OU already led 5-0.

More memorable to me, however, than the Sooners finally returning to Hall of Fame Stadium — and forcing Arizona to miss it for just the second time in 24 seasons — was how poorly Arizona coach Mike Candrea took it.

He accused his team of carrying “dead weight.” He took no solace in having reached Oklahoma City so many previous seasons and in winning the whole thing eight times.

The impression left?

That's what it takes to attain meteoric success. It takes being miserably insufferable every time you don’t.

I decided it was a world known only to Pat Summit, Geno Auriemma and Mike Candrea and what it took to enjoy — or stomach — that kind of long-term uber-dominance must be the utter non-acceptance of anything less.

It all made sense.

It was also wrong.

• • •

These days, there is one softball coach in America enjoying the kind of success Candrea once enjoyed.

Patty Gasso.

Since that 2011 season her Sooners bounced the Wildcats and returned to World Series, OU has missed it just once, in 2015.

Over that span, Gasso has coached OU to four best-two-of-three WCWS championship series and three national championships in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

And, right now, having lost two games all season and having posted an NCAA record 39 straight wins, the Sooners enter NCAA regional play Friday as the No. 1 seed in the entire national draw.

Also, guess what?

Gasso, nor her team, suffer for their success. For the Sooners, it’s about the joy.

Of course, Gasso's all about winning, too, just look at her record.

Nonetheless, the ultimate success OU has enjoyed three times the last six seasons, and the rest of the Sooners’ success — 12 WCWS trips in 19 seasons, countless Big 12 championships — has been more incidental to what Gasso’s program’s about than it's been specific.

Just ask her players.

“She talks a lot about having joy in the journey and just being free to play and free to have fun and just having the freedom to be able to say what you want and being yourself on the field and getting out of your comfort zone,” said Sydney Romero, who’s enjoyed that freedom all the way to .427 batting average, 17 home runs and an .848 slugging percentage this season. “She just makes it real easy to be comfortable out here on the field with every one.”

Jocelyn Alo, last year’s freshman phenom, who came back from early season plate struggles to hit .400, bash 14 more home runs and lead OU with a .500 on-base percentage, went a different direction, yet still one that underlined her coach’s humanity rather than her iron will.

“She’s kind of like our mom on the field,” she said. “She really makes sure that we’re good, more off the field as a person than as a player.

“As a coach, she’s obviously going to push us to be the best that we can, and she’s helped me come very far.”

Sophomore catcher Lynnsie Elam, an in-state product from Chickasha, took the question and ran with it and, just maybe, offered the best endorsement of Gasso's coaching philosophy and style.

“She always reminds us that we are people. We are not only players, but we are people. We are more than what we do out there in the dirt,” she said. “So, if we’re having issues at home, she is asking us before practice, ‘Hey, is everything OK? Do you need me for anything? What can I do?’ Not, ‘Hey, you’re not hitting on the field, you need to be better.’

“So that’s something, to me personally, with my situation, that has made me feel like, ‘OK, it doesn’t matter what I do out there, she’s going to love me either way. She’s going to do what she can for me to help me as a person either way.”

• • •

It's refreshing, it's right, it's the kind of thing that puts the fans on your side without reservation and it’s the kind of approach that brings more fans on board.

Who wouldn’t want to play for a coach like that is a self-answering question. And, given that sellouts have become the norm in the seats and bleachers surrounding Marita Hynes Field, who wouldn’t want to cheer for a team playing for a coach like that appears to be a self-answering one, too.

Perhaps I was too hard on Candrea in the opening. I mean, the guy’s a legend, no question.

Also, despite six more super regionals, he hasn’t been back to the World Series since that 2011 loss. Perhaps now, he takes some solace in past success. Or, maybe, come the final step of the process to return to the sport’s biggest stage, his team’s had enough, and stops there.

It’s unknowable.

What’s knowable is that, should the Sooners fail to get back to Oklahoma City this time, or next time, or the time after that, it will be disappointing to players, coaches and fans, but it will not negate the journey.

Would you believe when Elam offered that long fantastic quote about her coach, she wasn’t even finished.

I cut her off.

Here’s the rest.

“She’s always preaching to us, have joy in this journey, every season is going to be different,” she said, “every year is going to be different, everybody doesn’t get to do this.”

Funny thing, but when you love your journey, you don’t want it to end.

Eventually, probably, it will end early again for Gasso and the Sooners. However, probably not this season, the next one or the one after that.

“She’s an awesome lady,” Alo said.

Pretty good coach, too.

https://www.normantranscript.com/sports/all_ou_sports/horning-it-s-all-about-joy-of-the-tourney-for/article_171f6f4a-ba02-50a5-b5b1-cad5f6265fee.html

nice work

I enjoy women's softball

The Sooners had their hands full today.  Wiscy came from one run down to win 2-1, snapping the Sooner's 41 game win streak and handing Juarez her only loss this year.
In the elimination game, the Sooners won 2-0 behind Juarez's shutout.  Wiscy's pitcher who really silenced the Sooner's #1 offense threw something like 400 pitches this weekend.

