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Best of OU head coach Patty Gasso: Team chemistry forming

Bob Przybyloby:Bob Przybylo•02/20/25•

BPrzybylo

Patty Gasso
OU head coach Patty Gasso. © NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

It has been an eventful couple of weeks to open the softball season, but there is OU just minding its business. Taking care of things, undefeated at 10-0.

The Sooners have looked impressive to start 2025. All the right moves, right calls being made by head coach Patty Gasso.

The more time spent together, the closer the team is getting.

OU is at Love’s Field the next three weekends, starting with doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

Here’s the best of the best from Gasso to get ready for Week 3.

Team chemistry?

I really feel they’re very comfortable with each other. They fight. They fight as a team. And that was one of the things we wanted to establish right from the start was the connection and chemistry and getting them to understand that this locker room should be free of negative and a place where everybody feels safe and they’re enjoying themselves and I’m not in there so I don’t know but I do trust that they’re really getting along well. You can hear it on the bus rides, you can watch them in the dugout. There’s a really good connection going on.

Jen Rocha handling the new pitching staff?

I think she is so valuable to this staff and program. I think she’s so far under the radar. She has gone into another level in her career of information and learning and going to seminars and taking away the information so she can show it to pitchers. On top of her game right now. She is the best pitching coach in the country. She is that pitching coach.

What she has now brought to Sam and the rest of our pitchers is the best information and best training they can ever receive anywhere in the country. She has put in the work diligently. She is always staring at her computer. I see her and walk by the office, she’s just staring. What are you looking at? She’s always looking at opponents and how to set them up and having a great game plan for our pitchers and catchers before we walk out onto the field. They know exactly what they’re going to do. She works her tail off. I’m really proud of that. It’s really showing in the program.

Abby Dayton in the OU leadoff spot?

It’s worked really well. She has a lot of weapons. The first game we played, she put us ahead 1-0 by hitting her own bomb, but she can lay down bunts. She can chop things in the ground. She’s a really smart hitter, and has a lot of, like I said, a lot of weapons. Getting her on base sets up Ella Parker. Abby has the speed. So we could run, we could hit and run, run and hit, straight steal. There’s a lot of things we could do with Ella, so it’s worked out really well. She’s done a great job there.

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