Patty Gasso has Noticed a 'Change' in Oklahoma's Pitching Staff

NORMAN — Oklahoma made quick work of the Norman Regional.

The Sooners outscored their opponents 28-1 across three games.

The offense drew plenty of attention as OU put on a power show, but head coach Patty Gasso was thrilled with what she got from her pitching staff.

“Pitchers were amazing,” she said on Sunday. “(We allowed) six hits over three games. Really great job. I thought everybody played well.”

Sophomore Audrey Lowry was handed the task of firing the Sooners into next weekend’s Super Regionals on Sunday.

She allowed a solo home run, but was otherwise dominant and finished with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings of work against Michigan.

“She has really become a professional in the way of planning. That’s what I love about her,” Gasso said.

“She writes things in her book and almost like journals after each inning and knows exactly what she needs to do better. I love that about her. Just her focus was there.”

Lowry cuts a serious figure in the circle, and her steady nature helped her recover quickly from surrendering the home run.

That’s a sign of maturity in Gasso’s eyes, and has been a focus of Lowry’s entering the NCAA Tournament.

“My goal for this postseason was to have a really strong yet smart mentality,” Lowry said. “That was really working with Coach (Jen) Rocha one-on-one and talking to her and our sport psychologist breaking down the mental side of the game.”

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Add Sunday’s showing with her four-strikeout outing against Binghamton on Friday, and Lowry accomplished her mission in regionals.

That mentality seeped through the rest of OU’s pitching staff, too.

“If they allow their mindset to stay where it needs to stay, maybe I threw a great pitch but somebody hit it out, it's still a great pitch,” Gasso said. “… I think that's been the change. It's not the pitches. They have quality pitches. It's the mindset, and that has changed. I can see that change. I think Audrey's been the leader in that way and led them to understand how to do that.”

The competition will take another step up next weekend in Super Regional play, but Lowry is comfortable leading the OU bullpen into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

“The reason I came to Oklahoma was to be the best and learn from the best,” Lowry said. “So it’s just great to be a leader, especially as a sophomore, and it’s made me mature faster than maybe some others. I mean, that’s what I want. That was my goal coming here and just working hard every day.”

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