Last year marked the first time in Big 12 Conference softball history one school swept every individual award.
Oklahoma left-hander Giselle Juarez was Pitcher of the Year, third baseman Sydney Romero was Player of the Year, second baseman Caleigh Clifton was Defensive Player of the Year, utility player Grace Green was Freshman of the Year and Patty Gasso was Coach of the Year.
Romero, Juarez, Clifton and Green were joined by outfielders Jocelyn Alo and Falepolima Aviu on the All-Big 12 First Team. The six first-team selections matched a program record set by OU's 2000 national champion team.
So what can this year's Sooners possibly do for an encore?
"We're certainly missing some big-time names that have been with us in the past, but I'm excited for this year's group," Gasso said.
"They're very athletic. We have enough returners who can give us the consistency that we've had over the past few years, but we do have some really outstanding freshman athletes." - Patty Gasso
This year's squad has 10 returnees and nine newcomers. Despite this significant turnover, OU once again is picked to repeat as Big 12 Conference champion for a ninth straight season.
Although her team has only practiced and played fall ball, Gasso already expresses confidence in her new arrivals.
"I trust them," Gasso said. "They know our system. They know the style that we need to play in order to be successful. I feel like these newcomers really have their feet on the ground much more and I feel like we're in a really good place. In the last two weeks, we've taken some giant steps in the right direction."
Last year's team had six seniors, twice as many as this year's squad.
Asked if there was pressure to carry on the standard set by the classes before them, junior catcher Lynnsie Elam said, "They left a great legacy, but we're hungry to create our own legacy."
One of this year's seniors is outfielder Nicole Mendes, who is overcoming a torn ACL suffered last October and will miss the early portion of this season. "She is kind of the inspiration of this team," Gasso said of Mendes. "She has had a phenomenal attitude in her approach to her rehab with her knee and staying very engaged and very active and very upbeat. It's been a tough deal for her."
Mendes got her knee brace on Jan. 27 and "already was moving much better," said Gasso, who envisions a mid- to late-March return for Mendes, who was elected as team co-captain alongside Elam.
Juarez (28-4 overall record in 2019; 21-0 in the regular season) returns for her senior season, but the pitching staff must adjust to the departure of right-hander Mariah Lopez, who transferred to Arizona last summer after accumulating a overall record of 51-2 (.962) in three years at OU. She posted a 19-1 record last season and had career-bests in ERA (1.25) and opponent batting average (.159).
"Our pitching staff has some quality pitchers that are getting better every day," Gasso said. "Pitching by committee is exactly what we're starting to become accustomed to."
In addition to returnees Juarez and senior right-hander Shannon Saile (10-1 record; 1.42 ERA; second-team All-Big 12), the pitching staff includes three true freshmen in right-hander Olivia Rains, right-hander Macy McAdoo and left-hander Alanna Thiede, plus right-handed redshirt freshman Brooke Vestal. Gasso said Rains and McAdoo "will make a big impact for us…. They're all so talented. All have gotten better."
As for determining the rotation, "We're not even close to deciding those things yet," Gasso said. "Brooke Vestal has been having a really good start to January. It's who balances it out. Who is a good combination to come in for someone else? If they look the same, it doesn't make sense. This is absolutely by committee. To count so much on four pitchers who have never thrown a pitch in college, we don't want to do it in a way that's just going to crush their mindset, so it's just easing everybody in and challenging them in certain situations."
Juarez threw two perfect games last season – at Loyola Marymount (3/14) and at Iowa State (4/28) – and is only the second player in OU history with multiple perfect games in a season. She ranked second in single-season school history in opponent batting average (.151) and strikeouts per seven innings pitched (10.11) and ninth in walks per seven innings pitched (1.31) and ERA (1.39).
"I feel like I've been here all four years, which sounds crazy," said Juarez, who joined the Sooners in January 2019 after transferring from Arizona State. "We have a lot of newcomers, but I feel like they've been here forever, too. So that's really exciting."
Despite Juarez' late arrival last year, "We got close very quickly," said Elam, who started 61 of 63 games. "I felt like I had caught her my whole life and we just met in January. It was kind of crazy. It's only gotten better. We've only gotten closer."
Alo, a junior, tied for the team lead in RBIs (56) and ranked second in hits (66) and on-base percentage (.484) last season. As a freshman, she led the nation with 30 home runs, tying the OU single-season record, the Big 12 single-season record and the NCAA Division I freshman single-season record set by former Sooners great Lauren Chamberlain.
