Oklahoma's Patty Gasso delves into postseason mindset for the Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team is one of the best squads in the country at any sport, let alone softball. Riding an NCAA record winning streak into the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, the Sooners and head coach Patty Gasso are chasing a three-peat of national championships.

Gasso explained that Oklahoma views each impending game of the postseason as the biggest game of the season. That might sound pressure packed, but it helps them focus only on the next game and not get caught looking ahead.

“I think we understand every game we play from postseason on is the biggest game of our season, and they just focus on that,” Gasso said to ESPN and ABC reporter Holly Rowe.

With a big lead over Tennessee in the winners bracket on their respective side of the WCWS, Oklahoma is well positioned to earn a day off and be one win away from the best-of-three championship series.

Leading the Lady Vols 9-0, Oklahoma is in position to run-rule Tennessee and move to 2-0. That will send Tennessee to play Stanford in an elimination game, with the winner getting Oklahoma on Monday. In the double elimination format, whoever would face the Sooners on Monday would need to beat them twice to get to the championship game. And Oklahoma has only lost one game all season.

“They know what’s important here, to try to get after this game because your day off puts you in the semifinals,” Gasso said. “So just put everything you have into it.”

And Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl, a sophomore who starred in 2022 before a forearm injury cost her most of the postseason, was dealing to keep the Tennessee lineup at bay.

Gasso was just having fun watching here work.

“She has really gone to another gear since we got into, especially, postseason. Not that she wasn’t in fifth gear before, but if there’s a sixth or seventh or eighth gear — she has found it,” Gasso said. “And everything she didn’t get last year, she’s feeling now. So it’s fun to watch her.”

Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly knew Oklahoma could be a handful

After defeating Alabama 10-5 in the first round of the Women’s College World Series on Thursday, Weekly was all smiles. She had every right to be. Her team looked like an unstoppable force.

Unfortunately for her, the Volunteers met an immovable object in the Sooners

“They’re loaded. They’re just absolutely loaded,” Weekly said. “It will be a great game, and I’m excited for our team to have that opportunity to play that game.”