UNAPOLOGETIC

Back to Back to Back Championships for Sooner Softball

BY: CHRIS PLANK

For the third straight season and the sixth time in the last decade, the Oklahoma Sooner softball team has won a National Championship. The dominating run finished with the Sooners sweeping Florida State in the Championship Series, carrying over a record-setting 52-game winning streak.

The path to the title was not always smooth nor by any stretch easy. Instead burdened with unparalleled expectations and a constant barrage of envy, the Sooners found a way to finish the job.

Unapologetic

Softball is a sport that is fueled by emotion and incredible energy on the field and in the dugout. Oklahoma has some of the most passionate, energetic players in the sport to match its incredibly enthusiastic fan base.

As the Sooners made their run through the Women’s College World Series and the entire 2023 season, their hard work resulted in success that was celebrated, as it should be. But as is the nature of social media, the reaction from many was filled with outrage and resentment.

“One thing I’ve told these guys is you must be unapologetic about the energy and the celebrations that you have because women have worked so hard to get here, yet still get judged for those things,” said Sooner head coach Patty Gasso. “That’s the way we play, and that’s what people enjoy or don’t. You either like it or you don’t, but we’re not going to apologize for these players knowing the game and celebrating it the right way.”

Not many moments seemed to draw the scorn of pundits more than when Sooner third baseman Alyssa Brito drew a first-inning walk against Tennessee in the Saturday winners bracket game. Brito celebrated by slamming her bat and yelling toward her own dugout.

“When you really think about the game, walks are so important,” Brito said. “That’s something that we stress, especially as an offense. So, to us, we’re going to celebrate it, it’s just as good as getting a base hit in my eyes. When I bring energy like that, I think we all feel it. As a team, we’re all collectively there.”

There might not be a Sooner in the history of the sport that plays with her emotions on her sleeve more than centerfielder Jayda Coleman. After her intentional walk against Stanford which led to a game-winning double by Tiare Jennings, Coleman celebrated in a similar style to Brito. But Coleman would celebrate the same after hitting or taking away a home run also.

“I think we continuously, and softball itself, are just breaking barriers. I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Coleman said. “I feel like it’s just very disappointing to see people trying to tear us down in that type of way… making it into a negative light when you’re seeing MLB players doing the exact same thing. Why can’t we have emotion? We’re athletes just like them.”

Perhaps the most frustrating part is that opinions are formed based on a single moment often without perspective. For the Sooner softball team, celebration is not a form of taunting, but instead about building each other up and celebrating the moments that matter, according to Grace Lyons.

“We never mean it disrespectfully or against anyone else,” Lyons said. “That’s not how we play. People may take it that way, but it’s all for our own joy and passion, never to tear down anyone else.”

Undeniable

As the confetti flew and the Sooners celebrated on the field at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, the moments that made the championship possible magnified the undeniable nature of this team. From Kinzie Hansen’s three-run homerun against Clemson to Coleman’s home-run-stealing catch in the Championship Series, the Sooner’s World Series run was littered with clutch plays in massive moments.

“Nothing they do surprises me at all. They’re always ready,” said Gasso. “They’re always talking. They’re wanting to win. They’re wanting to be great. They love doing it together.”

In the first game against Stanford, the Sooners struggled to find a rhythm against hard-throwing, righthander NiJaree Canady. Sooner ace Jordy Bahl matched Canady in a scoreless game as they headed into the bottom of the fifth, but a spot in the lineup that traditionally does not get the attention it deserves stepped up in a big way for the Sooners.

Aleyna Torres led off the fifth with a single and Rylie Boone singled to set up a “moment” for Coleman.

The Sooner center fielder laced a shot into left field bringing in the only two runs the Sooners would need to get a game one win.

“I think it shows that we don’t always have to hit home runs. We can be a team that’s just scrappy,” Coleman said of the game-winning hit.

During the five World Series games, the 8 and 9 spots in the Sooner lineup, specifically Torres and Boone, combined to hit .500 (12-24) with five runs scored and four runs batted in.

After the Sooners pounded Tennessee 9-1 in the winner’s bracket, someone would have to beat OU twice to eliminate the Sooners. Stanford fought through the losers’ bracket after a dazzling performance by Canady against Washington to set up a rematch in the semi-finals.