Junior Taylon Snow, a transfer from Auburn, "will be locked in at second base," according to Gasso. "I recruited her when she was very young, so this is kind of a dream for me to have her finally. Better late than never, I guess. I think she's going to make a big impact for us."
Asked which freshmen she envisioned having an immediate role in the lineup, Gasso mentioned center fielder Rylie Boone out of Owasso High School and infielder Mackenzie Donihoo of Mustang High. Gasso described Donihoo as "a really salty freshman, fearless, hard-working athlete who is going to find her way in there somewhere as well. Those two I know I'm counting on."
Gasso notes another California product for her program that will factor in early is Kinzie Hansen of Norco (Calif.) High. "Big hitter, going to be in the middle of the lineup. She can catch. She's been working out at first (base). You'll see her definitely in the lineup as well."
Several other freshmen also have ample skills. "I've got some young freshmen who've got unbelievable power," Gasso said. "They just need to learn the lay of the land pitching-wise. They can change the game with one swing."
Gasso spent the fall season and the month of January playing musical chairs with her diversified roster.
"The entire infield is working all over the place," Gasso said.
A few examples: Junior utility player Eliyah Flores has had time at third and second base; in addition to catching, Elam and Hansen have worked at first base; Snow has spent time at shortstop when not playing second base; Donihoo has played third, shortstop, second and in the outfield; first baseman Green has also played in the outfield; Alo occasionally has moved from left field to the infield.
"They're everywhere," Gasso explained. "They understand. 'I don't care where you put me, just put me somewhere.' I just think what we're trying to do is (use) all-around good athletes who can help us whenever we might be in a pinch."
Juarez, Alo and Green are among the 50 student-athletes named to the preseason USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Last season, Juarez was an NFCA first-team All-American, Alo was a second-team selection and Green was a third-team honoree. The top 25 finalists will be announced April 22 and the winner will be revealed May 26.
Oklahoma Softball
✔@OU_Softball
https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1224432234993573888
... it’s game week!
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Thurs. Feb. 6-Sat. Feb. 8
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
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246
3:39 PM - Feb 3, 2020 · Norman, OK
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The Sooners are seeking their 17th conference title under Gasso, an NFCA Hall of Famer who enters her 26th season with a 1,260-333-2 (.791) record at OU. Gasso has advanced to the NCAA Tournament every season with the Sooners, made 13 Women's College World Series appearances and captured four national championships (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017).
OU finished the 2019 regular season with a 48-2 mark and went 57-6 overall, losing to UCLA in the WCWS championship series.
Last season was highlighted by a 41-game winning streak (Feb. 23 to May 19), the longest single-season winning streak in NCAA Division I softball history and the second-longest run all-time (Arizona won 47 straight from April 5, 1996-March 23, 1997).
Though last year's team fell just short of winning the program's fifth national title, it was still one of the elite teams in school history. The 2019 Sooners finished the regular season leading the Big 12 in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, triples, home runs, walks drawn, ERA, opponent batting average, shutouts and strikeouts.
OU enters the 2020 season ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Preseason Top 25, trailing only Washington and Alabama in both polls. This marks the 10th straight year the Sooners have started in the NFCA's top 10, which is the nation's longest active streak. OU has been ranked in the top 5 seven of the past eight seasons, the most times over that span.
Overall, the Sooners rank third with 20 top-10 appearances in the NFCA preseason poll, trailing only Arizona (22) and UCLA (21). OU, Michigan, UCLA and Washington are the only programs to be ranked in every NFCA preseason poll, which debuted in 1995. The Sooners also extended their streak of being ranked every week in the 26-year existence of the NFCA's poll.
A slew of former OU standout players have joined this year's coaching staff with pitcher Paige Parker (volunteer assistant), Kelsey Arnold (graduate assistant), plus Romero, Aviu and Shay Knighten (all student assistants).
The 2020 season begins Thursday (Feb. 6) against Nevada at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The game can be seen via FloSoftball on a subscription basis. OU opens its home slate Feb. 28-March 1 when it hosts the Courtyard Marriott Tournament at Marita Hynes Field.
Once again, the Sooners' schedule ranks among the most difficult in the nation. OU faces eight ranked teams in No. 1/2 (NFCA/USA Softball) Washington, No. 5/5 Arizona, No. 6/6 Texas, No. 13/13 Oklahoma State, No. 14/15 Northwestern, No. 15/16 Kentucky, No. 18/19 Texas Tech and No. 25/23 Wisconsin. Opponents Baylor and Houston also received votes in both polls.
