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omer, tater, dinger, blast, big fly, round tripper, yard work, jack, long ball, whatever term you choose to describe a home run, the 2021 Sooner Softball team gave you ample opportunities to use it. The Sooners started hot with the four base hit and have not looked back, setting a single season record for home runs by a Sooner softball team. In setting a new mark for home runs by a team and home runs in an inning, the Sooners set the standard for offense in college softball and clinched its 9th straight Big 12 Championship in the process. Even with names like Lauren Chamberlain, Shelby Pendley and Jessica Shults, there has not been a Sooner team that has come close to doing with the 2021 team has accomplished offensively. Has there been a different approach? Has something changed? Or, is it simply that this team is just that good? “One of the things we really focused on the last couple of years is a holistic approach, mentally, physically, technically… through all aspects of the game,” said Sooner Hitting Coach JT Gasso. “You’ll hear hitters say they just want to hit the ball hard and when you hit the ball hard good things happen… but then there is more behind that with bat path and pitch coming in … this team has done a good job of embracing their overall development and understanding what they can do and how to fix things. “You must know how to fix yourself when your cars check engine light comes on. At the end of the day, I may see things, but they are feeling it. They’re doing a really good job of understanding themselves and putting a clear-cut goal into what they are trying to do.” OU set an incredible tone to start the season as the Sooners set an NCAA single-game home run record with 13 in the season opener versus UTEP, a 29-0 (5 inn.) run-rule victory. The team tied the NCAA record for homers in an inning with five in the first and fifth innings of the game. The home runs never slowed down and, in fact, reached historic levels.
Photos courtesy: Josh Gateley/OU Athletics
The Sooners broke the program record for home runs in a season, hitting 120 home runs in the regular season, surpassing the 2019 team’s 115 home runs in 23 fewer games. Oklahoma proceeded to kick off the postseason with 10 home runs in three games of the Big 12 Tournament fueled by Tournament MVP Kinzie Hansen. She hit five of those 10 home runs. While Hansen stole the show during the Big 12 Tournament, the lasting story this season when talking about the long ball has been senior Jocelyn Alo. The Big 12 Player of the Year will have another year of eligibility to continue to chase the career NCAA home run record of 95 that 2015 OU grad Lauren Chamberlain set during her time at Oklahoma. Alo entered the postseason just 14 home runs behind Chamberlain’s record and was the nation’s leading home run hitter during the regular season. “What we’ve seen is how smart she is and how into the game she truly is. It’s been fun,” JT Gasso said. “I keep telling our hitters it’s fun to hear the conversations about the game and
36 | June 2021
