Story by
OU softball: Three storylines for Oklahoma Sooners ahead of 2024 season opener
- Story by
- OU softball: Three storylines for Oklahoma Sooners ahead of 2024 season opener
Riding an NCAA-record 53-game winning streak and coming off a third consecutive national championship , OU softball opens its season at 10:30 a.m. Thursday against Utah Valley in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The Sooners return the bulk of last season's title team, including Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Alyssa Brito, Kinzie Hansen and Nicole May .
Advertisement
Here are three storylines to watch as the season unfolds:
More: Mussatto: Can Patty Gasso, OU softball pull off 'unheard of' NCAA four-peat? Of course.
Sooners handling the pressure
The Sooners are trying to do something no NCAA softball program has ever done — win a fourth consecutive Women's College World Series title.
OU coach Patty Gasso said the target on her team's back is undeniable, but one they embrace.
"You can't even wrap your mind around it, even winning three," Gasso said. "For them, they want to be a team that did something that maybe nobody in maybe my lifetime will ever do on a softball field again. That is something special. They like to be able to chase those moments. We have to do it without thinking of outcome and results. We have to do it in a free manner, which is when they're at their best."
Advertisement
Third baseman Alyssa Brito said it hasn't been hard to stave off complacency.
"I think every year, we kind of have that culture and that standard," Brito said. "It's just showing up every day with a chip on our shoulder, and I think we can't get complacent and just expect wins to come to us. It's constantly grinding and working harder than everybody else."
More: Get to know the 2024 Oklahoma Sooners softball team and schedule
Oklahoma's Jayda Coleman rounds second after hitting a home run during a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and North Central Texas College at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla. , Monday, Oct., 16, 2023.
One last time for OU seniors
The Sooners have five seniors that have been with the program since their freshmen seasons — Rylie Boone, Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, Tiare Jennings and Nicole May.
Advertisement
"I think about them more than I ever have," Gasso said. "Because I know this is like the end end of … I don't want to say that because we have a good freshman class. It's not the end of a big long string, but it is the end of one of the most elite classes that has ever and may ever play softball.
"They're special. They're different. And their style of competitive spirit is very infectious to this team, and it's really infectious to our freshmen which is exactly what I'm looking for."
Hansen and Jennings will serve as the Sooners' co-captains this season.
The Sooners have several other seniors, including Brito, who is entering her third season at OU, Alynah Torres, Oklahoma State transfer Kelly Maxwell, Liberty transfer Karlie Keeney and Furman transfer Riley Ludlam.
Advertisement
More: OU softball media day takeaways: Tiare Jennings moves to shortstop as Sooners start season
Oklahoma's Nicole May (19) celebrates a strike out in the first inning during the NCAA Norman Super Regional softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Clemson Tigers at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., Saturday, May, 27, 2023.
Raising the curtains on Love's Field
After playing their first 14 games on the road, the Sooners will open their new home, Love's Field, on March 1 vs. Miami (Ohio).
The new stadium, located just south of Marita Hynes Field, will double the current capacity to 4,200, and feature plenty of additional training areas and an expanded locker room.
"It's grand," Gasso said. "I'm trying to explain to our team, and they are just going nuts. They're dying to see it."
While the playing surface and seating areas will be done in time for the home opener, there will still be construction in the area.
Advertisement
"We're going to play on it but not able to go in it quite yet because there's still a lot to do," Gasso said. "By probably mid-April, it should be completely done."
More: Relive OU softball's run to three straight WCWS titles with our 'Crimson Empire' book
Opening day
Thursday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico:
GAME 1:OU vs. Utah Valley, 10:30 a.m. (FloSoftball, subscription required)
GAME 2:OU vs. Duke, 1 p.m. (FloSoftball, subscription required)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball: Three storylines for Sooners ahead of 2024 season opener
