Oklahoma Sooners softball
The Oklahoma Sooners softball team is the softball team that represents University of Oklahoma in the sport of women's softball. The Sooners participate in the Big 12 Conference, and play their home games at OU Softball Complex. Oklahoma has won their conference title 11 times, has been to the NCAA Tournament 25 times, has been to the NCAA Women's College World Series 12 times, and has won the NCAA championship four times. OU also appeared in the AIAW Women's College World Series four times. The team is coached by Patty Gasso.
| Oklahoma Sooners softball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1975 |
| University | University of Oklahoma |
| Head coach | Patty Gasso (25th season) |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Location | Norman, OK |
| Home stadium | OU Softball Complex (Capacity: 1,378) |
| Nickname | Sooners |
| Colors | Crimson and Cream[1] |
| NCAA Tournament champions | |
| 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017 | |
| NCAA WCWS runner-up | |
| 2012, 2019 | |
| NCAA WCWS appearances | |
| 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| AIAW WCWS appearances | |
| 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982 | |
| NCAA Super Regional appearances | |
| 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| 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 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| 1996, 2001, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018 | |
| Conference championships | |
| 1996, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
The Sooners won their first national championship back in 2000. The 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. The 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.
History
Coaching history
| Years | Coach | Record | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-1976 | Amy Dahl | 18-16 | .529 |
| 1977-1984 | Marita Hynes | 257-188 | .578 |
| 1985-1993 | Michelle Thomas | 226-230 | .496 |
| 1994 | Jim Beitia | 58-15 | .795 |
| 1995–Present | Patty Gasso | 1,244–329–2 | .790 |
Championships
NCAA Women's College World Series National Championships
| Season | Coach | Record | WCWS final opponent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Patty Gasso | 66–8 | Won Championship game over UCLA 3–1 | ||
| 2013 | Patty Gasso | 57–4 | Won Championship series over Tennessee 2–0 | ||
| 2016 | Patty Gasso | 57–8 | Won Championship series over Auburn 2–1 | ||
| 2017 | Patty Gasso | 61–9 | Won Championship series over Florida 2–0 | ||
| National Championships | 4 | ||||
Conference Championships
| Season | Conference | Record | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Big 12 Conference | 17–5 | Patty Gasso |
| 1999 | Big 12 Conference | 11–3 | Patty Gasso |
| 2000 | Big 12 Conference | 17–1 | Patty Gasso |
| 2009 | Big 12 Conference | 14–4 | Patty Gasso |
| 2012 | Big 12 Conference | 19–5 | Patty Gasso |
| 2013 | Big 12 Conference | 15–2 | Patty Gasso |
| 2014 | Big 12 Conference | 16–2 | Patty Gasso |
| 2015 | Big 12 Conference | 14–2 | Patty Gasso |
| 2016 | Big 12 Conference | 17–1 | Patty Gasso |
| 2017 | Big 12 Conference | 17–1 | Patty Gasso |
| 2018 | Big 12 Conference | 18–0 | Patty Gasso |
| 2019 | Big 12 Conference | 18–0 | Patty Gasso |
Conference Tournament Championships
| Year | Conference | Tournament Location | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Big 12 Conference | Oklahoma City, OK | Patty Gasso |
| 2001 | Big 12 Conference | Oklahoma City, OK | Patty Gasso |
| 2007 | Big 12 Conference | Oklahoma City, OK | Patty Gasso |
| 2010 | Big 12 Conference | Oklahoma City, OK | Patty Gasso |
| 2017 | Big 12 Conference | Oklahoma City, OK | Patty Gasso |
| 2018 | Big 12 Conference | Oklahoma City, OK | Patty Gasso |
Records by opponent
Sources:[6]
- Big 12 Conference opponents
| Opponent | GP | W-L-T | Win % | First meeting | Last meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | 73 | 60-13 | 0.822 | 0-2 L September 21, 1979 | 6-4 W May 12, 2018 |
| Iowa State | 109 | 81-28 | 0.743 | 1-2 L April 15, 1978 | 9-6 W May 11, 2018 |
| Kansas | 110 | 66-44 | 0.600 | 5-2 W April 15, 1978 | 10-1 W (5) April 15, 2018 |
| Oklahoma State | 160 | 90-70 | 0.563 | 11-1 W April 9, 1975 | 7-0 W May 5, 2018 |
| Texas | 66 | 42-24 | 0.636 | 1-4 L April 19, 1997 | 10-1 W (6) May 11, 2018 |
| Texas Tech | 63 | 56-7 | 0.889 | 7-1 W April 22, 1977 | 19-1 W (5) March 25, 2018 |
- Former Big 12 Conference opponents
| Opponent | GP | W-L-T | Win % | First meeting | Last meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 93 | 52-41 | 0.559 | 4-13 L March 16, 1977 | 7-0 W May 20, 2018 |
