Patty Gasso 'Can't Believe I'm Standing Here' As Oklahoma Breaks Ground on Love's Field
NORMAN — The Oklahoma softball program broke ground Friday on a new $42 million dollar softball stadium, and not a moment too soon.
Love’s Field has been long awaited and is well warranted for the back-to-back National Champions, and coach Patty Gasso, senior Grace Lyons and others described their emotions during a groundbreaking ceremony at the northwest corner of South Jenkins Avenue and Imhoff Road.
The new site is just across the field from Marita Hynes Field, the home of Oklahoma softball since the stadium opened in 1998. Since then, Gasso and the Sooners have been the frontrunner, leading the charge for college softball.
“I cannot believe that I’m standing here,” Gasso said. “This is gonna happen! This is a monumental moment for us, one monumental moment where I’ll wear these ridiculous Jordan’s cause I need to lace ‘em up for this moment.”
"I cannot wait to see what the future holds in this new stadium. And if this is where home plate is, you look at the trees, the wind is blowing the right way for the Sooners. Lots more bombs for you all.”
Gasso has won six national championships as head coach of the Sooners, and most recently winning back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. While at Oklahoma, she holds an all-time record of 1,395-344-2. The Sooners have won 10 straight conference championships.
The main need for a new stadium was, simply, seating purposes. The Oklahoma softball program has become so big, that fans flock from all over to see Gasso’s team. For years now, the ticket list has been sold out months in advance, making it nearly impossible for Sooner fans to see the team play.
"It is so special to be here, because me and Grace Green are probably the oldest ones, who have been in this program for the longest right now on the team," Lyons said. "and we have been hearing about this new facility since our eighth grade year. So it's been about nine years of us hoping that we would get to play in this. It's finally coming, and we get to be a part of it. We may not be able to play in it, but it's something we'll come back to and have some special moments in it, watching just the future of OU softball."
At the groundbreaking event, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr., OU Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione, and Chief Culture Officer for Love's Travel Stops Jenny Love Meyer all spoke in addition to Gasso and Lyons.
“This is a huge moment,” Harroz said. “Look around here, everyone in the country knows about this softball program. It’s the most dominant team in softball, and the most dominant team of any sport in the country."
"We have the GOAT. We have Patty Gasso. … When you think about where we stand as a university, what brings us together, what unites us, this softball team is a critical part of that.”
Love's Field is set to be finished in 2024.