Both Bahl and Canady came out of the pen with the game tied at 2 and the duel was much like game one. Bahl, the WCWS Most Outstanding Player, battled out of jams and kept the game tied into extra innings. The “moment” for the Sooners came in the ninth. After Stanford intentionally walked Coleman, Tiare Jennings stepped up. Jennings had been 0-5 against Canady with three strikeouts, but in the ninth, she lined a 0-2 pitch into the right field gap to put the Sooners on top to stay.

Bahl shut down the Cardinals in the bottom of the ninth sending OU to the Championship Series again.

“I didn’t know they were going to do that to Jayda. It kind of didn’t matter to me either way. I was going to have to find a way to either get on or help my team as best I can,” Jennings said. “We talk about not being result oriented, and that’s exactly what happened. I didn’t get the results I wanted earlier, and so what? I’m going to step in there and keep on swinging.”

The moments in the Championship Series against Florida State were numerous, from Bahl’s dominance in the circle to big shots from Cydney Sanders and Lyons as well as another spark provided by Boone. But there might not have been a bigger moment than what Coleman did in the bottom of the third inning of a scoreless game.

After throwing out Florida State third baseman Kalei Harding trying to stretch a single into a double in game one, Coleman made one of the most spectacular plays of the season.

“Immediately I was like, go get it,” Coleman said. “Immediately run to the fence.”

Coleman tracked the deep shot to center field, raced to the wall and jumped to bring it back from over the wall. A home run would have given the Seminoles a 3-0 lead, but in the end, it was a momentum-changing out. The Sooners found another gear after Coleman’s robbery.

“It’s really exciting to make those plays,” Coleman said. “I practice them all the time. But like I say every single time, the best thing out of those plays is watch- ing your teammates react and watching them just be so happy for you. They know how hard we work. I know how hard they work. So, when things like those plays come into play on this big stage, I mean, it’s so joyful to watch.”

Undisputed

The Sooners swept through the Women’s College World Series for their third consecutive National Championship. They have the longest winning streak in the history of college softball after winning 52 games in a row, finishing a three-year reign of terror with a record of 176-8. Oklahoma is also the first team to win six titles in a 10-year span.

The Sooners led the nation in scoring with 501 runs, 82 more than anybody else. They led the nation in pitching, defense and batting average, 30 points higher than second place.

“The grind of the season, the competition we faced, just shows that we were tested in the best way,” Jennings said. “Everything happens for a reason. It’s just been such a fun season.”

In a lot of ways, Lyons has been the heartbeat of the Oklahoma softball program during the three-peat. Without question, she is one of the best shortstops in recent softball history, winning the 2023 Golden Glove. Despite some struggles in the postseason, she had a big moment when the Sooners needed it most. But her joy came in other moments too.

“I mean, the home run was awesome, but just the feeling of coming home to my team and just the joy that a home run can’t bring,” Lyons said. “It’s all from the Lord. I think it was just a genuine joy as I rounded knowing that it was a total team effort, and that team is something special.”

Bahl scored two runs in the Women’s College World Series. She pitched 24.2 innings and gave up none. How many pitchers outscore the opponents by themselves? Even though Bahl has pitched her last game in a Sooner uniform after transferring back home to Nebraska, her mark on the 2023 season and World Series run will never be forgotten.

For Gasso, all numbers aside, the joy is always in the journey for the now seven-time National Champion. While many look forward to a loaded roster and an opportunity to do what has never been done in a brand-new stadium, she is all about the journey and the joy she witnesses daily.

“If you’re wondering, wow, they don’t look nervous. It’s because they’re not. They know it’s written. They know they’ve just got to play their best,” Gasso said. “If they win, it will be outstanding, wonderful. If not, it wasn’t meant to be.

“But they never play tight. They never play afraid. If someone is ahead, they’re not afraid because I think they’ve really found their freedom away from the nerves. That’s through their faith. I can’t tell you how proud I am that they are standing up and being vocal about where their hearts are. They’re finding that they have this freedom and they’re trying to share it. I love it. I’m proud of them for doing that.”– BSM