Single-game tickets can be found at SoonerSports.com/tickets. For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.
Oklahoma left-hander Giselle Juarez was Pitcher of the Year, third baseman Sydney Romero was Player of the Year, second baseman Caleigh Clifton was Defensive Player of the Year, utility player Grace Green was Freshman of the Year and Patty Gasso was Coach of the Year.
Romero, Juarez, Clifton and Green were joined by outfielders Jocelyn Alo and Falepolima Aviu on the All-Big 12 First Team. The six first-team selections matched a program record set by OU's 2000 national champion team.
So what can this year's Sooners possibly do for an encore?
"We're certainly missing some big-time names that have been with us in the past, but I'm excited for this year's group," Gasso said.
"They're very athletic. We have enough returners who can give us the consistency that we've had over the past few years, but we do have some really outstanding freshman athletes." - Patty Gasso
This year's squad has 10 returnees and nine newcomers. Despite this significant turnover, OU once again is picked to repeat as Big 12 Conference champion for a ninth straight season.
Although her team has only practiced and played fall ball, Gasso already expresses confidence in her new arrivals.
"I trust them," Gasso said. "They know our system. They know the style that we need to play in order to be successful. I feel like these newcomers really have their feet on the ground much more and I feel like we're in a really good place. In the last two weeks, we've taken some giant steps in the right direction."
Last year's team had six seniors, twice as many as this year's squad.
Asked if there was pressure to carry on the standard set by the classes before them, junior catcher Lynnsie Elam said, "They left a great legacy, but we're hungry to create our own legacy."
One of this year's seniors is outfielder Nicole Mendes, who is overcoming a torn ACL suffered last October and will miss the early portion of this season. "She is kind of the inspiration of this team," Gasso said of Mendes. "She has had a phenomenal attitude in her approach to her rehab with her knee and staying very engaged and very active and very upbeat. It's been a tough deal for her."
Mendes got her knee brace on Jan. 27 and "already was moving much better," said Gasso, who envisions a mid- to late-March return for Mendes, who was elected as team co-captain alongside Elam.
Juarez (28-4 overall record in 2019; 21-0 in the regular season) returns for her senior season, but the pitching staff must adjust to the departure of right-hander Mariah Lopez, who transferred to Arizona last summer after accumulating a overall record of 51-2 (.962) in three years at OU. She posted a 19-1 record last season and had career-bests in ERA (1.25) and opponent batting average (.159).
"Our pitching staff has some quality pitchers that are getting better every day," Gasso said. "Pitching by committee is exactly what we're starting to become accustomed to."
In addition to returnees Juarez and senior right-hander Shannon Saile (10-1 record; 1.42 ERA; second-team All-Big 12), the pitching staff includes three true freshmen in right-hander Olivia Rains, right-hander Macy McAdoo and left-hander Alanna Thiede, plus right-handed redshirt freshman Brooke Vestal. Gasso said Rains and McAdoo "will make a big impact for us…. They're all so talented. All have gotten better."
As for determining the rotation, "We're not even close to deciding those things yet," Gasso said. "Brooke Vestal has been having a really good start to January. It's who balances it out. Who is a good combination to come in for someone else? If they look the same, it doesn't make sense. This is absolutely by committee. To count so much on four pitchers who have never thrown a pitch in college, we don't want to do it in a way that's just going to crush their mindset, so it's just easing everybody in and challenging them in certain situations."
Juarez threw two perfect games last season – at Loyola Marymount (3/14) and at Iowa State (4/28) – and is only the second player in OU history with multiple perfect games in a season. She ranked second in single-season school history in opponent batting average (.151) and strikeouts per seven innings pitched (10.11) and ninth in walks per seven innings pitched (1.31) and ERA (1.39).
"I feel like I've been here all four years, which sounds crazy," said Juarez, who joined the Sooners in January 2019 after transferring from Arizona State. "We have a lot of newcomers, but I feel like they've been here forever, too. So that's really exciting."
Despite Juarez' late arrival last year, "We got close very quickly," said Elam, who started 61 of 63 games. "I felt like I had caught her my whole life and we just met in January. It was kind of crazy. It's only gotten better. We've only gotten closer."
Alo, a junior, tied for the team lead in RBIs (56) and ranked second in hits (66) and on-base percentage (.484) last season. As a freshman, she led the nation with 30 home runs, tying the OU single-season record, the Big 12 single-season record and the NCAA Division I freshman single-season record set by former Sooners great Lauren Chamberlain.
