OU softball: More bad news for All Sports Association
First, Oklahoma State’s baseball team somehow fails to qualify for the eight-team Big 12 Tournament, a difficult task in a 10-team conference.
Now, OU’s softball team, given a home-field path to the Women’s College World Series, has failed to even make it to the regional finals. The Sooners lost to North Dakota State and Tulsa on Saturday and will miss the World Series for the fifth straight year after qualifying for five straight WCWS events.
That is bad news for the Oklahoma City All Sports Association, which does a tremendous job promoting sports in OKC. The World Series will be fine — the college softball national championship brings in enough tourists to make Hall of Fame Stadium a hopping place — but the presence of the Sooners would have guaranteed overflow and perhaps record-setting crowds.
For some reason, Patty Gasso’s OU program is in a funk. College softball is a top-heavy sport. The better seeds and the home teams almost always win. Yet the Sooners, for the second time in three years, have been eliminated on their own campus. OU was given a golden path — a home regional, with no traditional power sent to Norman, followed by a Super Regional home berth.
That five-year run in the World Series, ignited by the 2000 NCAA championship, was a huge spark to softball interest in Oklahoma. But this five-year drought by the Sooners signals that OU’s program is not among the national elite.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
Isn’t this now,and always has been, about the pitching? When was the last time OU had that dominant pitcher that could carry them through the playoffs? OU won the World Series in 2000 because of Jennifer Stewart. They came a hair’s breadth away from winning the next year. Again, Jennifer Stewart. Kami Keiter was good, but not dominant. Since Keiter, we haven’t even come close. Lauren Eckerman had a fabulous season, but sputtered in the postseason. I watched Arizona State dominate on TV last Saturday with a pitcher from……Tulsa? Why is she not pitching for OU? Oklahoma is a very well coached team and is fundamentally sound in every way. But, until we get a pitcher the caliber of a Monica Abbot or a Taryne Mowatt or, dare I say it, a Jennifer Stewart, OU softball is destined to keep repeating the past five seasons.
Gasso cannot be motivated or disturbed she appears to be satisfied and with her daily and weekly routine if she is ever enthused about anything what is it?
Small ball is her forte’and her players are not coached to slide when stealing a base.
Wher are you J.Castiglone…..give us a chance to win with a hungry coach…
Since I found out Patty has never owned or bought a home in the Norman area, I always felt like if she could find domething better in CA, she would not think twice about leaving, I also believe that with her not living in Norman full time like other coaches this might have kept her from getting the best players. I do understand her husband’s coaching job in CA, but I think sacrifice’s have to be made if you want to coach at this level. So I have never really been a fan of Mrs. Gasso, if you can’t live here, then move back to CA.