Oklahoma is looking to get its swagger back.
The No. 2-ranked Sooners last weekend dropped their second straight conference series, this one at the hands of No. 22 Alabama, and another stiff test in the No. 16-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs lies ahead.
Oklahoma scored just one run before the sixth inning across all three games in Tuscaloosa, and the struggles at the plate stretched up and down the lineup.
Part of that, coach Patty Gasso said, was down to the raucous environment at Rhoads Stadium, but she also said OU’s inexperience as a team showed at times last weekend.
“It was something that I blame myself on because — this team is so new, right? They don't know much about the history of our program,” Gasso said. “I know we have a history with Alabama. … I don't think we recognize that people look forward to us coming to their field and saying, ‘Yeah, oh, I can't wait to see Oklahoma, this is going to be a great matchup.’ And we're just kind of unassuming.
“… We definitely learned a lesson there, we learned a lesson with Tennessee. And the fight back has to be stronger. It has to be more intense.”
Friday, another team that will be fired up to take on the Sooners is rolling in.
Mississippi State, coached by former OU star Sam Ricketts, is 33-11 overall this year and 9-6 in conference play.
Taking on Oklahoma (36-5, 10-5 SEC) will offer the Bulldogs a chance to leap up another rung in the conference standings.
“They swing, swing, swing. Our pitching staff has to be really good. They have 66 home runs,” Gasso said. “They have big power numbers. They’re very balanced, more than ever before. They have got the power. They have speed, over 45 stolen bases. Their defense has improved, pitching has improved.
“Not that they weren’t good last year, they were. Made postseason. This is a different team. A team that can get themselves to a Super Regional and potentially get to the World Series.”
Oklahoma’s pitching staff will have freshman Audrey Lowry fully available, something that will be key in slowing down Mississippi State alongside right-handed ace Sam Landry.
- Game 1: Friday, 4 p.m., Devon Park
- Game 2: Saturday, 1 p.m., Love's Field
- Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m., Love's Field
“She is ready. She was dicing up our team out there just a minute ago,” Gasso said on Wednesday. “She is fully 100 percent healthy and ready to go. We have all hands on deck, hopefully, for the rest of the season.”
But to really get going, OU’s offense will need to come back to life.
Taking the field in front of a horde of Oklahoma fans — first at Devon Park on Friday then back at Love’s Field on Saturday and Sunday, depending on the weather — will help.
Gasso and her staff have been hard at work instilling confidence in their group, however, after tough weekends against both No. 4 Tennessee and Alabama.It's OU's first back-to-back conference series losses since 2004.
“We just had a big conversation with them before we even went out on the field, was about affirmation. It's about believing in yourself,” Gasso said. “… I always turn it back to, 'You think I'm a bad recruiter? If you couldn't hit, would I recruit you here?' So it's just trying to raise them up. Remember what is our mission here.
“… We're in a weird place. Usually, we're in a weird place before we really start to peak. We haven't even started peaking yet. You have not even seen how good we can be. Usually you need to start seeing it swing your way. So hopefully, you're gonna see that the next week or so."
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