Patty Gasso explains advantage, frustration for pitcher Kierston Deal in freshman year

Oklahoma freshman pitcher Kiersten Deal was one of the highest rated prospects in the country coming out of high school. She was rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class, according to Extra Inning Softball. Unfortunately, she hasn’t seen as much time on the mound as she would have liked during her freshman campaign, since she’s on one of the best pitching staffs in all of college softball. She’s put up a 3-0 overall record, with 30 total strikeouts in 27 innings of work. Recently, Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso discussed Deal’s frustration during her first season with the Sooners.

Patty Gasso discussed the frustration for pitcher Kierston Deal

“It’s understandable that she would be. We don’t talk about it much but she also understands she’s on the number one team in the country who’s got elite pitching. And she’s smart enough to understand that she’s gonna learn from these pitchers,” Gasso said.

“And they are rooting for her like nobody’s business. So, when she is on the mound, all of those pitchers are up on the net, rooting for her, talking to her through innings, between innings and so forth. So, she could be a little disappointed, but I think she understands that this is a really, really good for her. And she has shown so much confidence that we’re not afraid to bring her in at anytime now.”

Gasso just guided the Oklahoma Sooners to two wins over the Clemson Tigers in the Super Regionals in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma won the first game 9-2 and the second matchup, 8-7. The Sooners also broke the NCAA record for the most wins in a row in the process, as they notched their 48th straight victory. In winning the Super Regional, Oklahoma punched their tickets to the 2023 Women’s College World Series.

Oklahoma has been near flawless this season–posting a remarkable record of 56-1 overall. They are a familiar face at the WCWS, making their seventh straight appearance. The Sooners have claimed the last two national championships and are the favorites to win their third in a row.

They’ll face off against the No. 9 seed Stanford Cardinal in Game 1 of the WCWS on Thursday, June 1.

The eight remaining teams are set to begin play on Thursday at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City as one will be crowned national champion by June 9. The Women’s College World Series is a double-elimination format. The final two teams then play a best-of-three series for the national championship.

On3’s Chandler Vessels also contributed to this article.