OU Softball: Oklahoma Must Beat NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech Twice to Return to WCWS Finals

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma bounced back from Saturday’s disappointment with a 4-1 win over Oregon.

The reward?

The No. 2-seeded Sooners get one of the nation’s best pitchers, NiJaree Canady, and her 12-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders.

And OU has to win twice Monday at Devon Park.

“Yeah, JT (Gasso’s) got a lot of work to get going on,” Patty Gasso joked on Sunday night.

The Sooners beat Canady twice at the 2023 WCWS when she was a freshman with Stanford.

Things are a lot different now.

She’s the face of a program that’s never been this far on this stage, and virtually Oklahoma’s entire roster has turned over.

Even first baseman Cydney Sanders, who battled Canady and Stanford two years ago, doesn’t know how much good that experience will really do.

“That was two years ago,” Sanders said. “I try to live in the moment. I have to see film again to really go back and watch and see what my bats look like. But just trying to keep it simple, keeping the same mindset, not really trying to do too much.”

Canady’s velocity and spin is a lethal combination.

But Oklahoma has seen a number of excellent arms already at the WCWS, and the depth of pitching in the SEC has tested the Sooners’ lineup.

Karlyn Pickens is the hardest thrower in the game, and OU downed her on Thursday.

Saturday, the Sooners were on the other end of a great pitching performance from Texas’ Teagan Kavan.

“We talked about the amount of elite pitchers that we have faced and had some success with, and that's what we're going to live off of,” Gasso said. “We're going to have to make a few adjustments for sure, but, I mean, we're fighting. We're fighting for our lives now.”

How to Watch Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech

When: Monday, 6 p.m.
Where: Devon Park, Oklahoma City
Channel: ESPN2

Two years ago, OU also had their own phenom in the circle to go blow-for-blow with Canady.

Jordy Bahl matched Canady’s performances, and she had the benefit of rest.

This time, it’s Canady who has enjoyed a pair of off days since the start of the WCWS after beating UCLA and Ole Miss in the Red Raiders’ first two contests in OKC, while OU ace Sam Landry has pitched in all three of the Sooners’ games at Devon Park.

“Physically I feel good. Mentally I feel pretty good,” Landry said. “So, just ready to go.”

Just as Oklahoma’s coaching staff has familiarity with Canady, the Red Raiders know Landry.

Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco was Landry’s head coach at Louisiana, where the senior spent her entire career before transferring to Norman last offseason.

Glasco brought plenty of her former teammates to Lubbock, too.

“I don't think a lot of the girls on our team know about my history with him and the girls there,” Landry said. “It's such a — God is so good to have us all here at the same place and to be able to play. I'm excited, like I said earlier. We'll have a family reunion after the game. We're here to do a job.

“… I think I'm a completely different pitcher, person, player than I was when I was at Louisiana. We're still going to work it like any other game, get the scout on them, find some holes and go through it. Just keep it like any other game and not make it too big.”

OU started left-hander Kierston Deal against Oregon, and she threw 50 pitches in 2 2/3 innings of action.

Landry threw 65 pitches against the Ducks one day after throwing 106 pitches against Texas.

Thursday, Landry tossed 139 pitches against Tennessee, but Gasso is confident in her staff with the season again on the line.

“I like where we're at,” Gasso said. “I’m not sure how we're piecing it together, but everybody is going to empty their tanks, without question.”

Monday’s battle with Texas Tech begins at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 at Devon Park. If the Sooners win, both teams will immediately roll into a second contest for a spot in the WCWS championship series.