Courtesy of: Nate Billings/Associated Press
With a three-peat under their belt, the Oklahoma Sooner Softball Team turned their glory to God.
After beating the Florida State Seminoles 5-0 in game one and 3-1 in game two of the Women's College World Championship, the Oklahoma Sooner softball team won their third consecutive national title in Oklahoma City at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium with a crowd of over 12,000 people.
In the series against the Seminoles, the Sooners took the series in a sweep in order to secure the title. The scoring started in the bottom of the fourth inning when Mack Leonard hit a solo home run giving the Seminoles their first run and lead of the championship series. Answering the homerun in the last half inning Cynthia Sanders and Grace Lyons hit back-to-back home runs giving the Sooners the lead. The Sooners go on to score one more run in the top of the sixth inning.
Kathryn Sandercock was the pitcher for the Seminoles. In her final appearance, she allowed three earned runs on eight hits and added three strikeouts to her one walk. She pitched a complete game.
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Alex Storako was the starting pitcher for the Sooners. She pitched four innings, allowing one run and four hits.
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Jordy Bahl came in as the reliever. She had previously pitched a shutout in game one of the series. As for game two, she struck out two and did not allow a single hit in the final three innings of the game.
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In 2021 the Sooners were matched up with the Seminoles, beating the Seminoles 5-1. The Sooners finished the 2021 season with an overall record of 56 wins and four losses.
In 2022 the Sooners played the championship against the Texas Longhorns, beating them 10-5. Finishing the 2022 season with an exceptional record of 59 wins and three losses. Photographed above are Junior catcher Kinzie Hansen and Senior Jocelyn Alo celebrating their team's victory over the Longhorns.
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Courtesy of: Nate Billings/Associated Press
In all three years of winning the national title, Patty Gasso has been the head coach for the Sooners. In an interview Gasso did with Sports Spectrum at the beginning of the season she stated, “We already know that the result and the ending — the Lord already knows. It’s already planned. So just use our gifts and let’s go. Let’s go. Don’t be afraid of the outcome. And it is so freeing when you watch them play. They’re afraid of nothing. They’re certainly not afraid to lose, and that’s the beauty of this group.”
The 2023 Sooner team is not only known for their on-field success but also for their strong faith in the lord. Many players, including Grace Lyons, had gotten baptized and have become strong leaders and helped others reach a relationship with Christ.
The 2023 Sooner team finishes the season with a historic record of 61 wins and one loss. The loss was given to the Sooners by the Baylor Bears at an early season tournament in Waco, TX.
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