Gasso knows the drill so well that, not even five minutes after the game ended, she took it upon herself to walk up the steps on the first-base line to explain to security guards which of her and her players’ family members should have already been allowed down on the field. She’s used to celebrating on an infield covered in confetti she’s got the trophy protocol down pat. This was Gasso’s sixth national title, which meant it was her sixth time watching that final out and knowing what it meant to every single player on her roster. It is the highest winning percentage in the sport since Arizona went 64-3 in 1994. Oklahoma had finished 59-3 on the year, a record that rightfully reflects how rarely the Sooners were challenged. But then came a ground ball to second baseman Tiare Jennings, who made the routine play to first to end one of the greatest seasons in college softball history. Gasso worried that her sentimentality - putting Alo in the field, bringing in pitcher Hope Trautwein for the final out - had backfired as Texas made its comeback. The Longhorns put three runs across on a Mia Scott home run. Texas made a valiant effort for one final comeback with one out left in its season.
As Alo jogged all the way from left field to the first base dugout, the crowd noise swelled in a crescendo, a thank-you of sorts for witnessing greatness firsthand.
500 or better in the same season, finishing with an astonishing. She became the first player to hit 30 home runs and hit. She’s the NCAA’s all-time leader in career home runs (122) and set numerous WCWS records in the past week. Then Gasso took her out for the final time as a Sooner, her name all over the Oklahoma and NCAA record books. Alo snagged both, much to the delight of the crowd. Gasso likes to do things a certain way, and in this particular moment that certain way was to honor the best hitter she’s ever had by putting her out on defense, where Alo rarely plays, so that Gasso would be able to take her out of the game to a standing ovation.īut of course, the first two Texas hitters hit fly balls to left. Gasso sent Alo out to play left field in the bottom of the seventh inning on Thursday night, with Oklahoma up 10-2 and three outs away from back-to-back titles. In so many ways, Alo was the heartbeat of these Sooners. Catcher Kinzie Hansen got choked up reflecting on personal challenges she’d faced as a freshman and how it had been Alo who had taken her under her wing and helped her through them. Jocelyn Alo, the best power hitter college softball has ever seen, had teared up talking about entering college a girl and leaving it a woman. Her players had gotten emotional, too, only moments before. Maybe I don’t realize how good they are.” I sit and watch, and I’m just prideful to see these guys do that. The game goes by fast, and there’s highs, and there’s lows,” Gasso said, the words coming haltingly. Her players had just earned the very thing they’d worked so hard for. Her team had just won a national championship with a 10-5 win over Texas. Sitting at the dais nearly an hour after the final out of the Women’s College World Series, the legendary Oklahoma softball coach joked to reporters that she should actually be the only softball coach in America who isn’t crying. OKLAHOMA CITY - Patty Gasso’s voice broke as she finally let her emotions take over.
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