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Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Texas Tech ousts dynastic Oklahoma from softball World Series with seesaw seventh
As if there weren't enough storylines in an Oklahoma-Texas Tech showdown set up by high-profile offseason maneuvering, their Women's College World Series semifinal game Monday ended with a dramatic, seesaw seventh inning. The result was a 3-2 Red Raiders win that propelled them to their first appearance in the finals and halted a reign of dominance for the four-time defending champion Sooners.
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Everything Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said after Sooners lost to Texas Tech in WCWS
Everything Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said after Sooners lost to Texas Tech in WCWS Oklahoma softball coach Patty Gasso hadn't felt what she did Monday night in several years. The Sooners, winners of the last four Women's College World Series national championships, were eliminated from the tournament by Texas Tech. Gasso was contemplative afterward, having taken a team with 14 new players as deep into the tourney as she did. The world may have not considered Oklahoma underdogs, but the team had a sense they were, anyway. After the game, Gasso reflected on what she called one of her most fun years as a coach ever. Patty Gasso opening statement Congratulations to Texas Tech. They earned that. They played well, they hit well, they pitched well. Well deserved. Just extremely proud of this team. Who they are first. What they do second. It's been a joyous ride and if you would have ever asked me - and I think I've already said this a million times - but we're standing at the World Series as one of the top three teams left with a team of 14 newcomers. I just shared with them in the locker room how much fun I had with them. Coaching them. Watching them grow. Watching them be hungry. Watching them never quit. The amount of rebounded, extra-inning or last-inning heroics and come-from-behind wins has been something incredible. As much as I need a break, I'm really ready to have them come back and start over again because I think we learned so much and we're going to be that much better. Lessons along the way. What I hope is that they learned lessons about themselves. And turning from girls to women, that's really important to this program. Giving them life lessons and versing them and things that will help them throughout life. It was an emotional, amazing, one of my favorite years of all time, I must say. Gasso on feelings in the moment Yes. I haven't felt this in a while. No one is feeling sorry for me about that, I'm sure. But you always want to raise a trophy and just celebrate down at Toby Keith's place. That's kind of been our place the last four years. I don't know. It's hard to talk about. I'm really excited for the future, but really, really pumped for Cyd Sanders to have her best softball when it was needed. It finished that way. Tonight was a tough night for Sam Landry. A lot of emotions for her because of her connection to Louisiana and now all of them at Texas Tech. I was really proud of her because that could have been a very tough situation. She handled it really, really well. There was a lot of emotions going on for her. It's hard to lose. This was the most enjoyable season I've had in a long time. Us, as coaches, really feel that everybody kind of jumped on board with us. They believed in what we were saying. They carried on the championship mindset. They grinded on the field every single day. There are some future superstars on this team and I'm really excited about that. But they had to grown through Cyd Sanders and some of these others that have been around. Ella Parker. Still going to be a young team next year. Extremely excited about it. Just don't want to think about it right now. They've done some miraculous things. You witnessed one that just happened not long ago with the walk-off with two strikes. Their ability to believe has been unbelievable this season. Gasso on what impressed her about the young team's growth It's just absolute trust in each other. If you would have seen it in September and October, we started to kind of gel a little bit more in November. But it was still so new. So many things to learn. Still, at the end of the season, we didn't work on such-and-such enough. We need to do more of that. Seemed like time flew so fast and just kept going. I can't even believe the season is over. Normally, I'm like 'Thank God.' But this was, let's keep going, let's keep going, let's keep going. It really was fun to watch them work together and believe together. They never, ever, ever thought that they would lose. Ever. A lot of times they didn't. It's been a wonderful time. Gasso on pitcher Sam Landry I just go back to when I was recruiting her out of the portal. Literally sat in an iHOP with her and made her an offer in Norman with her family. Her mom kind of disappeared, went into the restroom and I'm like 'what's going on? Are we yes? Are we no? I don't know.' She didn't want to leave her family. Her mom didn't want her to leave. But she knew that this was right. It started off like yes or no, c'mon, what are we doing? When she said yes, I was so excited about that because I know coach (Jennifer) Rocha could create something really special. No offense to anyone, she's a different pitcher here. What I loved about her, she's gone through a lot but her confidence was very, very strong. She maintained. Kind of in and out sometimes, but I can't tell you how fun it was to watch her have that confidence and lead us in that way. Man, I really have a lot of fun with her. We connect really well. She's got a very infectious smile, but she's that big of a person. All of these guys