Brent Venables gives surprising take on being asked to speak to Oklahoma softball

New Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables watched Patty Gasso win her first national title in 2000. At the time, he was the Sooners’ defensive coordinator fresh off a national title of his own.

Now, 21 years later, he’s back as the Oklahoma head football coach — and the Sooners are a bona fide softball dynasty. That’s why he made the trip to Oklahoma City for Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series Wednesday night: to support Gasso and her program.

During an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe in the fifth inning, Venables talked about what it’s like to work in the same athletic department as Gasso and the softball program. He also said he gave a pre-game speech to the team after throwing out the first pitch earlier this season — and he made an interesting comparison about the moment.

“I had a chance to speak to the girls — I was just going to throw the pitch out and then someone asked me to go in and speak to the girls,” Venables said. “I’m like, ‘What am I going to tell them?’ That’s like marrying Oprah. What are you going to give them that they don’t already have?

“They’re addicted to winning. They’ve been the example in college softball. Coach Gasso and her program, her coaches. I’m trying to learn how to win at the highest level like they have. They’re as good as there’s been in a long time, maybe the most dominant collegiate team in any sport ever. It’s pretty cool to be a bird on the wall.”

Brent Venables: ‘I told all the players to come watch these girls’

Some of Venables’ players are also in the stands for the game, and he said he’s the one who told them to go. He added there’s plenty to learn from Gasso and Co. when it comes to winning. After all, they’re going for their second straight national title and the fifth since Gasso arrived in Norman.

He wants his players to see how they handle the moment so he can get his team to that point.

“I told all the players to come watch these girls, how they compete, how they win, how they fight, how they play together,” Venables said. “It’s really inspiring. The energy, it’s very infectious, very contagious. I told all the players, ‘This is how you win at the highest level right here. Come watch this.'”