Welcome back, Bedlam softball: OU, OSU back for one night

It’s all about timing for OU softball. You could say the same for Oklahoma State as well. Nobody wants to see Bedlam softball go away. That’s never been the intention.

But you have to be smart about it. When you’re going through the grind of the SEC for the Sooners of Big 12 for Cowgirls, it’s more than just picking a date and saying, hey, let’s go play.

For OU? Wednesday night marks a huge four-game trip. It begins at Devon Park in Oklahoma City against OSU at 7 p.m., and goes to Tuscaloosa for a three-game set at Alabama from Saturday-Monday.

But that’s why you come to OU – for games like this in atmospheres that will be incredibly tough to duplicate.

“It’s a tough midweek going into a tough weekend into another tough weekend,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “I like how it set us up because we are playing Alabama on Saturday, Sunday, Monday. It does give us an extra breath before we have to get prepping for Alabama as well. It’s good for the fans, they love it, going to be a great crowd.

“It’s going to be great competition, our players need to feel that. It’s such a new group that I’m anxious to see what they look like in this environment. They play hard, concentrate well. But this is another level that I’m just really anxious to see how they handle the noise, the crowd.”

OU comes in ranked No. 2 in the country at 34-3 overall and 9-3 in the SEC. It has not been the type of season for Kenny Gajewski and crew so far. Uneven would be putting it nicely. OSU has flirted with being left out of the top 25 completely, now hovering at No. 22.

A win Wednesday? Would do a world of good. And both teams know as you get to this time of year, this is an RPI statement. One both would love to make in OKC.

“And it’s just cool to see,” Gajewski said. “So I’m thankful to them that OU wants to play and hopeful that it can keep going on. I think it’s an important game. I think it’ll be the most watched Game of the Year until you get to the very end. 

“And I know in our state what it means, and I know there’s a lot of people around that will be having eyeballs on this game, and it’s cool to be a part of it, to be very honest.”

Hopeful to keep it going – think that sums up the way all fans think about this battle. Could it ever evolve into a three-game series? One in OKC, one in Norman, one in Stillwater? Eh, maybe. For Gasso, though, no time to think about that. Let’s just get through Wednesday.

“Quite honestly, I have not even thought that far,” Gasso said. “It would be nice to play one, for sure, I like the idea of the Hall of Fame because you can bring in so many fans. But I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest with you.”

Both sides sound like they want to make it happen. Here’s to hoping Wednesday night doesn’t just become a one-off moment.

“I would much rather play OU than other teams. And I don’t know if that’s how they feel,” Gajewski said. “You’re gonna have to ask them on that. But I like to play these type of games, even though they put stress on your team and that kind of stuff.

“Patty is the one who actually has been really good to me when I first got this job, and saying, ‘hey, the key on this is scheduling and I learned that from Tim (Walton) as well. So hey, maybe I’m the idiot for wanting to play them more, but when I play these games, win or lose, I know where we stand, and I know what we need to get better at, and so that’s what, that’s why I like to play.”

Final word…

“I knew it was a big rivalry coming into it. Definitely last year being able to experience it for the first time was really, really cool. And to be able to play it this year at Devon Park is gonna be really awesome for both programs, and I’m really excited for it.” – OU sophomore Ella Parker