Patty Gasso claims underdog role allows Oklahoma to exhale

For the first time since 2011, Oklahoma is not the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. Sooners head coach Patty Gasso doesn’t mind the change of pace. Ahead of Oklahoma’s opening matchup against Kansas, Gasso revealed how the unusual situation is affecting the team’s mindset.

“It’s allowing us to kind of exhale to be honest,” Gasso said. “You’re supposed to win every game every day you play, every team, it doesn’t matter. Sweep the series, that’s the expectation. I think it’s our expectation. But, it can become smothering at times.

“I’m really anxious to see the response at the Big 12 Tournament and what the team looks like and how hungry they are, and just if they’re freed up. They were handcuffed all weekend and, no disrespect, we got flat-out beat. But, we definitely were not close to being our best and that’s where we need to be.”

Oklahoma softball may face the highest standards in sports. Before this year, the team had not lost five or more games in a season since 2019. Last year, the Sooners finished with an astounding 61-1 overall record and won the national championship, their third in a row.

Despite still boasting an astounding 47-6 record this season, Oklahoma is no longer up against history. They can play free and Gasso expects her teams to catch fire in the postseason.

“We’re never going to quit,” Gasso said this past weekend. “You’ll never see this team quit. It’s just sometimes it just takes time and when it breaks open, it’s gonna flood. I mean we are going to go off on that.

“Our pitchers got to be a little more shut down. Our defense has got to stand behind them. We got to keep the ball in the yard… Everything leads into the next, leads into the other, right? So, there’s all parts of our game just is feeling it. It’s not just on the pitchers. It’s not just on the hitters. We’re all taking accountability.”

Oklahoma created a crack in the floodgates on Thursday. In their opening matchup in the Big 12 Tournament, the Sooners dominated Kansas 10-1. In the win, Oklahoma only gave up three hits on Kansas’ 18 at-bats.

On Friday, Oklahoma will take on the winner between Oklahoma State and BYU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. The Sooners have won the conference tournament in two of the last three seasons.