are just special young women. Sam got that golden ticket and she truly thought 'my career is going to end at OU.' And when she got that golden ticket, it was such a big moment for her. Deservedly so. She's always going to be part of this program. I hope she's not going to go far away. She's going to try to go to med school soon and try to do it here in Oklahoma. Gasso on roller-coaster of emotions late in the game They continued to believe. It's just like, get your swing off. You've got to get there real quick. (Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady) is unbelievable. She's really tough. It was hard to square her up. It was hard to make solid contact. As long as they have a swing left, they believe. They do. And that's proof of it. Gasso on references to OU as a historic program I appreciate those comments. Not warranted, but appreciated, for sure. I don't even, honestly, think about that. I just do my job. That's all I'm trying to do is turn girls into women and help them become elite softball athletes but at the same time, make sure they learn about life so that they become good mothers, good daughters, good friends. That they try to live the right way, do the right things. Those are the lessons that are going on that are probably more important to me than wins and losses. I want them to walk away and say 'I'm equipped for anything. I can handle this. I can handle anything.' Losing is not fun. But losing is life. We all lose at something. It's hard, but it's lessons learned from it. I think that's probably what's most important for me is these guys leave with something to take with them for the rest of their lives. Gasso on the importance to keep tenets of program year after year I look at the front row of these crazy, crazy athletes that we had last year that have been winning championships. They've got their rings on them and they're just flashing them out there. They're proud of it, but they're here and they're supporting this next movement. I can hear Rylie Boone. Oh, my gosh. I don't know how she does it. I don't know how she has a voice left. They're running around with signs and they're loving our team. They love this team. They want to help them however they can during the game. Shay Knighten is here. Caleigh Clifton. They're all around. They're all helping out. They're just very prideful and they feel it as much as anyone. It's very fun for them to watch them carry on their legacy. It's not their legacy anymore. This is a new legacy they're starting. That's something we talked about in the locker room. Gasso on importance of team understanding what they did was special They're just 'we got a trophy, all right.' It is the most confusing thing for me. I've never seen them dogpile or do anything like that. Today was the first time I've seen them cry. That was not the emotion that I wanted to see. It happens. It comes with it. But they just have a crazy expectation of greatness. And it happens so fast. We're sitting in the locker room and I'm looking at Ailana (Agbayani) and I'm looking at Gabbie (Garcia) and they're sitting next to each other. And they used to - early in the season or in January, they were still trying to connect as a middle and now they're sitting together holding hands and they're crying. Just looking around at some of these connections and just the growth was so fast and so furious. But so beautiful to watch. It really, really was. I don't know. It was pretty amazing. I'm at a loss of words because it was so far beyond anything that I thought this season would be like. So incredibly proud of them. If we would have won the national championship, I still don't know if they would celebrate. I don't know. Hopefully we'll know again sometime. Gasso on strategy of keeping powerhouse program in NIL/portal era Quite honestly, getting players in your program that are 100% bought in. That are 100% behind the program, the coaches, teammates, etc. This day and age, I think there's a lot of 'I'm not playing here, I'm going somewhere else.' It's fine. Doesn't bother me at all. I've never tried to stop anyone if they're ever trying to leave because I want them to find what they want. If it isn't here, it isn't here. The right people need to be in your program giving everything they have. Gasso on changes WCWS needs to make And, can I go on a soapbox for one second, please, everyone? Because I'm old enough, I don't care what anyone thinks anymore. I see Joe. Don't worry Joe, this isn't going to be bad. I've been in this tournament enough and there's one thing that has to change. I'm going to say it out loud and I hope the committee is going to look at this. If we are all about women's athletics and women's sports and rah-rah, do not make us play doubleheaders to get to a national championship series. Do not do that. Don't do that. They don't do it in baseball. It should not happen. If we were to win or if Texas Tech were to lose and they made here all the way undefeated and they were to lose to us and then we have to play another game right after, that is not fair. It's not fair to them more than it is not fair to use because we didn't get there on the road that they did. But we've got to make changes. We've got to put money into this. People will watch. They'll come back and they'll watch this next day. This is one of the most-watched championships in any sport. Softball is one of the top. So why wouldn't you want to come back and watch that 'if' game? Or would you rather watch us have zero energy left and you're not able to throw your best because you're just trying to scrap it together. It's unfair to the athletes at this high level. That is my soapbox. Let's try to change that even if it's going to cost a little bit of extra money. These athletes deserve it. And thank you all very much. Thank you for listening.
