Patty Gasso after Oklahoma's national championship streak ending: 'It's been a joyous ride'

For the first time in almost a half decade, college softball will have a new champion. That’s after the four-time defending one was eliminated last night in the 2025 Women’s College World Series.

Patty Gasso, after the 3-2 loss for Oklahoma to Texas Tech on Monday in the semifinals of the WCWS, reflected on the first season that the Sooners haven’t finished as national title winners in this decade in his opening statement. However, she first began with credit given to the Red Raiders for beating them.

“Congratulations to Texas Tech. They earned that,” said Gasso. “They played well, they hit well, they pitched well. So, well deserved.”

With this, the best streak in collegiate softball ended after Oklahoma had won four straight national championships from 2021 through 2024. That’s not even mentioning the four others that Gasso has won with the program, including three in a half-decade’s span in 2013, 2016, and 2017. The Sooners have gone 287-24 (.923) over that span – with this season, their debut in the SEC, now being the ‘worst’ of those five at 52-9. They won the regular season in the Southeastern Conference but did not officially win a conference tournament due to a no-contest while they, with last night’s result, did not win nationally either.

Still, despite the end of the title streak, Gasso had nothing but positives to say about this team of Sooners. They were one of the final three teams in the country, who was two wins away from the title series, after another transitional season in Norman.

“Just extremely proud of this team. Who they are, first, and what they do, second. And, it’s been a joyous ride,” said Gasso. “If you would have ever asked me – 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. 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 and, (the) amount of rebounded, like, extra inning or last inning heroics and come from behind wins has been something incredible.”

For the first time in six editions of the World Series, Oklahoma won’t just not win it all but won’t even be in the championship series. That doesn’t take anything away, though, from what Gasso said is one of her all-time favorite years over thirty-plus spent at OU, with Gasso now just as excited for them all to be back for next season already.

“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 (with) lessons along the way,” said Gasso. “What I hope is that they learn lessons about themselves, and turning from girls to women is really important to this program and giving them life lessons and versing them in things that will help them throughout life.”

“It was an emotional, amazing – one of my favorite years of all time, I must say.”