ESPN's Jessica Mendoza compares Oklahoma's softball dominance to UConn, UCLA dynasties

It’s been more than 100 days since Oklahoma softball lost a game. The Sooners have had a couple close calls — including Monday’s national semifinal against Stanford — but bring a 51-game winning streak into this week’s Women’s College World Series championship.

Patty Gasso and Co. have an opportunity to make even more history this week if OU can pull off a third consecutive championship and the seventh under Gasso’s leadership. The only other team to achieve that feat was UCLA from 1988-90. But even with back-to-back championships and amid the record-breaking season, ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza thinks the Sooners are already in the same conversation as other notable dynasties.

That includes UConn women’s basketball, which has won 10 national championships since 2000.

“That’s exactly what we’re talking about,” Mendoza told Brian Custer on Get Up Tuesday morning. “… We’re going back to late ’80s, early ’90s to talk about the UCLA Bruins and dominance. This is the most dominant — if they win this year and get that three-peat, not only overall record, which will break the best record in softball history. But the way that this team’s doing it. If you’re looking at Tiare Jennings and the big hit that she got, leading this team, .429 batting average, 16 home runs.

“I mean, they have the best earned run average, they have the best batting average, OPS, fielding percentage, stolen bases. You name the category, and the Oklahoma Sooners are the best. Not only have they done that, but they keep getting better. They get transfers in, they basically are just having not only the best high school players, but every single player that plays the sport of softball is right now in the state of Oklahoma.”

Jessica Mendoza: Beating NiJaree Canady showcased Oklahoma’s greatness

Oklahoma beat Stanford star NiJaree Canady earlier in the WCWS, but the stakes were much higher in the rematch four days later. The Sooners, tied with the Cardinal 2-2, had to beat the NFCA Freshman of the Year again to get to the championship series.

It wasn’t easy for the Sooners offense against Canady, who’s proven she can change speeds well, going from a 72-mile per hour rise ball to a 50-mile per hour changeup in a blink. Ultimately, Jennings drove in the winning run in the ninth inning, four innings after Canady entered.

As impressive as the NCAA-record 51-game winning streak is, Mendoza said winning that game against that level of competition in that moment proved the Sooners’ dominance.

“I think specifically, it’s the way they’re doing it in these close games because they have had a ton of pressure,” Mendoza said. “[The] UConn women’s basketball team, you just did that comparison, everyone expects them to absolutely dominate. When I go back to that game vs. Stanford … we saw the best pitcher in the country — NiJaree Canady, who’s a freshman from Stanford — and the way that they were able to battle her. She had a 0.45 ERA. Are you kidding me? So to see what NiJaree Canady can do — the changeup, the rise ball. Watch the future star of her, and then, to see Oklahoma swing and miss, they never swung and missed more than they did in this game.

“On this stage, you started to see and feel the pressure. The game goes extras. This is the best pitcher. What do they do? They figure out a way to get to her. To me, that’s what makes them great. Doesn’t matter so much they got to this point. But beating the best, that’s how you become the best.”