Chicago Tribune
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Texas Tech ends Oklahoma's 4-year run as Women's College World Series champ — now faces Texas for the title
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma's run of four straight Women's College World Series titles ended when Lauren Allred's walk-off sacrifice fly gave Texas Tech a 3-2 victory in the semifinals on Monday night. Coach Patty Gasso's Sooners (52-9) were down to their last strike in the top of the seventh inning when Abigale Dayton summoned a bit of magic, hitting a tying two-run home run off Red Raiders ace NiJaree Canady. It was just her third longball of the season. But the Red Raiders (53-12) responded quickly in the bottom half. Mihyia Davis singled with one out and Hailey Toney followed with a double. Allred hit a fly ball to right field and Sydney Barker's throw to the plate was wide, allowing Davis to score easily. 'Congratulations to Texas Tech,' Gasso said. 'They earned that. They played well. They hit well. They pitched well. So well deserved.' Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco recounted how he told his team to refocus after giving up the lead. 'We don't want it to be easy,' he said. 'It's Oklahoma. You knew it wasn't going to be easy. Let's go to work right here, win this right here in the bottom of the seventh.' Texas Tech, in its first trip to the WCWS, will play Texas in the best-of-three championship series starting Wednesday. The Longhorns reached the finals for the third time in the past four years. They lost to Oklahoma in 2022 and 2024. Sam Landry, the No. 1 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft, took the complete-game loss. Glasco was Landry's coach at Louisiana last season, and Allred and Davis followed Glasco from Louisiana to Texas Tech. Glasco and Landry embraced after the game. 'It's bittersweet,' Landry said. 'I wished him luck going forward. Neither one of us wanted to be where we met in the postseason. Super happy for them. That's a lot of my old teammates. I'm glad they're getting to experience it.' Canady lost the shutout but got the win. She is the two-time reigning National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year and was the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year last season. Formerly with Stanford, she signed a name, image and likeness deal worth more than $1 million to go to Texas Tech. Canady reached her first finals after leading Stanford to the semifinals the previous two years. 'I think people doubted us, didn't think we'd get to this point,' she said. 'I think we just didn't have any pressure on us, just wanted to go play softball.' Oklahoma had won nine straight elimination games, but the Sooners had lost the core of the team that won the previous championships. Their roster featured nine freshmen and just three seniors. Gasso said the future looks bright for the Sooners. 'We're standing at the World Series as one of the top three teams left, with a team of 14 newcomers,' Gasso said, 'and I just shared with them in the locker room how much fun I had with them coaching them, watching them grow, watching them be hungry, watching them never quit.' Katie Stewart hit a home run, Mac Morgan and Teagan Kavan combined on a 3-hitter and Texas defeated Tennessee 2-0 on Monday to reach the Women's College World Series championship series for the third time in four years. Kavan, who threw a complete game with eight strikeouts in Saturday's 4-2 victory over Oklahoma, came on in relief of Morgan in the fifth inning and didn't allow a hit the rest of the way. She struck out the Volunteers' Emma Clarke to end the game. Texas (54-11) will play either Texas Tech in the best-of-three series, which starts Wednesday. Karlyn Pickens, a National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All-American, allowed just one earned run on five hits and struck out nine for Tennessee (47-17). 'My heart is full because of the young ladies to my right and the young ladies in that locker room,' Vols coach Karen Weekly said. 