Alo's Chase for History Continues in Oklahoma's Home Opener
Update: The contest between Oklahoma and Minnesota will now be broadcast live at 4 p.m. on Bally Sports Oklahoma without a tape delay.
After nearly a month on the road, the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners will finally return home.
Patty Gasso’s defending National Champions will open up their home slate on Monday afternoon against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-7), and the OU fans in attendance will have a chance to witness history.
Sooner slugger Jocelyn Alo is still teetering on becoming college softball’s new Home Run Queen.
Alo was walked 10 times during the Mary Nutter Classic, rarely getting a chance to break Lauren Chamberlain’s record.
Though it was frustrating, Gasso said she was pleased with how Alo handled the situation, as she kept her head down and just tried to do what’s best for the team.
“I don’t say a lot to Jocy,” Gasso said during a Zoom press conference last Tuesday. “I just say be ready for your pitch.
“… She knows what’s in front of her. The one thing she talks about is, ‘this is not about me, I need to be ready for our team.’ And that’s exactly the mindset I want her to have.”
While Alo’s chase continues, the rest of the team is chasing a higher level of play.
The Sooners (15-0) emerged unscathed from the Mary Nutter Classic, but had to survive a pair of close calls against Tennessee and Utah.
Clutch hitting from Jayda Coleman lifted Oklahoma over the Volunteers in extra time, and then a lights out display from the pitching staff downed the Utes, but Gasso said her team expects more out of themselves.
“I did not like our style in California,” Gasso said. “I’ve been asking our team, I always ask them on a scale of one to 10, where do we think we played?
“They threw up fives and sixes, which is not good enough. So we are in my mind underachieving right now.”
The schedule was kind to OU’s needs, Gasso said, as having no weekend series allowed the team to lock in and continue to get better with a few intense practices.
Coleman said the push from Tennessee and Utah was much needed, as facing early adversity is key in shaping the team.
“As a team… we don’t have to dominate every single game,” Coleman said during her Zoom press conference. “But just to go through that adversity and just to be comfortable in the uncomfortable.
“… Just knowing that there's a lot of pressure on and you're uncomfortable right now, but you have to do what you got to do. I love those games.”
Oklahoma fans won’t have to wait as long to see the Sooners take the field, as weather conditions have forced the first pitch on Monday against Minnesota to get moved up to 4 p.m.
The game will still be televised live on Bally Sports Oklahoma.
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