How Patty Gasso’s Coaching Evolution Led Oklahoma Back to the WCWS
There's no question that Oklahoma is dominating the softball world. Nine straight WCWS appearances and four consecutive championship titles make them one of, if not the best, college softball programs in the country.
The last four seasons, the Sooners have had rosters full of All-Americans, depth, and experience, but this season is a little different. After graduating 10 seniors from last year's team, many thought this would be a rebuilding year. That has not been the case as OU currently sits at 50-7 overall and is back in the WCWS for an NCAA record ninth-straight year.
THE SOONERS ADVANCE TO THEIR NINTH STRAIGHT COLLEGE WORLD SERIES 🔥
— ESPN (@espn) May 24, 2025
Oklahoma has the longest active streak in D1 👏 pic.twitter.com/RGeJ1YqkDQ
Patty Gasso is in her 31st season at the helm of Oklahoma. With how dominant the Sooners have been the past four seasons, Gasso says she hasn't had to do much coaching, but with the youth and inexperience on this year's team, coaching has been a huge focus of hers.
"Maybe you’re seeing me smile a little bit more. That’s what I’ve been told. It’s nothing against the team over the last four years," she said.
"They’ve just been so good that my goal here was stay out of their way and let them go. If they need me, I’m here. And that’s just maturity and elite athletes. Not that these guys are not elite here, but we’re so new."
Even Gasso had her doubts about what the team could accomplish this season.
"If you asked me back in October, I would say, man, I hope we finish middle of the pack in the SEC. I didn’t know, nor did any of us. There’s still a lot of things to learn," she said.
Despite the questions surrounding the Sooners, Gasso credits her team for the work that they have put in.
"It’s been a lot of coaching. It’s been a lot of push. And they’ve taken it, and they’ve run with it. And they want it, and that’s the difference. They want to be pushed. They want that extra ground ball. They want those extra swings. They come in and swing on their own. They do things the right way. And that’s literally why we’re here, because they trusted in the coaches and what we were doing, and they always, always want more," she said.
Oklahoma looks to become the first team in NCAA Softball history to win five championships in a row.
The WCWS starts on Thursday and the Sooners first game is at 1:30 p.m. CT against Tennessee.
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Sarah Person was born and raised in Nebraska and has lived there her whole life. She is a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in sports media and broadcasting. She did everything during her time at UNL, including writing, anchoring, broadcasting, and photography. Sarah has had a lifelong passion for sports and is excited to continue that passion through her work for Softball on SI.
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