'They're sad for all the right reasons. It's not about wins and losses; it's about the joy they've experienced being together every single day. And I think people saw that in the way we played. They saw them bounce back. They saw how resilient, how gritty and tough they were.' Texas loaded the bases against Pickens in the third with one out but couldn't score. Reese Atwood struck out swinging and Joley Mitchell popped out to the catcher to end the inning. Things got heated in the top of the fourth when Tennessee hitting coach Craig Snider, the former Texas Tech head coach, appeared to have words with the Texas dugout and was ejected. 'I don't know what transpired,' Texas coach Mike White said. 'I think he was upset about the call by the umpire at home plate … . The rule says any time an assistant coach hits the field and questions something it's an automatic ejection. So I think that's what he was upset about, so I think he decided to maybe just to take some stuff out on us.' Weekly said Snider was frustrated with the strike zone. 'You would hope that you get a little bit of leeway because of the stage you're on right here; you certainly don't want to lose a coach when you're playing for the biggest game of the season,' she said. Stewart homered off Pickens in the bottom of the fourth, a high drive to left that drifted beyond the outstretched glove of Alannah Leach. Pickens recovered quickly, striking out the next three batters she faced. 'We had just enough wind to help that home run go over,' White said. 'That was fortunate there. Looking down on us, maybe, Teagan's grandma, so she puffed one out there.' Kavan pitched Saturday while mourning the death of her 97-year-old grandmother. Morgan got the win, striking out four and walking one. The Longhorns added an insurance run in the sixth on a throwing error by Vols third baseman Taylor Pannell.
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Tech live updates, score: Highlights of WCWS action in OKC
Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Tech live updates, score: Highlights of WCWS action in OKC The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Tech Red Raiders battled in an epic Women's College World Series semifinals game. Texas Tech got the 3-2 win on a sacrifice fly from Lauren Allred, who drove in Mihyia Davis from third. NiJaree Canady was the story of the game through the first six innings. The best pitcher in softball kept Oklahoma at bay until Oklahoma's final at-bat. The Sooners put runners on base but couldn't string together enough hits to take advantage. That was until Sydney Barker's third hit of the game in the top of the seventh inning. Abigale Dayton provided one more piece of Sooner Magic with a two-run home run to tie the game. But Tech responded with key hits off of Sam Landry, who had thrown 120 pitches in the game. Oklahoma's national title streak comes to an end at four, and there will be a new national champion in the world of collegiate softball. Landry got Lindemuth to ground out to McEnroe-Marinas, but Mihyia Davis got her first hit of the game to put one on with one out. Toney then got her first hit of the game, a double off the wall that moved Davis to third on the play. A sacrifice fly from Lauren Allred drove a ball to shallow right field but Sydney Barker's throw wasn't in time and the Texas Tech Red Raiders knocked off the Sooners, 3-2. Ailana Agbayani dribbled one back to the circle. Sydney Barker gets a one-out single for her third hit of the game. Emerling also hit it back to Canady, who attempted to start the double play by throwing to second. She got the lead runner, but that's all. That allowed Abigale Dayton to come to the plate with a runner on and two outs. Dayton drove an 0-2 pitch to the right-center field bleachers for the game-tying two-run home run. It was just her third home run of the season. Landry retired the first two Red Raiders she faced, forcing ground ball outs. She looked like she might get out of the inning with a third ground ball, but Gabbie Garcia's throw pulled Sanders off the bag at first. However, Landry induced a ground ball back to the circle which she calmly collected to throw to first for the final out and keep Oklahoma within striking distance. Ella Parker gets the lead-off single. Gabbie Garcia struggled with Canady's off-speed stuff and struck out again. McEnroe-Marinas flied out to center on the first pitch she saw. Cydney Sanders fouled off several pitches to stay alive in the at-bat