Oklahoma Ready to be Home After Three Weekends on the Road

NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso had some advice for her team after they returned home from the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic last weekend.

“Put your suitcases away,” Gasso told them.

After playing their first 15 games away from home the sixth-ranked Sooners open their home slate at 6 p.m. Thursday against Alabama State at Love’s Field.

Oklahoma (13-2) takes on Sam Houston State at 2 p.m. Friday followed by another matchup with Alabama State at 5:30 p.m.

The Sooners will play the same two teams Saturday at the same times.

The weekend wraps up against Southeastern Louisiana at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Oklahoma plays 14 of its next 15 games at home, stretching through the SEC opener vs. Auburn on March 13-15.

The lone road game during that stretch is an easy trip down I-35 to take on North Texas in Denton, TX, on March 3.

“I think they slowly pulled things out of their suitcase, I’m like. ‘Get it emptied. Get your suitcase out of your sight and let’s know that we’re home for three weekends. So we’re really looking forward to not just these next two (weekends), but opening up with Auburn at home is gonna really be the start of the big grind.”

Gasso said her team was ready to be home.

“We cannot wait,” she said. “We’re exhausted, to be honest.”

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Since Love’s Field opened early in the 2024 season, the Sooners are 50-6 in games there.

Early on, it took even OU some time to acclimate to the new park.

By now, plenty of the Sooners are used to it, but this weekend’s experience will be a new one for freshmen like Kendall Wells, Allyssa Parker and Kai Minor.

“I had one of the best teams that ever played at OU that could not get situated here, because of the noise, and it’s so loud,” Gasso said. “That’s something we’re going to found out. For the young ones that don’t know about it, they’ve never heard anything like that. THey will never hear anything like it until they get to the College World Series.

“We could have some adjustments going on, but we’ve got to get used to it and get used to it now.”

The toughest matchup of the weekend figures to be Southeastern Louisiana.

The Lions are 13-4, with their marquee win being over Oregon on Feb. 8.

The Sooners come into the weekend leading the nation in home runs with 56.

Southeastern Louisiana has just three going into its Thursday matchup with UTSA.

All of those home runs have been hit by Ka’Lyn Watson.

Alabama State has just five home runs and Sam Houston State (11-6) has 16.

Southeastern Louisiana (13-4) enters the weekend with a 1.99 team ERA.

Cera Blanchard leads the way at 5-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 29 1/3 innings, though the Lions have three pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings.

For OU, only Audrey Lowry and Miali Guachino have thrown more than 12 innings.

Sam Houston’s staff is also balanced, with Amy Abke starting 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 28 innings and Tiffany Sanchez 3-2 with a 2.53 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.

Alabama State (6-11) has relied mostly on Kohana Pousson and Amanda Cintron in the circle.

Pousson is 3-2 with a 3.99 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings while Cintron is 2-4 with a 7.11 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings.