Patty Gasso's belief in Oklahoma softball is unmatched

Rarely does Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso get choked up. 

Gasso has seen it all in her 29 years as OU’s head coach, creating a powerhouse in Norman. But for Gasso, Saturday’s thrilling 8-7 win (9 innings) over Clemson in the Super Regionals was emotional for a multitude of reasons. 

It was her birthday, turning 61 years old. Her team won their 48th straight game, breaking the NCAA record. Notwithstanding, it was the program’s final game at Marita Hynes Field. And once again the Sooners willed their way to victory in the most improbable way, coming back from three down in the seventh inning and winning in extras. 

“The way these guys respond – they’re great,” an emotional Gasso said on ESPN. “I think everybody expects that we should always win. The amount of pressure is pretty insurmountable. And they keep standing up to it.” 

"The way these guys respond, they're great."@OU_Softball head coach Patty Gasso is giving us all the feels after their come-from-behind win 🥹 pic.twitter.com/RoEeMFsijD

— espnW (@espnW) May 27, 2023

The success of Gasso’s program – seven consecutive appearances in the Women’s College World Series, six national titles, and four 40-plus-game winning streaks – has created that insurmountable pressure and unrealistic expectation. A loss is a rarity for OU softball. 

That’s why – even when down to their final out and trailing Clemson 7-4 – the 2,127 fans in attendance, the players and coaches in the dugout, and anyone else who has watched or been a part of OU softball the past decade, will tell you they knew Kinzie Hansen was going to hit that three-run home run to tie the game.

“I would never bet against this team because they have willpower,” Gasso said. “I don’t know how to describe it except it’s the most – it’s like this wave that’s building and you can feel it get ready to come down on you.”

Gasso’s right. It’s hard to put it into words. 

She calls it a wave. Fans call it “Sooner Magic.” But for Oklahoma softball, it’s not magic – it’s reality. It’s an unwavering belief that they will always win. They’re fearless. Unafraid to lose. And always ready to seize the moment. 

“We know this – we’re never out of a game. No matter what,” Gasso said. “We could be down by five, four, whatever. We’re not out of the game. And we believe that. We’ve done it on this stage with so much at stake. And the stakes are higher. Can we do this? I guess we can. They don’t doubt it. And that’s just something – I don’t even know how to explain it. You can feel it around you.”

This isn’t something new. Undeniably, Gasso cultivated that feeling in her program years ago. 

The 2000 team was the spark that provided a glimpse of what Oklahoma could be as a softball program. And the past decade – winning titles in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, and 2022 – is the result of the vision Gasso had when she was hired in 1995. And the examples of the belief Gasso has instilled in her players are countless for all those teams. 

Whether it’s the 11th-inning rally in 2013 in the national title game to beat Tennessee. Or the walk-off home run in regionals in 2017 against Tulsa to stave off elimination. Or having to fight through the loser’s bracket of the WCWS in 2021 after a shocking defeat to James Madison in Game 1. 

Gasso’s teams have always responded because of that deep-rooted faith she has in them. 

“It’s really easy to believe in ourselves and each other when your coaching staff never has a doubt that you will get it done,” Hansen said. “We got into some trouble and they could have easily given up on us. And down to the very last pitch, they believe in us. And when we feel that, there’s never a doubt in our mind we can do it. They believe in us. They instill in us that we can do it all if we put our minds to it.”

And the answer to how Gasso has instilled that in her team is simple: working hard, creating a competitive atmosphere, and having intense faith on and off the field. 

“It’s hard work,” Gasso said. “We have sat in a room together and we have had conversations that were hard conversations for me to hear and for them to hear. So we played it like adults, right? We said what we had to say and I listened and they listened. So we had some of that. They believe in our training and they live by that training because it is constantly competitive. 

“And another way of belief is their spirit, their love for the Lord and the blessings he’s given them and me and this program. We don’t take it for granted. And we just give it back. We give it back and we try to give it back to the team we’re playing at the end of the game and sharing our hearts with them. And that might be – people have their own opinions about it – but that’s what they’re here for. A lot of them believe that and you see it. 

“They’re changing people and they’re changing the game with their boldness. And that is what I think I’m most proud of.”

Someday, Oklahoma, though, will lose. Someday, it won’t win the national championship. And someday, Gasso will retire as arguably the greatest coach in softball history. 

But that day wasn’t Saturday. And it certainly was never going to be. Because this Oklahoma team – like the ones before them – has shown they have a determined conviction to go the distance. 

“We saw something that we could do something that was very uncommon. We saw that and we conquered that,” Gasso said. “Going through the trenches so hard is a whole other level of love and respect for each other. 

“We can achieve anything.”