How will top-ranked OU replace Alo? ‘It’s impossible’
NORMAN — OU softball coach Patty Gasso is keeping things simple when it comes to replacing Jocelyn Alo in the lineup.
Alo, the NCAA's all-time home run leader, ended her career by winning a title with the Sooners last season.
Alo led the nation with 34 home runs last season, hitting .515 with a 1.212 slugging percentage.
But OU, which begins its season Thursday against Duke and Liberty in Irvine, California, should still be plenty stacked in the batting order.
“Did we replace Jocelyn Alo? No. It's impossible,” Gasso said Monday. “But it's going to take more than one person to fill those shoes.”
The Sooners return Tiare Jennings, who hit .401 with 29 home runs and 87 RBIs last season, along with a plethora of other hitters.
OU also adds Texas A&M transfer Haley Lee, who hit .426 with 40 home runs over the past two seasons, and Cydney Sanders, who hit .425 with 21 home runs as a freshman at Arizona State last season.
“Daunting? I would say yes,” Gasso said. “It's good. It's solid. The swings will wow you, and it's throughout. It's sitting on the bench and it's waiting for them. That's my biggest issue is we have such a deep bench.”
The lineup might not have the same killer punch with Jennings and Alo back-to-back, but will still pack plenty of wallop.
And the top of the lineup will be the same as it was last season.
“Likely Jayda (Coleman), Tiare, then it's just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom after that — and then (Rylie) Boone after that,” Gasso said.
Patty Gasso expects to use four pitchers
When Paige Parker was pushed to physical extremes during the 2016 Women's College World Series, Gasso vowed to never put any of her pitchers in a similar situation ever again.
To that end, Gasso intends to use four pitchers this season: righthanders Jordy Bahl, Nicole May and Alex Storako and lefthander Kierston Deal.
“All four of these pitchers can help us significantly,” Gasso said, “and I'm excited about each one of them in different ways. … I'm extremely comfortable with any one of them on the mound.”
Gasso announced freshman lefthander SJ Geurin will redshirt.
“I think Alex Storako has really thrown very well this last week and a half specifically,” Gasso said of the Michigan transfer. “Jordy is feeling good, looking good. Excited to get back and pick up where she left off.”
Bahl dealt with a forearm injury late last season. She sat out the Big 12 Tournament as well as NCAA regionals and super regionals but returned to throw during the Women's College World Series. She did not have surgery, but her throwing was limited during the summer, allowing her arm time to heal.
“It's been a while since she felt healthy,” Gasso said.
May, along with Hope Trautwein, picked up much of the slack when Bahl was injured, and Gasso has seen a lot to like out of May.
“I think Nicole May is going to have her best season,” Gasso said. “I feel her improvement. I feel her command on the mound.”
Lastly, the Sooners will use Deal, the freshman from Winston-Salem, N.C., who was the consensus No. 1 player in the recruiting class of 2022.
“She's crafty,” Gasso said. “She moves the ball. She can change speeds. She's just tough. She's tough to face.”
Jordy Bahl, Kinzie Hansen, Grace Lyons coming back from injuries
One of the biggest storylines heading into the Women's College World Series last season was the health of thenfreshman pitcher Jordy Bahl.
After dealing with a forearm injury that limited her in the postseason, Bahl is back to 100%, Gasso said.
“This summer the idea was to leave the ball in the bag and don't pick it up,” Gasso said. “It's hard to keep her grounded because she wants to go, go, go.”
After struggling with knee injuries that limited her playing time and affected her hitting last season, catcher Kinzie Hansen is back to full health as well, Gasso said.
Hansen spent part of the offseason with the USA Softball Women's National Team, but Gasso made sure the senior took it easy after her return.
“Know she was still hurting,” Gasso said. “I just wanted to give her some rest.”
Sooners coaches have also worked with Hansen's catching positioning to take pressure off her knees, Gasso said.
While Bahl's and Hansen's recoveries have been about rest, shortstop Grace Lyons underwent shoulder surgery late in the offseason to fix a shoulder impingement.
“The last few days was the first time I've seen her go all out,” Gasso said. “She wasn't stopping. There was no, ‘OK, stop, no more throws.'”
Sooners face daunting early schedule
Scheduling has sometimes been an issue for the Sooners, as they struggle to find teams willing to take on the powerhouse program.
But this season, that doesn't appear to be a problem.
OU's first weekend, at the Mark Campbell Invitational, features games against No. 16 Duke, No. 17 Stanford and No. 14 Washington.
Later this month, they'll take on No. 2 UCLA at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California.
All told, they'll take on 11 teams ranked in the preseason top 25.
Gasso said the schedule would benefit her team.
“I don't know that we get better with run rules,” Gasso said. “It's those 2-1 ballgames, or those tight, hard-fought, extra-inning games. Those are when you really find gold, you find who is clutch, you find who loves those big moments.
“Those close games are where your best memories are. It's where you grow most as a team. … That's why it was scheduled that way. … It's a scheduling nightmare at times, but this team is really excited about the level of this. It's probably one of the top power ranking schedule that we've had in a long time.”
Several positions still up in the air
Monday afternoon, the Sooners were having outfield tryouts.
“And we're one day away from leaving” for the season opener, Gasso said.
Gasso admitted she doesn't quite have a defensive lineup set, though the Sooners will have new faces at first base and third base. Sanders, the transfer from Arizona State, is likely to start at first, but third base is a little more unsettled, though Alyssa Brito is likely to move in from left field where she played last season.
She played shortstop at Oregon before transferring to OU.
If Brito moves in, who plays left? Arizona State transfer Alynah Torres might be a leading contender, but sophomore Hannah Coor is an athletic speedster who could definitely hold down the position.
“Every one of these athletes were told to learn two positions really well,” Gasso said, “and some have three down very well, which makes them very good options for me at any time.”