but looked at a change-up down the middle for strike three. Canady survived the lead-off single to keep the Sooners off the scoreboard. Landry retired the first batter on a strikeout looking. Cydney Sanders couldn't corral a hard-hit ground ball to first, allowing Toney to reach on an error. A single through the left side of the infield put runners on first and second with one out for NiJaree Canady. On a 1-2 count, Landry induced a groundball that the Sooners turned for a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Sydney Barker has been all bite in this one, attacking the first pitch of the inning, one well on the inside for a bloop single. Emerling popped out for the first out of the inning, and Dayton took Canady to the warning track for the second out of the inning. The Sooners are making good contact, but can't string enough together to do any damage. Landry allowed a lead-off double to Johsnon to open the frame and Logan Halleman laid down a sacrifice bunt to move her over to third. Landry responded by striking out Victoria Valdez and Lindemuth to end the inning. Landry's pitching well, now she just needs some help from the offense. Gabbie Garcia attempted a bunt to start off the frame, but it skirted just foul. Ultimately, she had a hard time laying off the rise ball, and Canady struck her out. McEnroe-Marinas came up first-pitch swinging and popped out to the first baseman in foul territory. Cydney Sanders has been the only offense going for Oklahoma. After a walk in the second inning, Sanders was hit by a pitch. Ailana Agbayani had a chance to beat out an infield single after the grounder was bobbled by the first baseman, but she couldn't beat out the diving Allred to keep the inning alive. Landry forced the lead-off hitter to ground out to Sanders at first but then issued a walk to Allred. Landry got Canady to pop out to shallow center field. Ailana Agbayani made a great play, going back on the ball from second base to record the out. Langeliers worked a full count, but Landry got her to fly out to center field for the final out of the inning. Abigale Dayton came out aggressive and fouled a few pitches off but hit a long fly ball to left field for the first out of the inning. Pickering got a good piece of the ball and launched it just shy of the warning track for the second out of the inning. Ella Parker swung at a rise ball out of the zone for strike three. Canady is dealing, and Oklahoma hasn't had an answer. Landry struck out Alexa Langeliers on three pitches and was ahead in the count against Alana Johnson, but Johnson worked a 10-pitch walk. Then the Red Raiders got aggressive. Demi Elder came up first pitch swinging and lined a ball down the right field line for a triple, scoring Johnson from first. After a fly out to left for the second out of the game, Bailey Lindemuth lined one up the middle for an RBI single to make it 2-0 Texas Tech. After two stolen bases put a runner on third with two outs, Landry took care of business to end the inning with a strikeout, but the damage was done. Now, it's up to the lineup to respond. Texas Tech is 46-5 when scoring first in 2025. Nelly McEnroe-Marinas hit a short pop-up to second base for the first out after working a 3-1 count. Cydney Sanders showed her trademark patience and worked a walk for the Sooners' first baserunner of the game. Ailana Agbayani struck out on a 2-2 count. True freshman Sydney Barker got fought off an 0-2 rise ball and punched it into center field for the two-out single and moved Sanders over to third in the process. Isabela Emerling had an opportunity with runners at the corners and hit a soft liner up the middle that was snagged by the Toney at short. Oklahoma's struggles with runners on base and runners in scoring position continue. The Sooners will need to find some timely hitting when they get opportunities with runners on. Sam Landry came out attacking and got Mihyia Davis to swing and miss at a low change-up for the first out of the inning. Landry worked an 0-2 count against the No. 2 hitter, Hailey Toney, but Toney showed a lot of patience, laying off four straight pitches to work the one-out walk. Lauren Allred also fell behind in the count but battled to work to a full count before hitting a pop fly to Pickering for the