OU softball notebook: Cydney Sanders simply rolling

When it comes to Cydney Sanders, this is what OU softball head coach Patty Gasso envisioned. It didn’t quite pan out that way in 2023. But this season, this month? It has been special.

Sanders, the transfer from Arizona State, has been on an absolute tear ever since the calendar turned to March.

She closed February hitting .250 with two home runs and eight RBIs. That feels like forever ago as Sanders has been among the best players in the country.

Love’s Field is absolutely home for Sanders.

“I don’t know what’s going on, honestly,” Sanders said. “I’m just swinging a good bat. I don’t know. It’s just coming.”

Sanders has hit eight home runs and driven in 19 runs this month that is only now starting to reach the midway point.

She has risen her average from that .250 mark to now .395. There’s a reason she won the NFCA and Big 12 Player of the Week honors.

It might be tough for Sanders to initially answer, but you can find the reasoning. One thing Gasso has pointed out repeatedly with Sanders is Sanders’ patience at the plate.

There have been multiple times this season where Sanders has worked from an 0-2 count to drawing a walk. It’s that hitter’s eye that is just next level right now.

“Probably getting a good pitch to hit,” Sanders told SoonerScoop. “Some I’ll let go and then I’ll try to battle back, get my swing off on some of the pitches that I missed on. I feel like having a good eye allows me to see things more clearly, like the umpire strike zone versus what the pitcher is throwing, things like that.”

Gasso knew the light bulb would come on for Sanders. This has been a long time coming, and it’s just time to enjoy the ride.

You’re seeing the absolute best with Sanders and pitcher Kelly Maxwell in the last week. Gasso said she can tell the difference, even if you can’t always articulate it.

“I think she said it,” Gasso said. “I don’t know if she knows that we can see it in the way she feels. It just looks very light. Same thing with Kelly. Those that are really shining are the ones that’ll tell you, ‘I don’t feel anything.’

“If things aren’t going great, they don’t feel it the way they used to. Cyd would feel things real hard. I think Kelly could, also. So they’re just kind of shaking it and coming right back in and doing their thing and it’s become really easy for some of these players. You can see it.”

Time for Tech

It was a blast for OU to open the month at Love’s Field. The Sooners have taken advantage with a 10-1 mark there.

But now? It’s time to hit the road again. Up first? A three-game set at Texas Tech.

“I’m not ready to get back on the road. It’s nice to be home for a while. Texas Tech is tough,” Gasso said. “They’ve got a very nice record. They swing. And it’s a tough place to play. So it’s usually windy or dusty or things like that. It’s tough to play there. And they’ve got a good fanbase. They’ve got a very good coach. They’re very confident. And they’ve been swinging well, scoring lots of runs.

“So it’s definitely one of the tougher places to play. Maybe not because of the fans but more because of the environment and the wind and the temps. And I think we’re walking into some of that this weekend. We have to be tough. We have to be tough athletes this weekend.”

The Red Raiders are 21-5 this season and 2-1 in Big 12 play. Tech took two of three from BYU last weekend. If there are any cracks in the OU pitching staff, the conditions in Lubbock could be a stern test.

No matter what, though, it’s still about OU being who it needs to be, first and foremost.

“It’s a challenge,” Gasso said. “Any team that has a bat in their hand will be a challenge. That’s how we look at it. We’re going to have to be pretty pin-pointed. Not going to try to out-hit them. We’re going to be us and trusting that will be good enough.”