OU advances to the WCWS with an 8-0 win over Northwestern.

OSU eliminated defending champ FSU and will also move on to OKC.

I was sorry to see UT lose to Bama today.  Shaky fielding was the culprit, it seemed to me.  Gritty comeback after being down 7-1, but that defense repeatedly let the team down.

Journey?  I like Journey!

"Don't Stop Believin" is probably their signature song and is most certainly their most recognizable, but I'm an even bigger fan of either their older stuff like "Wheel In The Sky" or their very last releases like "Ask The Lonely" and "Only The Young."

OSU upset Florida 2-1 today, and OU just wrapped up a nail-biter 3-2 win over Bama.

It will be a Bedlam rematch tomorrow in the nightcap.

In the other games today, Arizona upset Washington 3-1 and UCLA beat Minnesota 7-1.

Only winners play tomorrow.  The early (7:30, IIRC) game is Arizona and UCLA.

Today's losers have to start the uphill climb on Saturday.

Oklahoma State - behind the 'Sam Show' - opens with victory over Florida
By Eric Bailey Tulsa World  7 hrs ago

OKLAHOMA CITY — The bat flip was amazing. The pitching performance was incredible.

Ladies and gentlemen, it was Showtime in Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

Samantha Show hit two solo home runs and pitched a complete game in Oklahoma State’s 2-1 victory over Florida in the opening round of the Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

The Cowgirls (45-15) recorded their first WCWS victory since 1998 and await the winner of Thursday’s late game between Oklahoma and Alabama in a winners bracket game at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Show’s sixth-inning blast to straightaway center field sent OSU fans into a frenzy. She punctuated the shot by slamming her bat into the ground, and her weapon of choice did cartwheels toward the Cowgirls’ dugout.

She smiled when asked if the celebration was premeditated. After all, she has become known for flair after hitting a home run.

“Anything that happens after a home run of mine, I don’t plan out,” Show said. “Just whatever emotion I have inside me. Normally I have so much, that’s why the dramatic bat flips happen because it just needs to come out. I’m very emotional.”

Fans were just getting settled into their seats in the first inning when the OSU senior made her presence felt as she hit Florida ace Kelly Barnhill’s 0-2 pitch into the right-field seats.

Her second home run will be remembered for years in Cowgirls lore as she became the first pitcher in WCWS history to hit two homers in a game.

“When she hit the second one, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t thinking home run. I just wanted a good at-bat,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said. “Right when it left her bat, I just felt the crowd, it went through me. I mean, it was crazy. Kind of a surreal experience.

“But it was big. Those are big. I think those were our only two hits. I don’t know that we hit another ball hard. It was a Sam Show day.”

Show (22-8) allowed six hits, struck out two and walked none. She retired nine in a row in the middle of the game and battled when the Gators’ first two batters got on base in the seventh inning.

Even in that late-game moment, she was poised.

“I knew that if I worked ahead and threw some quality pitches, my defense would make the plays for me. It’s exactly what they did (with) some really good plays made behind me,” Show said. “Never in my mind did I think we were out of it. They had runners in scoring position, but I knew even if they did score, it wouldn’t be over. We would go back, have good at-bats, hopefully score again.

“But there were no doubts in my mind.”

Florida coach Tim Walton faced Show when she played for Texas A&M. The Gators had success against her last season. This was different.

“I don’t think she’s a different pitcher. I think she’s a whole entirely different person,” Walton said. “You look at everything about her. It’s different, better in every sense of the word. She’s just done a good job all the way around. It almost looks like she’s completely comfortable in who she is right now, competing both offensively and defensively.”

Florida scored its only run in the second inning. Jordan Roberts launched a solo home run to the exact spot when Show’s first homer landed in right field.

Show was 2-for-3. The rest of the Cowgirls were 0-for-21 against Barnhill (34-13), who struck out nine and walked one.

After Show’s second homer, the Cowgirls fought to get the final six outs to secure the victory.

“It’s a big deal for us. We can finally just kind of relax and not have to worry about pushing that first win,” OSU’s Madi Sue Montgomery said. “I think we came out pretty relaxed and normal — having fun, playing the game that we love. It’s nice to break down the next barrier. We just want to keep going. We’re not done.”

Several of the OSU players have gotten tattoos with the letters FTG (“for the girls”) to celebrate their camaraderie.

“It’s something we made a deal on: If we ever made it to the World Series, when we make it to the World Series, we’d all get it,” Michaela Richbourg said. “Some got it a week ago. Then we went and got it the other day.”

Is Gajewski going to do the same?

“Yes, I think I’m wrangled into the tattoo deal,” he said. “But it will be on my foot.”

OKLAHOMA STate 2, FLORIDA 1

OSU 100 001 0 — 2 2 2

Florida 010 000 0 — 1 6 0

Show and Thomas; Barnhill and Roberts. W: Show (22-8). L: Barnhill (34-12). HR: OSU, Show 2 (20); UF, Roberts (9).

Eric Bailey
918-581-8391
eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com
Twitter: @ericbaileyTW