Best of the best from Oklahoma softball at WCWS media day

On3 imageby:Bob Przybylo05/31/23

BPrzybylo

One day away for Oklahoma softball as the Sooners look to win their third straight national championship.

Ranked No. 1 and with an all-time softball record 48-game winning streak, all eyes will be on the Sooners (56-1).

OU begins against Stanford at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

A best of the best from media day Wednesday featuring head coach Patty Gasso and players Haley Lee, Alex Storako and Grace Lyons.

The first meeting

OU took care of Stanford earlier this season. Much earlier, try nearly four months ago. Lee hit a two-run home run to force a 10-1 (6 innings) run-rule.

As for what you can take from a matchup Feb. 10? Admittedly, not much.

“We’re two completely different teams,” Gasso said. “I know that they’re so much better. NiJaree is now in their rotation. Every team starts, you have no idea – if we could remember back to our first weekend, we were looking around like what’s going on? We weren’t quite ready to play, and I think a lot of teams feel that way.”

Storako’s journey

Lyons has obviously been in this environment before. But it’s new territory for Lee and Storako. Lee coming from Texas A&M and Storako from Michigan to join the Sooners this season.

Storako had an idea of what the Oklahoma passion was about. Now that she’s experienced it for a whole season, she appreciates it even more to get this final chance.

“As I was getting recruited here even, just seeing that almost different world we kind of have with how our fans follow us and the details that are known,” she said. “And just the excitement that’s around us kind of 365. It’s really fun to kind of be able to outwardly express that kind of passion and excitement and emotion because you see that within us and in our team and how we play.

“Playing last weekend at Marita Hynes and hearing how loud and passionate our fans were, it was kind of a mirror of how we were in the dugout and on the field in every play.”

Oklahoma putting it all together

Everybody knew this OU team was loaded. But this has been next-level loaded as witnessed by the 48-game winning streak.

That doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process, and it’s one that is its own journey every single season. Something Lyons can appreciate.

“Every single year the team is different, and you kind of have to figure out how you guys want to rally each year,” Lyons said. “Coming up with maybe just like a team dynamic that will change slowly. We still stick to that championship mindset. That’s just how the Sooner program is and the legacy has left it, but each year is so unique.

“I think it goes to, one, the type of players that Coach recruits, just so open and kind and welcoming to everyone. We’re all competitors, but I think the human side is something that’s special that we don’t really give much credit to of how everyone is so unique, but we really rally around the fact that we are people too. And we have hobbies and passions, and a lot of us have a strong faith in the Lord, and I think that’s something that’s important to a lot of us. Knowing that it’s so much bigger than what happens on the field.”

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