OU Softball: Patty Gasso Explains Oklahoma's Usage of Ace Pitcher Sam Landry

The Sooners have turned to the veteran right-hander to get the job done in 12 SEC contests this year.

Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso and pitcher Sam Landry | John Hoover / Sooners on SI

NORMAN — A popular refrain from Patty Gasso for nearly a decade has been her wanting to avoid another Paige Parker scenario. 

Gasso and her pitching guru, associate head coach Jennifer Rocha, want to build a pitching staff that can share the load and ensure that nobody has to carry the weight of the pitching staff solely on their shoulders — much like Parker did in 2016 when the Sooners prevailed over Auburn to win the program’s third national title. 

At times in SEC play this year, veteran transfer Sam Landry has seemed like the No. 2-ranked Sooners’ only consistent option. 

She’s started nine of OU’s 18 SEC contests (and she missed the series against South Carolina due to injury), while appearing in 12 conference games. 

Landry has pitched 68 innings in SEC play, but Gasso maintains that the usage of the right-hander is still far away from the workload she placed on Parker in 2016.

“Paige Parker was a different story. She was every game,” Gasso said on Tuesday, “A three-game series, she threw every game until she couldn’t anymore. Then in postseason, she pitched every game in the regional, maybe not the first game. Every game in the Super Regional and every game but one in the World Series. That was a whole different level.”

And Gasso’s right. 

Parker threw 252 1/3 innings in 2016 after throwing 217 innings in 2015.

Parker appeared in 47 of OU’s 65 games in 2016. So far this year, Landry has appeared in 24 of the Sooners’ 44 contests, and she’s pitched 118 2/3 innings. 

“What we’re doing with Sam is the same thing they’re doing with (Karlyn) Pickens at Tennessee. Except they’re throwing her consecutive games” Gasso said. “Starting her the first inning of the first game and then starting her in the second and third game. It’s happening everywhere. But there’s a fine line to how far we would go.”

Pickens leads the SEC with 147 innings pitched. Landry is tied for seventh in the conference, trailing former Sooner SJ Geurin at Auburn, Mississippi State’s Raelin Chaffin, Texas ace Teagan Kavan, Missouri’s Marissa McCann and Alabama’s Jocelyn Briski. 

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Read More Oklahoma Softball:

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Oklahoma’s path through the postseason will heavily feature Landry. 

It’s hard to imagine she’d pitch the opener in NCAA Regional action, but she’ll be available to pick up the final two wins to send OU to Supers. 

From there, the Sooners will have a standard series on their hands, and if Oklahoma returns to the Women’s College World Series, stacking wins will give OU a rest day every other day.

Landry will start Friday’s crucial Texas battle across from Kavan, something Gasso had no interest in hiding, and she’ll likely be called upon again on Sunday’s Red River finale. 

And while the OU head coach is cognizant of how much she’s using Landry, both Gasso and the senior star are more than happy with her usage so far. 

“Game 1, I think everybody knows the coaches throw their best,” Gasso said. “Game 2, we’re going to tag team it. And they’re going to have to be their best. But if it’s a winnable game and I can get Sam Landry in there to close it… I don’t like doing that, but she’s begging for it. She wants to do anything she can to help the team.”