Unselfishness fuels Sooners’ NCAA-leading winning streak
NORMAN — Early in the season, OU softball coach Patty Gasso decided she needed to do something.
She saw some body language and facial expressions that concerned her as she worked to try to find the right lineup combinations.
OU's offensive depth is one of the big reasons why the Sooners have won 46 consecutive games, moving to within one of tying the NCAA record of 47 set by Arizona in 1996-97.
But it can also lead to divisions on the team.
So Gasso called her team together.
“We had to have a chalk talk to make this team understand what we're doing because you might be hitting well and you're like,
‘What did I do so wrong? Why am I not in this lineup?'” Gasso said earlier this season.
“There are probably four athletes that need to be in the game every day, and it's because they are so valuable on defense more than anything, so the team has figured that out. They know how this works and they don't take it personally and that was a big message that we needed to send, because I could start seeing how people were feeling.”
A little less than two months later, OU's winning streak still rolls on heading into the super regional against 16th-seeded Clemson that begins at 1 p.m. Friday at Marita Hynes Field.
Gasso called the meeting around the white board a “lightbulb moment” for her team.
In each of the Sooners' three regional games, Gasso used 14 position players.
Alynah Torres, who started 131 games in three seasons at Arizona State, came off the bench in the second two games of the regional after starting the opener.
Grace Green, who has made more than 100 starts for the Sooners, came off the bench in all three games.
Sophia Nugent, who shined brightly early in the season when Kinzie Hansen was hurt and played a significant
role, also came off the bench in each game.
Gasso said the way those players and the entire roster has handled the juggled lineups is one of the reasons for OU's success.
“One thing about this team that I feel really good about is we just don't have the selfishness that could easily be had,” Gasso said after the win over Cal on Sunday. “I think some people are a little disappointed. That's just athletics. You can be disappointed that you're not getting the call. But very likely, you will be getting it sometime during the game and you need to be ready.
“If I look in the dugout and I see someone not ready, I won't bring them in. But I have not looked into the dugout this season and not felt somebody's ready to come in. That's the beauty of this team. It's pretty much like, ‘pick me, pick me, pick me.' That's all I care about is what our team is doing and what we're doing in the dugout and what we're doing after the game and our attitudes toward each other.”
It's for that reason that Gasso didn't feel the need to point out to her team UCLA's struggles last weekend, to show the team an example of a team with lofty expectations coming up short.
“I don't talk about anybody around the country because I don't know what they're doing,” Gasso said. “What I always talk about, and I just got done talking to our team about, is staying engaged, staying focused, whether you're in the game or not. Whenever you're called upon, you're ready. If we want to give you a break and bring someone in, that you high-five each other and you root for that person.”
The way the Sooners have reacted to that has helped put OU on the cusp of history, with a chance to set the NCAA record for longest winning streak, win a third consecutive Women's College World Series and potentially have the best winning percentage in the sport's history.
“I think that's the difference with this team is that we are where our feet are,” Tiare Jennings said. “Sometimes the grind is hard, yeah. But being with this team and these players by my side, there's nothing more that I could want on the field.
“Softball's fun. But these girls are 100 times more fun. So being with them brings out that joy in whatever stage we're at.”