| Nebraska | 88 | 44-44 | 0.500 | 1-2 L April 15, 1977 | 8-0 W (6) March 17, 2018 |
| Texas A&M | 79 | 49-30 | 0.620 | 0-7 L April 22, 1977 | 2-0 W May 17, 2015 |
- Major Non-Conference opponents
| Opponent | GP | W-L-T | Win % | First meeting | Last meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 15 | 6-9 | 0.400 | 12-0 W February 16, 1997 | 3-0 W (8) June 3, 2016 |
| Arizona | 48 | 19-29 | 0.396 | 3-4 L March 14, 1979 | 0-2 L February 24, 2018 |
| Arizona State | 28 | 14-14 | 0.500 | 0-3 L March 15, 1979 | 2-0 W June 2, 2018 |
| Florida | 8 | 7-1 | 0.875 | 1-0 W February 28, 1998 | 2-0 W June 2, 2018 |
| Florida State | 12 | 6-6 | 0.500 | 1-0 W April 24, 1987 | 6-0 W February 23, 2013 |
| Michigan | 21 | 8-13 | 0.381 | 1-2 L March 22, 1986 | 7-5 W June 4, 2016 |
| Tulsa | 54 | 44-10 | 0.815 | 11-10 W February 19, 1994 | 8-0 W (6) May 19, 2018 |
| UCLA | 13 | 4-9 | 0.308 | 2-3 L March 9, 1981 | 10-1 W (5) February 4, 2017 |
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Seasons at Oklahoma | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patty Gasso | Head coach | 25th | |
| Jennifer Rocha | Associate Head Coach and Pitching Coach | 1st | |
| JT Gasso | Assistant Coach | 4th | |
| DJ Gasso | Graduate Student Manager | 1st | |
| Delanie Gourley | Graduate Student Manager | 1st | |
| Keilani Ricketts | Volunteer Assistant Coach | 1st | |
| Reference:[7] | |||
Notable players
Sources:[8]
Player Awards
- USA Softball National Player of the Year
- Keilani Ricketts (2012, 2013)
- NFCA Freshman of the Year
- Paige Parker (2015)
- Jocelyn Alo (2018)
- espnW National Player of the Year
- Academic All-American of the Year
- Lana Moran (2000)
First Team All-Americans
- 1999: Lynette Velazquez, At-Large 1st Base
- 2000: Lisa Carey, Designated Player
- 2000: Ashli Barrett, At-Large Catcher
- 2001: Kelli Braitsch, At-Large Shortstop
- 2003: Leah Gulla, Third Base
- 2004: Heather Scaglione, At-Large
- 2005: Heather Scaglione, At-Large
- 2006: Kristin Vesley,
- 2007: Norrelle Dickson
- 2009: Amber Flores
- 2010: Amber Flores
- 2011: Keilani Ricketts
- 2012: Jessica Shults
- 2012: Keilani Ricketts
- 2012: Lauren Chamberlain
- 2013: Keilani Ricketts
- 2013: Lauren Chamberlain
- 2014: Shelby Pendley
- 2015: Lauren Chamberlain
- 2015: Shelby Pendley
- 2016: Paige Parker
- 2018: Paige Parker
- 2018: Jocelyn Alo
- 2018: Sydney Romero
- 2019: Caleigh Clifton
- 2019: Giselle Juarez
- 2019: Sydney Romero
Big 12 Player of the Year
- Jill Most (1996)
- Lynette Velazquez (1999)
- Lisa Carey (2000)
- Kelli Braitsch (2001)
- Norelle Dickson (2007)
- Amber Flores (2009, 2010)
- Keilani Ricketts (2012)
- Shelby Pendley (2013, 2015)
- Erin Miller (2016)
- Shay Knighten (2017)
- Sydney Romero (2019)
Big 12 Pitcher of the Year
- Lauren Eckermann (2007)
- Keilani Ricketts (2013)
- Paige Parker (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
- Giselle Juarez (2019)
Big 12 Freshman of the Year
- Lisa Carey (1998)
- Jennifer Stewart (1999)
- Lauren Chamberlain (2012)
- Paige Parker (2015)
- Shay Knighten (2016)
- Nicole Mendes (2017)
- Jocelyn Alo (2018)
- Grace Green (2019)
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
- Heather Scaglione (2004, 2005)
- Savannah Long (2008)
- Lindsey Vandever (2010)
- Kelsey Arnold (2016, 2018)
- Caleigh Clifton (2019)
Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
- Andrea Davis (2000)
References
- "Colors – OU Brand Guide". April 20, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- "2019 OU Softball Media Guide" (PDF). SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletics. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- "Archived Team-By-Team Final Statistics". NCAA.org. NCAA. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- "Oklahoma Sooners Softball 2019 Media Guide" (PDF). SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletics. p. 19. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- "Oklahoma Sooners Softball 2019 Media Guide" (PDF). SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletics. pp. 106–107. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- "2019 OU Softball Media Guide" (PDF). SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletics. pp. 118–134. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- "Oklahoma Softball Coaches". SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletics. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- "Big 12 Softball Records" (PDF). Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. pp. 86–89. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- "WCWS History". Sooner Sports. University of Oklahoma. Retrieved 7 April 2020.