second out in the inning. Toney took second after a ball in the dirt with Canady at the plate. Though Landry fell behind in the count, she worked back to a full count against Canady and got her to ground to Garcia at short, and Cydney Sanders easily handled the bouncer at first for the final out. Landry threw 28 pitches in the opening frame. She'll need to find some more efficiency. Kasidi Pickering led off the game for the Sooners and couldn't make contact off of Canady, striking out looking as she watched a change-up. Ella Parker found the ball better than Pickering did, but a check swing made contact with the ball, and it dribbled right in front of the catcher, who threw Parker out at first. True freshman Gabbie Garcia came up swinging against Canady and fouled off a couple of pitches but struck out to end the inning. Sam Landry will be in the circle for the Oklahoma Sooners and the top of the lineup remains the same. Sydney Barker drops back in the order and will start in right field. NiJaree Canady will get the start for the Red Raiders and bat cleanup. The lineups are set, and first pitch is right around the corner. Watch Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech live on Fubo What channel is Oklahoma-Texas Tech on today? TV Channel: ESPN Livestream: Fubo, ESPN+ Watch Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech live on ESPN+ Oklahoma-Texas Tech time today Date: Monday, June 2, 2025 Start time: 6 p.m. CT. Game two at 8:30 p.m. CT if OU wins the first game. More: Everything Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said after OU beat Oregon in the WCWS Oklahoma Softball Schedule 2025 Date Opponent Result Feb. 6 Cal State Northridge W, 7-2 Feb. 6 at San Diego State W, 11-6 (9 inn.) Feb. 7 California Baptist W, 8-0 (5 inn.) Feb. 7 Cal State Fullerton W, 13-3 Feb. 8 Loyola Marymount W, 9-0 Feb. 9 at Long Beach State W, 2-0 (11 inn.) Feb. 15 Hofstra W, 8-0 (5 inn.) Feb. 15 at No. 23/24 Baylor W, 9-1 (5 inn.) Feb. 16 Hofstra W, 11-3 (5 inn.) Feb. 16 at No. 23/24 Baylor W, 8-0 (5 inn.) Feb. 22 Tulsa W, 8-0 (5 inn.) Feb. 23 Wichita State W, 8-1 Feb. 24 Bowling Green W, 8-5 (8 inn.) Feb. 24 Abilene Christian W, 9-1 (5 inn.) Feb. 28 Marshall W, 9-1 (5 inn.) Feb. 28 Kansas W, 9-1 (6 inn.) March 1 Kansas W, 8-0 (5 inn.) March 1 Marshall W, 11-0 (5 inn.) March 2 Kansas City W, 17-1 (5 inn.) March 7 No. 10/11 South Carolina W, 10-9 March 9 No. 10/11 South Carolina W, 10-9 March 9 No. 10/11 South Carolina W, 2-1 March 12 at Tulsa W, 10-2 (6 inn.) March 15 at No. 15/12 Arkansas W, 7-0 March 15 at No. 15/12 Arkansas W, 6-4 March 16 at No. 15/12 Arkansas W, 10-7 March 19 East Texas A&M W, 8-0 (5 inn.) March 21 at Missouri W, 8-0 (5 inn.) March 22 at Missouri L, 3-1 March 23 at Missouri W, 5-1 March 26 at Wichita State W, 19-16 March 28 No. 10/9 Tennessee L, 5-2 March 29 No. 10/9 Tennessee W, 4-1 March 30 No. 10/9 Tennessee L, 5-3 April 1 at UT-Arlington W, 13-2 (5 inn.) April 4 St. Thomas W, 12-4 (5 inn.) April 4 UCF W, 6-0 April 5 UCF Cancelled April 9 Oklahoma State (Devon Park, OKC) W, 11-3 (5 inn.) April 12 at Alabama W, 5-1 April 13 at Alabama L, 6-1 April 14 at Alabama L, 2-1 April 18 Mississippi State (Devon Park, OKC) W, 4-0 April 19 Mississippi State (Devon Park, OKC) W, 6-5 April 20 Mississippi State (Devon Park, OKC) W, 9-6 April 25 Texas Longhorns W, 7-6 April 26 Texas Longhorns W, 7-2 April 27 Texas Longhorns W, 9-8 May 1 at Florida W, 6-5 May 2 at Florida L, 9-4 May 3 at Florida L, 6-4 May 6-10 SEC Tournament Athens, Ga. May 8 vs. LSU W, 4-1 May 9 vs. Arkansas W, 8-6 May 10 vs. Texas A&M Canceled May 16-18 NCAA Regionals Norman, Okla. May 16 vs. Boston W, 8-0 (5 inn.) May 17 vs. Cal W, 11-2 (5 inn.) May 18 vs. Cal W, 12-1 (5 inn.) May 23-25 NCAA Super Regionals Norman, Okla. May 23 vs. Alabama W, 3-0 May 24 vs. Alabama W, 13-2 (5 inn.) May 29-June 6 Women's College World Series Oklahoma City, Okla. May 29 vs. Tennessee W, 4-3 May 31 vs. Texas L, 4-2 June 1 vs. Oregon W, 4-1 June 2 vs. Texas Tech 6 p.m. CT June 2 *vs Texas Tech 9:30 p.m. CT *denotes if necessary We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What Oklahoma softball players said after falling to Texas Tech in WCWS
