Patty Gasso on leaving Big 12: 'My best memories come through this conference'

All Patty Gasso knows is the Big 12 Conference, and well, the Big 8. But the Oklahoma softball coach will lead her Sooners into the SEC beginning with the 2025 season.

It’s a little bittersweet for Gasso and company. Oklahoma and Texas make the move next spring while the fall sports kick off the new era in a few months.

Oklahoma will surely be ready for it, being the best softball program in the country currently.

“It’s good that you asked that because I mean all the talk is SEC, SEC,” Gasso said. “And we’re gonna be excited about it. We’re gonna prepare, try to be as ready as we can for it. But my whole life has been in the Big Eight, and the Big 12. And so, my best memories come through this conference, and you know, hope to create more memories going into the SEC.”

Gasso, 61, seemingly has no end in sight to her coaching career that began in 1990. She’s been with Oklahoma as the head coach since 1995 but looking back on the old Big 12, and Big 8 of course, had her pondering the future when she eventually leaves.

At that point, Oklahoma might be well established in the SEC.

“But back when Nebraska and A&M and those teams were in the conference, it was a really good conference,” Gasso said. “It was just different. It wasn’t so many people paying attention and following and coaches would love on each other and say, ‘You made me better.’

“And I say ‘you made me better.’ It was that kind of friendly competition and now it’s just completely different where you’re just like, wow, okay, so, it is what it is and all I care about is that I leave the Sooners the right way.”

You would think winning three straight Women’s College World Series titles would be enough to cap a career. Nope, Gasso and Oklahoma want more.

The Sooners are 42-4 this season and a favorite to four-peat. A seven-time champion head coach, Gasso won four titles as coach between 2000-17, including two straight in ‘16 and ‘17.

To win four in a row would be absolutely insane, as if three wasn’t crazy enough.

While Gasso and the Sooners won’t top last year, going 61-1 and winning the title, they’re nearly the same dominant team in 2024.

The SEC better be prepared.