OU softball remains the hunted, unanimous preseason No. 1
It’ll be dang-near impossible to duplicate the pressure of 2023, but OU softball once again has the target on its back for 2024.
The Sooners, the three-time defending national champions, are the unanimous No. 1-ranked preseason team in the country. Softball America tabbed OU at the spot last week and D1 Softball did the same Tuesday.
Every win OU begins the season with just adds to history. The Sooners ended the 2023 season on a 53-game winning streak to go with the third straight championship.
Head coach Patty Gasso once again has done all she can to make the schedule as competitive as possible. That begins right out the gate with games vs. No. 8 Duke and No. 10 Washington during the first weekend of the season. OU begins the season in Mexico in the Puerto Vallarta Classic, starting Feb. 8.
One last ride in the Big 12 means three series against ranked foes. Texas is No. 5, followed by Oklahoma State at No. 12 and No. 16 Baylor. OU is in Austin this season. The first game vs. Baylor will be in Oklahoma City, followed by the final two in Norman. And the last Bedlam, possibly, is in Norman in May.
Of course, a lot of the excitement around 2024 surrounds Love’s Field. The OU Tournament is March 1, so the countdown is still on.
“I drove through there with one of my deputies yesterday, and they are working feverishly,” said athletic director Joe Castiglione last week. “They have a March 1 functional occupancy deadline, everyone knows because that’s the first official game that will be played at Love’s Field. And if you don’t believe me, come over and look at (the) car and you can’t believe all the mud all over it because driving through the construction site after the rain we’ve had.
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“But they were out there putting in seats (last week), the scoreboard’s going in, some of this you can see from the street as you drive by, but it’s really exciting and talking with Coach Gasso and I saw some of the players yesterday, were talking to them about it and talked to many of our donors, most notably the Love family, and just everybody’s excitement for the opening day is sky high.”
Even with the frigid temperatures across state in recent days, workers were back at Love’s Field on Tuesday.
OU brings back a solid nucleus of very familiar names like Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, Tiare Jennings, among others. Then there’s transfers like former OSU star pitcher Kelly Maxwell. It’s one of several reasons why the expectations remain oh-so high once again.
Stanford, Tennessee, Florida State and Texas round out the top five, a very familiar group for OU fans.
