Love's_Field
Oklahoma Sooners softball
Women's college softball team
The Oklahoma Sooners softball team represents the University of Oklahoma in NCAA Division I College softball. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference, and plays its home games at Love's Field in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners are currently led by head coach Patty Gasso.
| Oklahoma Sooners Softball | |
|---|---|
 2024 Oklahoma Sooners softball team | |
| Founded | 1975 (49 years ago) |
| University | University of Oklahoma |
| Athletic director | Joe Castiglione |
| All-time Record | 2,015–794–2 (.717) |
| Head coach | Patty Gasso (30th season) |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Location | Norman, Oklahoma |
| Home stadium | Love's Field (Capacity: 4,200) |
| Nickname | Sooners |
| Colors | Crimson and cream[1] |
| NCAA Tournament champions | |
| 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 | |
| NCAA WCWS runner-up | |
| 2012, 2019 | |
| NCAA WCWS appearances | |
| 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 | |
| AIAW WCWS appearances | |
| 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982 | |
| NCAA Super Regional appearances | |
| 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| 1996, 2001, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024 | |
| Regular Season Conference championships | |
| 1996, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 | |
Oklahoma has won their conference title 15 times, has won the Big 12 Conference tournament nine times, has been to the NCAA Tournament 30 times, has advanced to the NCAA Women's College World Series 16 times, and has won the NCAA championship seven times. Oklahoma also appeared in the AIAW Women's College World Series four times.
The Sooners won their first national championship back in 2000. They swept Harvard, Cal-State Northridge, and Oregon State at their home regionals to advance to their first appearance in the Women's College World Series. They beat California and knocked off Southern Mississippi and Arizona to advance to the championship game against UCLA. They beat UCLA 3-1 to capture their first national title.
They hosted and won their 2013 regional. They beat Marist and Arkansas with a combined score of 41-6. They hosted again their super regionals against Texas A&M where they outscored the Aggies 18-2. In Oklahoma City, they went through 8 seeded Michigan, #10 ranked Texas, and #11 ranked Washington to reach Tennessee in the championship. Game 1 was where Lauren Chamberlain hit her iconic two-run walk-off home run after 12 innings of play. In game 2, Keilani Ricketts drove in all four runs, and Michelle Gascoigne pitched a shut out to obtain their second national title.
Once again, they hosted their regional in 2016 where they beat Wichita State and Ole Miss. They went on to host their super regional against Louisiana-Lafayette where they swept to advance to the Women's College World Series once again. In their first game in the tournament, they beat Alabama in extra innings. They faced #12 Michigan in game 2, and beat LSU in their third to face Auburn in the championship. They won 2-1 in their final game where Paige Parker threw a complete game.
In 2017, Sooners hosted another straight regional and won against North Dakota State, Arkansas, and Tulsa. From there, they went to #7 Auburn for the Super Regionals where they won in two games. They held off Baylor in Oklahoma City, overcame #6 Washington, and beat Oregon to face Florida in the finals. They won game 1 in the longest game ever played in the finals in 17 innings. They finished off the series with a swept to capture their fourth national championship.
In 2021, the Sooners hosted their regional as the No. 1 overall seed and beat Wichita State, Texas A&M, and Morgan State. They advanced to host their super regional against Washington, which they won in two games. At the Women's College World Series, they lost their first round game to James Madison University; subsequently, they won four straight elimination games to advance to the championship series, besting Georgia, UCLA, and James Madison twice. In the championship series, they lost their first game to Florida State, but returned to win games two and three to claim their fifth national championship.
