Is OU softball good enough to win another NCAA title? Here's what Patty Gasso says
NORMAN — OU softball coach Patty Gasso was clear in her assessment of her team after Friday’s stunning 9-4 loss to BYU.
“What I’m learning is we’re not tough enough,” Gasso said. “We’re just not tough enough right now. We’re good, but we’re not good right now either. Can we flip this, can we turn this around, can it happen tomorrow? We’re going to wake up and see where we’re at with it.
“That’s what we’re learning is that we just don’t have the ingredients to be a team that can win it all right now. That’s being flat-out honest. They (captains Tiare Jennings and Kinzie Hansen) know what it looks like. I know what it looks like. We know what it feels like. And this is not it. But the good news is we do know what it feels like. We’ve been there. We know how to get there. And that’s the good news.”
The Sooners (38-4, 15-3) bounced back from Friday’s loss to knock off the Cougars 7-3 Saturday to take the series, but the process of rebounding is going to be an ongoing one.
“I just think we kinda came to a conclusion of really stepping in and saying, ‘Who are we? Who do we want to be this year?,” Alyssa Brito said after Saturday’s game. “I think that doesn’t need to be a pressure or anything like that, because we’ve been in these situations before. I think just the comment on knowing who we were and knowing each other and I think fighting for the person right next to you is important.”
Here’s a look at what else we learned from the Sooners last week:
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No. 1 OU
Overall record: 38-4, 15-3 Big 12
Last week: 3-1 (Beat Wichita State, 7-0; Beat BYU 8-0 (5), lost to BYU 9-4, beat BYU 7-3)
This week: vs. Tulsa, 6 p.m. Tuesday at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, vs. Houston, 6 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday
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Patty Gasso continues to juggle lineup
Brito hit seventh in Saturday’s series finale and thrived, going 3 for 4 with a home run, four RBIs, and a run.
It was Brito’s lowest spot in the batting order since she also hit seventh in last season’s regional win over Missouri.
It’s nothing new for Gasso to try different lineups.
“It has a lot to do with analytics or matchups,” Gasso said. “Or maybe what someone is doing over the weekend. Putting them in a place that might be a little more comfortable for them. I think Brito is a great example. She found her groove there. She was right in the right space, right place today.”
Brito said she wasn’t concerned about where she was in the order.
“I’m just happy to be in the lineup,” Brito said. “I don’t really care where that is. I don’t think those things matter. Because I think our lineup and our team and this offense is strong wherever you are, whoever’s in the game.”
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Sooners not alone in ups and downs
OU wasn’t the only highly ranked team to fall over the weekend.
No. 3 Duke dropped a mid-week game against Campbell. No. 4 Tennessee dropped one of three games to Mississippi State. No. 5 Oklahoma State lost two of three at Iowa State. No. 6 LSU dropped two of three to Auburn.
“That’s tremendous to see that there are big upsets going on,” Gasso said of the growing parity in the sport. “To beat us is a headline, but to beat, now, Tennessee, is a headline. Florida, it’s a headline. There’s headlines all over the place. … Some of these top teams are getting beat because you just can’t — it’s very difficult to live on top of that mountain for so long. Your body gets tired. You mind gets tired. There’s a lot of things that can break down.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball 'not tough enough right now' to win another WCWS title
