Softball On SI

OU Softball Head Coach Patty Gasso Sends Strong Message to Fans After Early Exits at WCWS

Maren Angus-Coombs|
Oklahoma infielder Ella Parker (5) celebrates after hitting a walk-off home run to drive in three runs in the seventh inning of a Women's College World Series softball game between the Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tennessee Volunteers at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Thursday, May 29, 2025.
Oklahoma infielder Ella Parker (5) celebrates after hitting a walk-off home run to drive in three runs in the seventh inning of a Women's College World Series softball game between the Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tennessee Volunteers at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Thursday, May 29, 2025. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma Sooners head coach was brutally honest when she opened her postgame press conference after her squad beat the Tennessee Lady Vols 4-3 on Thursday afternoon.

That honesty is what fueled the Sooners in the seventh inning, climaxing with a three-run walk-off homer off the bat of Ella Parker.

"I was watching people leave the game, and it was in the seventh," Gasso said. "And I shared that with the team, not that that had anything to do with anything, but people thought we were done."

This Sooners team has been treated like an underdog all season. With only three starters returning from last season's squad, it's hard not to think of them as anything else.

However, they don't completely agree and are out to prove their doubters wrong.

"These guys have become really close, and they have felt – I don't know, they're just underdogs, but they never say that," Gasso added. "They never say they're underdogs. They just think that people don't completely believe in them because they're so new to the program, and they just keep proving otherwise."

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Sooners found their magic. Kasidi Pickering singled and moved Ailana Agbayani to third, passing the bat to Parker who homered off Tennessee starter Karlyn Pickens in the first inning.

A 67 mph off-speed pitch on the outside corner met Parker's bat, and she sent Devon Park into a frenzy, except for the folks who were already in the parking lot or their cars.

"One thing, if you're watching us through the season, we're never done," Gasso stated about her team. "You give us one extra strike or one extra pitch and we're going to find something out of it. Usually Ella's on the end of that. So been really proud of her and those big moments of really locking it down, locking in."

The Sooners advance to play the Texas Longhorns on Saturday at 3 p.m. EST on ABC.

More news: Ella Parker's Walk-Off Homer Keeps OU Softball's Five-Peat Bid Alive in WCWS Opener

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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