In 2023, the Sooners set an NCAA Division I softball record 53-game winning streak.[2] They finished the season with a 61–1 record and won their seventh national championship, and third consecutive championship. They became the first team to three-peat since UCLA from 1988 to 1990.[3][4]
Love's Field
On October 28, 2021, it was announced a new softball stadium, Love's Field, was planned to break ground in 2022 and open before the 2024 season. Love's provided the naming gift following a $12 million total donation.[5] The estimated cost for the project is $47.9 million.[6] The overall square footage of the complex will be 44,000 square feet and will have a seating capacity of 4,200.[7][8]
Coaching history
| Years | Coach | Record | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–1976 | Amy Dahl | 18–16 | .529 |
| 1977–1984 | Marita Hynes | 257–188 | .578 |
| 1985–1993 | Michelle Thomas | 226–230 | .496 |
| 1994 | Jim Beitia | 58–15 | .795 |
| 1995–present | Patty Gasso | 1,456–345–2 | .808 |
National championships
Conference championships
| Season | Conference | Record | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Big 12 | 17–5 | Patty Gasso |
| 1999 | 11–3 | ||
| 2000 | 17–1 | ||
| 2009 | 14–4 | ||
| 2012 | 19–5 | ||
| 2013 | 15–2 | ||
| 2014 | 16–2 | ||
| 2015 | 14–2 | ||
| 2016 | 17–1 | ||
| 2017 | 17–1 | ||
| 2018 | 18–0 | ||
| 2019 | 18–0 | ||
| 2021 | 16–1 | ||
| 2022 | 17–1 | ||
| 2023 | 18–0 |
Conference tournament championships
Year-by-year results
Records by opponent
- As of May 20, 2023[9]
- Big 12 Conference opponents
| Opponent | TM | W–L | Last meeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | 87 | 73–14 | W 2–0 April 22, 2023 |
| BYU | 10 | 9–1 | W 3–1 February 8, 2020 |
| Houston | 15 | 14–1 | W 8–0 (5) March 19, 2022 |
| Iowa State | 123 | 95–28 | W 9–0 (5) May 12, 2023 |
| Kansas | 122 | 78–44 | W 8–2 April 30, 2023 |
| Oklahoma State | 175 | 103–72 | W 5–1 May 5, 2023 |
| Texas | 82 | 57–25 | W 6–1 May 13, 2023 |
| Texas Tech | 77 | 70–7 | W 7–0 April 8, 2023 |
| UCF | 2 | 2–0 | W 7–1 May 28, 2022 |
- Former Big 12 Conference opponents
| Opponent | TM | W–L | Last meeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 96 | 55–41 | W 11–0 (6) May 20, 2023 |
| Nebraska | 89 | 45–44 | W 10–2 (5) February 12, 2020 |
| Texas A&M | 83 | 53–30 | W 8–0 (5) February 24, 2023 |
- Notable Non-Conference opponents
NCAA Tournament seeding history
National seeding began in 2005. The Oklahoma Sooners have been a national seed 18 of the 19 tournaments.
College World Series
Oklahoma has made 16 trips to the Women's College World Series, winning the title in 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023. OU finished as runner-up in 2012 and 2019.
| Name | Position | Seasons at Oklahoma | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patty Gasso | Head coach | 30th | |
| Jennifer Rocha | Associate head coach and Pitching Coach | 5th | |
| JT Gasso | Associate head coach and Hitting Coach | 8th | |
| Falepolima Steele | Assistant coach | 1st | |
| Lauren Foster | Graduate assistant | 1st | |
| Ryan Wondrasek | Director of player development | 1st | |
| Reference:[10] | |||
This is a list of individual honors at the national and conference levels, including All-Americans.[11]
National awards
|
Conference awards
|
First Team All-American
| Season | Player(s) |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Lynette Velazquez |
| 2000 | Lisa Carey |
| 2001 | Kelli Braitsch |
| 2003 | Leah Gulla |
| 2004 | Heather Scaglione |
| 2005 | Heather Scaglione |
| 2006 | Kristin Vesley |
| 2007 | Norrelle Dickson |
| 2009 | Amber Flores |
| 2010 | Heather Scaglione |
| 2011 | Keilani Ricketts |
| 2012 | Lauren Chamberlain, Keilani Ricketts, Jessica Shults |
| 2013 | Lauren Chamberlain, Keilani Ricketts |
| 2014 | Shelby Pendley |
| 2015 | Lauren Chamberlain |
| 2016 | Paige Parker |
| 2018 | Jocelyn Alo, Paige Parker, Sydney Romero |
| 2019 | Caleigh Clifton, Giselle Juarez, Sydney Romero |
| 2021 | Jocelyn Alo, Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings |
| 2022 | Jocelyn Alo, Jordy Bahl, Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Grace Lyons |
| 2023 | Jordy Bahl, Alyssa Brito, Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, Tiare Jennings |
- "Colors – OU Brand Guide". April 20, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- Brunt, Cliff (June 8, 2023). "Oklahoma wins third straight WCWS title, extends record win streak to 53". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- Post, J.J. (June 8, 2023). "Oklahoma softball joins elite company with title three-peat". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- Auerbach, Nicole (June 8, 2023). "Oklahoma softball wins third consecutive national title: How Sooners cemented a dynasty". The Athletic. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- "Love's Travel Stops Contributes Lead Gift for New Softball Stadium". soonersports.com. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- Aber, Ryan (September 14, 2023). "New OU Softball Stadium on Track for 2024 Opener". The Oklahoman. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- "Love's Field Capacity Announced". Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- Bailey, Eric (October 28, 2021). "OU to begin construction of Love's Field, a $27 million stadium for softball program". Tulsa World. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- "OU Softball Opponents". soonerstats.com. Sooner Stats. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
- "Oklahoma Softball Coaches". SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletics. Retrieved 8 Jan 2023.
- "Big 12 Softball Records" (PDF). Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. pp. 86–89. Retrieved 3 May 2019.