Patty Gasso impressed by opponents' pitching in Norman Regional

As Oklahoma softball gets set for the Norman Regional and a chance to advance deeper into the postseason, coach Patty Gasso has broken down what she sees out of the competition.

It’s pretty simple, really.

“Pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching,” Gasso said.

Oklahoma will first take on Cleveland State, while Oregon will meet Boston. Then the winners and the losers will meet.

Winning early is a huge advantage in the regional format, so being on point, particularly against sharp pitching, is essential. Gasso knows that won’t be easy.

“Cleveland State has a pitcher as well, and she’s been carrying them, pretty much,” she said. “And a lot of sacrifice bunts. It’s kind of the sacrifice bunt, move a runner in scoring position, get one through, score your run.”

The Vikings are led by junior pitcher Melissa Holzopfel, who is 19-9 this season and has two saves and a 1.77 ERA. She has struck out 195 batters while walking 74 in 193.1 innings pitched.

The other two teams in the Norman Regional might be more likely to cause problems, though. Oregon, in particular, is a very good team and has a lot of coaching crossover with the Oklahoma staff.

“Oregon’s got a fast offense, they run a lot,” Gasso said. “They put runners in motion. They do a lot of short game. They kind of bring it all at you, so you’re going to have to be a very good defense. Timely hitting, they’re feisty. You could see that. And I wouldn’t expect anything less from a (Melyssa) Lombardi team.”

Gasso also provided an assessment of Boston:

“Boston, very good pitching and dominant,” she said. “They’ve lost maybe four games. They haven’t played the same kind of schedules as us, but at the same time, when you find ways to win and you win, you feel like you can do it against anybody. So you can’t overlook them. They’ve got one of the better pitchers in the country on their team right now and their offense is showing. Very good defense. They’re really good.”

Boston pitcher Kasey Ricard is 27-3 with a 1.20 ERA and 261 strikeouts in 204.2 innings pitched. She’s good, with opponents hitting just .142 against her.

Bottom line: There aren’t going to be any easy outs in the Norman Regional.

“We’re going to have to be good. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know,” Gasso said. “If you’re not good enough you’re going home, bottom line. And if you overlook anybody you’re going home. So we’re going to have to really bow up, be ready, be at our best, ahead or behind, keep playing, grinding. Pitchers need to be on, we’ve got to minimize walks, keep the ball in the yard. All those things are really important.”