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    Oklahoma Softball - WCWS presser

    OU Softball: How Oklahoma Turned a 'Diverse' Locker Room Into Softball's Dominant Force

    Patty Gasso again found a way to reload her roster at Oklahoma, helping the Sooners chase a third consecutive national title.

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Patty Gasso has developed a lethal formula to dominate on the diamond.

    Stellar defense, dominant pitching and power hitting at a level the sport has rarely seen all have helped the Sooners make seven straight trips to the Women’s College World Series.

    But the personality of the team — how they interact with the coaching staff and each other off the field — changes every year.

    The 2023 Sooners, who enter the 2023 WCWS as the top-seeded squad riding an NCAA record 48-game winning streak, were no different.

    “I think just it started as a very diverse group, a lot of different backgrounds, different cultures,” Gasso said ahead of the WCWS on Wednesday. “Almost unsure what it was going to blend like.”

    Though the level of play hasn’t dropped off, there was plenty of work for Gasso to do last offseason.

    OU not only had the impossible task of replacing Jocelyn Alo and her 122 career home runs, but the Sooners also had to fill the void left by multi-year starters in Lynnsie Elam, Taylon Snow and Jana Johns as well as transfer ace Hope Trautwein.

    Gasso had plenty of success utilizing the transfer portal.

    She brought in another veteran arm, right-hander Alex Storako, to add to the bullpen.

    Behind the plate, Gasso landed Haley Lee, and she scooped up a pair of former Arizona State stars in first baseman Cydney Sanders and utility player Alynah Torres.

    The Sooners also signed a talented freshman class and have gotten contributions from Jocelyn Erickson, Avery Hodge and left-hander Kierston Deal out of the high school ranks.

    Getting the team acclimated and moving in the same direction is a challenge every program faces every year, but the rest of the country doesn’t have to live up to Gasso’s standards every day.

    “What's so special about college softball is you do get a new class each year,” OU shortstop Grace Lyons said. “… Every single year the team is different, and you kind of have to figure out how you guys want to rally each year.

    “Coming up with maybe just like a team dynamic that will change slowly. We still stick to that championship mindset. That's just how the Sooner program is and the legacy has left it, but each year is so unique.”

    Lyons has helped set the culture for a few of the most dominant teams the sport has ever seen.

    Serving as Oklahoma’s captain, she’s spent her entire five year career in Norman under the tutelage of Gasso.

    She’s seen a number of transfers and freshman alike step right in and enjoy immediate success in Norman (and Oklahoma City), which is a process she credits to her head coach.

    “I think it goes to… the type of players that Coach recruits,” Lyons said. “Just so open and kind and welcoming to everyone. We're all competitors, but I think the human side is something that's special that we don't really give much credit to of how everyone is so unique.

    “But we really rally around the fact that we are — we're people too. And we have hobbies and passions, and a lot of us have a strong faith in the Lord, and I think that's something that's important to a lot of us, knowing that it's so much bigger than what happens on the field.”

    The bond forged off the field ensured the 2023 Sooners didn’t skip a beat on the field.

    And as OU takes the field against Standard on Thursday at the WCWS, Gasso is proud of how her 29th Oklahoma team has come together.

    “They did such a significant effort into creating this culture that they really gravitated to,” said Gasso, “where I don't know, if they found each other on the street, that they would all be best friends. But when you put them in a room and put softball in front of them, they've created this connection like nothing I've seen.

    “It's still kind of amazing because they're so different… Yet they found a way to blend this entire team in, and it's been really amazing to watch.”

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