Junior Taylon Snow, a transfer from Auburn, "will be locked in at second base," according to Gasso. "I recruited her when she was very young, so this is kind of a dream for me to have her finally. Better late than never, I guess. I think she's going to make a big impact for us."
Asked which freshmen she envisioned having an immediate role in the lineup, Gasso mentioned center fielder Rylie Boone out of Owasso High School and infielder Mackenzie Donihoo of Mustang High. Gasso described Donihoo as "a really salty freshman, fearless, hard-working athlete who is going to find her way in there somewhere as well. Those two I know I'm counting on."
Gasso notes another California product for her program that will factor in early is Kinzie Hansen of Norco (Calif.) High. "Big hitter, going to be in the middle of the lineup. She can catch. She's been working out at first (base). You'll see her definitely in the lineup as well."
Several other freshmen also have ample skills. "I've got some young freshmen who've got unbelievable power," Gasso said. "They just need to learn the lay of the land pitching-wise. They can change the game with one swing."
Gasso spent the fall season and the month of January playing musical chairs with her diversified roster.
"The entire infield is working all over the place," Gasso said.
A few examples: Junior utility player Eliyah Flores has had time at third and second base; in addition to catching, Elam and Hansen have worked at first base; Snow has spent time at shortstop when not playing second base; Donihoo has played third, shortstop, second and in the outfield; first baseman Green has also played in the outfield; Alo occasionally has moved from left field to the infield.
"They're everywhere," Gasso explained. "They understand. 'I don't care where you put me, just put me somewhere.' I just think what we're trying to do is (use) all-around good athletes who can help us whenever we might be in a pinch."
Juarez, Alo and Green are among the 50 student-athletes named to the preseason USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Last season, Juarez was an NFCA first-team All-American, Alo was a second-team selection and Green was a third-team honoree. The top 25 finalists will be announced April 22 and the winner will be revealed May 26.
Oklahoma Softball
✔@OU_Softball
https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1224432234993573888
... it’s game week!
246
3:39 PM - Feb 3, 2020 · Norman, OK
Twitter Ads info and privacy
33 people are talking about this
The Sooners are seeking their 17th conference title under Gasso, an NFCA Hall of Famer who enters her 26th season with a 1,260-333-2 (.791) record at OU. Gasso has advanced to the NCAA Tournament every season with the Sooners, made 13 Women's College World Series appearances and captured four national championships (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017).
OU finished the 2019 regular season with a 48-2 mark and went 57-6 overall, losing to UCLA in the WCWS championship series.
Last season was highlighted by a 41-game winning streak (Feb. 23 to May 19), the longest single-season winning streak in NCAA Division I softball history and the second-longest run all-time (Arizona won 47 straight from April 5, 1996-March 23, 1997).
Though last year's team fell just short of winning the program's fifth national title, it was still one of the elite teams in school history. The 2019 Sooners finished the regular season leading the Big 12 in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, triples, home runs, walks drawn, ERA, opponent batting average, shutouts and strikeouts.
OU enters the 2020 season ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Preseason Top 25, trailing only Washington and Alabama in both polls. This marks the 10th straight year the Sooners have started in the NFCA's top 10, which is the nation's longest active streak. OU has been ranked in the top 5 seven of the past eight seasons, the most times over that span.
Overall, the Sooners rank third with 20 top-10 appearances in the NFCA preseason poll, trailing only Arizona (22) and UCLA (21). OU, Michigan, UCLA and Washington are the only programs to be ranked in every NFCA preseason poll, which debuted in 1995. The Sooners also extended their streak of being ranked every week in the 26-year existence of the NFCA's poll.
A slew of former OU standout players have joined this year's coaching staff with pitcher Paige Parker (volunteer assistant), Kelsey Arnold (graduate assistant), plus Romero, Aviu and Shay Knighten (all student assistants).
The 2020 season begins Thursday (Feb. 6) against Nevada at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The game can be seen via FloSoftball on a subscription basis. OU opens its home slate Feb. 28-March 1 when it hosts the Courtyard Marriott Tournament at Marita Hynes Field.
Once again, the Sooners' schedule ranks among the most difficult in the nation. OU faces eight ranked teams in No. 1/2 (NFCA/USA Softball) Washington, No. 5/5 Arizona, No. 6/6 Texas, No. 13/13 Oklahoma State, No. 14/15 Northwestern, No. 15/16 Kentucky, No. 18/19 Texas Tech and No. 25/23 Wisconsin. Opponents Baylor and Houston also received votes in both polls.
Single-game tickets can be found at SoonerSports.com/tickets. For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.
