OU Softball: Oklahoma Opens Super Regional Play Against 'Balanced' Clemson
NORMAN — Oklahoma is two wins away.
The top-seeded Sooners are two wins away from returning to the Women’s College World Series for the seventh straight time, where OU would have a chance to win a third straight national title.
Patty Gasso’s team is also two wins away from extending their winning streak to 48 games, which would set a new NCAA record and send Marita Hynes Field out in style.
But the Sooners aren’t focused on any of that.
Oklahoma (54-1) has its sights set firmly on the 16-seeded Clemson Tigers (49-10), and potential USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Valerie Cagle.
Last weekend the Tigers fought off Auburn to advance to the Norman Super Regional, but Clemson will have plenty of tools to try and hang with OU.
How to Watch No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 16 Clemson:
- Game 1: Friday, 1 p.m., ESPN2
- Game 2: Saturday, 12 p.m., ESPN Networks
- Game 3 (If necessary): Sunday, Time and channel to be determined
In the circle, Cagle has a 1.20 ERA, while she’s hitting .467 with 19 home runs.
Cagle is just one piece of the Clemson attack, however, as four other Tigers have tallied double-digit home runs in 2023.
“Cagle is the name that everybody knows, and she is that,” Gasso said on Wednesday. “She is legit. She is a big-time two-way player, pitcher and hitter. They’ve got speed. They’ve got a good balance of speed, power. They’re very athletic.”
Though the Sooners haven’t seen Clemson and Cagle in-person this season, her talent jumps off the screen during film study.
“She moves the ball really well,” OU second baseman Tiare Jennings said. “Throws hard. So I think it’s going to be a really good matchup for us.”
The Tigers have a pair of other pitchers, Brooke McCubbin and Millie Thompson, that have thrown at least 69 innings, both with an ERA under 1.81.
“They’ve got a very good pitching staff, much like ours,” Gasso said. “They have different looks they can bring at any time. They have a very good fielding average.”
But Oklahoma is used to the challenge.
Gasso tested her team with a difficult schedule this season, preparing them for high profile matchups like this one.
“Throughout the season,” said Jennings, “we’ve also faced a lot of hard pitching and facing Jordy Bahl every day so that’s something that helps us a lot too.”
Clemson pitcher Valerie Cagle was named a top three finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Clemson’s pitching staff enters the weekend second in the nation with a 1.36 team ERA, but the Tigers trail the Sooners.
Bahl, Nicole May, Alex Storako and Kierston Deal have combined to post a .88 ERA this year, including allowing just three runs in three games during last weekend’s Norman Regional.
OU’s pitching has been such a constant this year that Gasso didn’t bat an eye at the staff’s overwhelming performance to open the NCAA Tournament.
"I think I expected it really,” Gasso said. “The only person I'm not quite sure of because she hasn't gotten enough innings is (Deal). But she's shown since she's come in that she wants the balls and she's getting it done.
“… I'm not going in uncertain or nervous or scared by any means. Nor is the team. They're ready to go."
The Sooner bats backed the pitchers up as well.
OU scored at least 11 runs in every game, leading all 16 teams who qualified for Super Regional play with an NCAA Tournament run differential of plus-35 — nine better than second place Georgia.
In the Regional Final against Cal, Oklahoma blasted six home runs, an effort that tied the single-game NCAA Tournament home run record.
"The word we talked about was bold and I felt that they had a very bold presence,” Gasso said. “A very suffocating approach.
“I felt that if I was an opponent I would feel OU as just almost unstoppable. Felt every part of our game was on point.”
With all the scouting behind each coaching staff entering the weekend, Gasso said the two sides aren’t so different.
“This is going to be a battle of two teams that look very similar,” she said. “We might have a little more power. They might have a little more speed. Here and there we can look different than each other. But very similar."
Jennings said the Sooners were aware of the threat the Tigers pose, and they’re excited for the challenge.
“They’re a strong team. Competitive,” she said. “… It’s going to be a good matchup, fun energy and they really get after it. So it’s going to be fun.”
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