Patty Gasso expresses confusion over obstruction rule

Oklahoma softball kept its record winning streak alive the skin of its teeth early this season, winning 4-3 against Washington in extra innings on Feb. 9. And the Sooners went down early in the game as a result of a base path obstruction call on catcher Kinzie Hansen.

Talking about the obstruction rule after the fact, Sooners head coach Patty Gasso admitted the rule is not clear to her. Gasso suspected Hansen might’ve been called for obstruction as the play unfolded and the catcher went to her knees to recover a ball coming to the plate.

And because the Sooners were playing the Huskies at a tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, at a venue without replay capabilities, she had to let it go.

“As soon as I saw Kenzie Hansen go down on her knees, I thought ‘This is going to be called,'” Gasso said. “And there are ways that the rule can be explained in another way where you’ll say ‘That’s not the issue, she’s going after the ball.’ But it happened pretty immediately and there are no cameras out there and it was like a dead issue. I could not do anything about it.”

Partly, Gasso wishes umpires would consider the whole of the play every time they call obstruction, rather than seeing some indicator of it — like a catcher on their knees — and being primed to call it.

Either way, she’d like to see some more clarification and refinement of the rule that’s left her confused.

“So it’s almost like umpires see it. They see it early, they want to call it immediately without letting it register sometimes. And the rule has changed so I think we’re all getting used to what this should look like,” Gasso said.

Gasso reflected on a recent injury to one of her former stars

Just three innings into her first start at Nebraska, Jordy Bahl left with a leg injury. It turned out to be season-ending as she tore her ACL, meaning her first year after transferring from Oklahoma ended after less than a full game.

Bahl’s former teammates were also at the Puerto Vallarta Classic as they started the season. Gasso’s staff was on hand for the injury, which came in the third inning against Washington, and they had their fears right away.

With Tuesday’s news that Bahl’s 2023 campaign was over, Gasso offered support for her former star pitcher.

“I wasn’t there, but my coaches were there scouting that game and they saw it, and they knew that something wasn’t going to be good,” Gasso said. “But Jordy, I think she was walking around like you thought, oh, maybe it’s just a sprain or something. But she’s so strong that her legs can maintain her kneecap, you know what I mean? When you get your ACL torn, you are in massive pain and you are not able to really walk. So it was pretty amazing how she was just kind of moving around.

“It’s horrible for anybody, really. And Jordy went through injuries as a freshman … but you wish her well.”