Despite Offensive Firepower, It Was Pitching and Defense That Powered Oklahoma’s WCWS Run

OKLAHOMA CITY — Long before the pomp and circumstance of the Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma was gritting out games.

On April 6, the Sooners got tossed a unique challenged.

Texas Tech threw a different pitcher every inning, frustrating the high-powered OU offense and holding Oklahoma to just three hits.

Alex Storako starred on that day, blanking the Red Raiders to help the Sooners win 3-0.

It was win No. 26 of a win streak that eventually ballooned to 53 games (and counting), but even without tons of fireworks Patty Gasso’s message was simple.

“Defense was kind of securing the game along with pitching,” Gasso said after that win. “And a lot of times if you have two of the three parts of your game working well, you’re going to find ways to win.”

What held true in April won the day in June.

The Sooners only won one game at the 2023 WCWS via run-rule, a 9-0 drubbing of Tennessee, battling to victory in four other contests.

Right-hander Jordy Bahl was nothing short of sensational, pitching 24 2/3 shutout innings to help the Sooners notch their third-straight national title.

No moment was too big for the star sophomore, as she cooly navigated her way through her first World Series fully healthy.

“Jordy Bahl is just an absolute complete athlete,” Gasso said after Thursday’s 3-1 title clincher over the 3-seeded Florida State Seminoles. “Offense has been — I mean, we faced a few in this tournament, without question, that really challenged us.

“… This is her playground. This is her heaven right here, at the World Series where it's real and it's someone else that we're competing against.”

Bahl wasn’t alone in her heroics, either.

The defense behind both her, Storako and Nicole May was excellent all year long.

Shortstop Grace Lyons made the spectacular look routine, and center fielder Jayda Coleman has made a habit of robbing home runs in the WCWS Championship Series.

After climbing the wall in 2022 against Texas, Coleman again struck gold, robbing Kalei Harding of a three-run shot in the third inning of Thursday’s contest.

“It's really exciting to make those plays,” Coleman said Thursday. “I practice them all the time. But like I say every single time, the best thing out of those plays is watching 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.”

Stealing the show in center field isn’t just a one-woman show.

It takes the entire outfield to help Coleman come up with a massive catch, and that was on full display again in Oklahoma City.

“I don't think a lot of people know,” said Coleman, “but I'm really relying on my left fielder, Rylie Boone, whoever is in right, to really communicate with me where the wall is. They're telling me, ‘You got room, three, two, one, jump!’

“… Especially Boone, because Boone has been there for so long with me. I just completely trust that she's not going to let me run into the wall head first.”

The Sooners became the first team to score 500 or more runs in three straight seasons.

But when the stakes were the highest, pitching and defense won the day for Oklahoma.

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllSooners message board community today!
Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!
Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news!
Want even more Sooners news? Check out the SI.com OU team page here!
Listen and subscribe to the AllSooners Podcast!
Watch more Sooners videos and subscribe on YouTube!

Add us as a preferred source on Google