What Oklahoma softball players said after falling to Texas Tech in WCWS With the tears still fresh on their faces, five members of the Oklahoma softball season said goodbye to the 2025 campaign after the Sooners lost in the Women's College World Series semifinals Monday night against Texas Tech. For OU pitcher Sam Landry and first base Cydney Sanders, the game was their last in an Oklahoma uniform, eligibility exhausted. The pair were joined by junior Abigale Dayton, sophomore Ella Parker and freshman Sydney Barker in the post-game press conference. Here's what the players had to say following the loss. Landry on final innings I'm really proud of Abi. I thought she did absolutely amazing. I thought she was on NiJa (Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady) all day. Hats off to NiJa. I thought she threw a very good game. As the game went on, I just kept telling myself to just to leave it all out there. That's what I did. Landry on meeting with former coach after the game It was bittersweet. I wished him luck going forward. I don't think either one of us wanted this to be where we met in postseason. Super happy for them. A lot of my old teammates, so I'm glad they're getting to experience. I'm glad I had the experience I did here at Oklahoma. It was definitely God's path for me. Parker on the season and the future I'm just so proud of all this team has accomplished. Especially just coming from the fall to now we've grown so much together. Just to see the amount of growth we've taken as a team, it's just so cool to see where we ended up. We're never going to give up without a fight. Landry on looking back on the year I agree with Ella. I think it's hard to get sad in the middle of a game when you know that God already wrote the story. Just relying on Him. We knew it was going to turn out exactly how He wanted and I think they're ready to go next season and I'm ready to take a break for a minute. Barker on the season It's hard to be sad when you have these girls next to you no matter wins or losses. We believe that the end is already written. Being here together is a blessing in itself. Dayton on familiarity with Canady I felt like I took a lot of it from the past two years. I've hit off of her a couple of times. Just being able to have my teammates' back and they have mine put a lot of confidence in myself. But, yeah, definitely understanding how she throws was, in my mind, I was able to kind of use that. But having these girls was behind me, it gives you all the confidence in the world even if you don't know who you're playing. So that's nice. Sanders reflecting on her career I honestly think it was like a very cinematic way to go out. God's presence was shown. Abi literally came up 0-2 and hit a ball. That was insane. I don't know. I'm still in shock. I think it was a great way to go out, honestly. I'm very proud of this team. Especially, we literally have 14 new players. That is something that you've never seen before. Coming to the World Series, everybody was against us. We ended up in the semifinals. I think this team is going to go a long way regardless if I'm not here or not. I'm very proud to end my career like this. Barker on what she learned as a freshman Like Cyd Sanders said, having 13, 14 new players on this team it was miraculous how we all came together and we were able to play together in such a way that we did and have the relationships that we did on and off the field. Regardless of what happened on the field, I think what me and my class and a lot of the young players on this team will remember is how well we all gelled together and how we used our differences and our superpowers to work together. I think it's awesome how we can learn from our older girls here and our veterans and our alumni and coaches and everything of the sort. Landry on honoring Geri Ann Glasco I met Geri Anne a few times when she was a volunteer coach at Louisiana under coach Glasco. I got to know her a little bit before she passed away. But I was very close with coach Glasco all those years. Just seeing how she was dealing with it. Wearing No. 12 was how I just helped, in my opinion, helped keep him going. That's why it was so important to me. Carrying on her legacy. She was an amazing person. When I got here No. 12 was taken. I knew that I had to figure out somehow to keep her going so I got on my glove.
