OU Softball: Oklahoma's Reunion With Erickson, Florida in WCWS Could Be Epic

OKLAHOMA CITY — Jocelyn Erickson was once on a fast track to stardom at Oklahoma.

Instead, she changed trains and now plays for Florida.

The Women’s College World Series has brought them together again, Erickson and the Sooners, and they’ll collide on Monday in an 11 a.m. semifinal contest for the right to advance to the WCWS championship series at Devon Park, formerly Hall of Fame Stadium.

“I think it's going to be fun,” Erickson said Sunday night, “seeing some old friends.”

Erickson’s magical sophomore season continued Sunday as the Gators eliminated Alabama 6-4. Florida improved to 54-17 as Erickson had two hits, including her 14th home run of the season, and four RBIs.

The latter raised her single-season RBI total to 84, a Gators program record.

“I mean, gosh, 84 RBIs,” said Florida coach Tim Walton, “that's a ton. That's a lot of RBIs.”

After a promising freshman season at OU, Erickson transferred to Florida and was chosen as this year’s Southeastern Conference player of the year.

Erickson wanted to catch, but with Johnny Bench Award winner, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-American Kinzie Hansen behind the plate, her opportunities to do so this year would have been limited. So she transferred.

Not every transfer works out. This one has.

Erickson is hitting .384 this season with a slugging percentage of .692 and an on-base percentage of .494. Her OPS is 1.186, which ranks third on the squad, and she’s been at her best with runners on base — like she was Sunday.

“My teammates did a really good job of getting on base,” Erickson said. “That's what we've been doing all season. Yeah, I would say more normal. I'm really happy that they were.”

Jocelyn Erickson celebrates her HR Sunday | USA Today Sports

Walton said Erickson’s journey at Florida has been a process. This year she was an NFCA first-team All-American, NFCA Catcher of the Year and won a Gold Glove. Along the way, Walton resisted the temptation to put her behind the plate every game.

“Everything is a combination of things,” he said. “ … In preseason we didn't have her catch any doubleheaders, trying to preserve her for this. Down the road she's caught pretty much every game from Sunday’s on. She's done a really good job.”

Erickson was one of the top prospects in the country out of Phoenix. Last year at OU, she played in 57 games, with 32 starts at designated player or first base. She batted .337 as a freshman with seven home runs, 11 doubles and 32 RBIs. Early in her career, she tied a program record with five hits and went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and eight RBIs. Coming right behind all-time home run queen Jocelyn Alo, her greatness in Crimson and Cream seemed like destiny. She finished her OU career playing in four of the Sooners’ five WCWS games as OU went 61-1 and won a third consecutive national championship.

Now she’s part of a Gators team that will try to beat OU twice to advance — in a stadium that’s become the Sooners’ own personal playground. Patty Gasso’s squad is 56-6 on the season and needs to win only once to advance to the championship series on Wednesday and Thursday (and Friday if necessary). OU beat UCLA on Saturday to get here.

Gasso’s lineup has overwhelmed the softball world again this season, with four players batting .400 or better and three others hitting over .375. OU has 114 home runs, 99 doubles and is slugging .650 as a team. The senior class of Hansen, outfielder Jayda Coleman, shortstop Tiare Jennings, outfielder Rylie Boone, third baseman Alyssa Brito and pitcher Nicole May has been called — by Gasso herself — the best in the history of the sport. Four national titles would certainly remove all doubt.

“I think the softball world, whether you like us or not, we've got some really unbelievable athletes that you should enjoy watching,” Gasso said Saturday. “Maybe you don't like their style, but if you love good softball, then you should really appreciate what this group has been doing for a long time. Living at a level that is very difficult.

“ … This team, I don't even know how to explain it. They are so comfortable and confident in this setting. I leave 'em alone. Let them do their thing.”

Like his catcher, Walton is also a former Sooner, a national champion baseball player at OU under Larry Cochell. His top UF aide is former Sooner Aric Thomas. He also coached softball at OU under Gasso when the Sooners won the 2000 national championship.

He’s all too familiar with Oklahoma’s success in Oklahoma City. He’s 0-4 all-time as a head coach against Gasso, 0-3 at Florida — all three at the WCWS, with two epics in the 2017 champ series (including Shay Knighten’s 17th-inning, walk-off thunderbolt) and another good one in 2018.

Walton has been impressed by this year’s OU squad.

“I know they've had an outstanding season,” he said. “ … Obviously they're very mature, a very old team, very professional team. They've done a lot of really good things for the game of softball, just the way they've amplified everything about the sport, the professionalism.

“Coach Gasso obviously has been just phenomenal for not only the (sport of) softball, Division I softball, but also for the state, really brought some great — a lot of Sooners fans in this state obviously. They love winners. They come out and support her and her program.

“It will be good. I'm excited for the matchup. You come to the Women's College World Series, you get an opportunity to play Oklahoma, you're doing something right. I am looking forward to it.”

So is Erickson.

“It's going to be definitely a competitive semifinals,” she said, “so we're getting after it.”