SUPER REGIONAL PREVIEW: Sooners taking on familiar nemesis in Seminoles
The Skinny
When listing the accomplishments of Sooner softball under coach Patty Gasso, you begin with the national championships of which there are seven.
Then, perhaps, the additional number of times the Sooners have played for a national title, of which there are two, in 2012 and ’19.
Yet, get beyond that and, in a way, it’s even more impressive.
Oklahoma, the NCAA-appointed No. 2 national seed is meeting No. 15 seed Florida State in the best two-of-three super regional round beginning Thursday evening at Love’s Field and, would you believe it, it’s the Sooners’ 14th straight trip to the super regional round, last failing to advance to softball’s Sweet 16 in 2009 when, somehow, Tulsa eliminated the Sooners at the Norman Regional, only to then be eliminated by North Dakota State.
Go figure.
But should OU prevail this weekend, it would mark the program’s ninth straight trip to the Women’s College World Series, a tournament the Sooners last missed in 2015, failing to advance through the Tuscaloosa Super Regional.
Also, because you must be wondering, the last time OU missed NCAA regional play altogether came in 1993, under coach Michelle Thomas-Grost, two seasons before Gasso showed up in Norman, before Marita Hynes Field, originally simply called “The OU Softball Complex” existed.
In Florida State, the Sooners are taking on a band of Seminoles that’s hitting its stride again.
The Seminoles won 14 straight games between April 6 and April 28, before a 15-13 nine-inning loss to in-state and out-of-conference rival Florida sent them into a bit of a spin. Next, Florida State dropped two of three at Syracuse, a team that Claimed only nine ACC victories. The Seminoles responded with two ACC tourney victories, only to fall to Duke, the No. 10 national seed, in the championship game.
Yet, upon returning home for regional play, Florida State’s been golden, needing just three games to advance, topping Chattanooga, Central Florida and Auburn, clubbing the Tigers 10-2 to earn its way to Norman.
The Sooners are coming off consecutive regional victories over Cleveland State, Oregon and Oregon again, notable for the competitiveness of the two victories over the Ducks and the standout pitching of Kelly Maxwell and Nicole May.
More on them below.
The Sooners and Seminoles have history.
The programs met in the WCWS championship series both last season and two years prior, the Sooners prevailing in both, sweeping a year ago and coming back from a game down in ’21.
They also met in the regular season last year, a 5-4 Sooner victory notable by how many pitchers Seminole coach Lonni Alameda chose to throw at OU: four, even though most were pitching well when replaced, thus giving rise to a new strategy against Sooner bats, never letting them see the same pitcher twice.
This time it’s to get to the World Series, OU trying to keep a long streak going, Florida State trying to break its string of reaching every other WCWS since 2014 by finally getting there back-to-back.
Enjoy.
The Schedule
This week
NCAA Norman Super Regional
At Love’s Field
No. 2 Oklahoma (52-6) vs. No. 15 Florida St. (46-14)
Thursday: Oklahoma vs. Florida State, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Friday: Oklahoma vs. Florida State, 6 p.m. (TBA)
Saturday: Oklahoma vs. Florida State, TBA, if necessary (TBA)
Last week for OU
NCAA Norman Regional
— def. Cleveland State 5-0
— def. Oregon 6-3
— def. Oregon 3-2
Record: 52-6
Conference record: 22-5
Conference tournament record: 3-0
Norman Regional record: 3-0
Streak: Won 7
Last week for FSU
NCAA Tallahassee Regional
— def. Chattanooga 3-2
— def. Central Florida 5-1
— def. Auburn 10-4
Record: 46-14
Conference record: 19-5
Conference tournament record: 2-1
Tallahassee Regional record: 3-0
Streak: Won 3
OU Numbers
Entering last week
Games: 55
Batting average: .367
On-base percentage: .473
Slugging percentage: .654
Earned run average: 1.84
Strikeouts/walks/innings pitched: 321/109/338
Opponent batting average: .188
Fielding percentage: .980
Errors: 28
Unearned runs allowed: 8
Entering this week
Games: 58
Batting average: .365
On-base percentage: .471
Slugging percentage: .651
Earned run average: 1.82
Strikeouts/walks/innings pitched: 347/109/358
Opponent batting average: .187
Fielding percentage: .980
Errors: 29
Unearned runs allowed: 9
Leaders
Batting average: Rylie Boone .416 (Ella Parker .413)
On-base percentage: Jayda Coleman .538 (Ella Parker .516)
Slugging percentage: Tiare Jennings .816 (Alyssa Brito .800)
Runs batted in: Tiare Jennings 62 (Ella Parker 57)
Home runs: Tiare Jennings 21 (Alyssa Brito 16)
Triples: Alyssa Brito 4 (Rylie Boone 1, Kasidi Pickering 1, Avery Hodge 1, Jayda Coleman 1)
Doubles: Ella Parker 14, Tiare Jennings 14 (Rylie Boone 12, Alyssa Brito 12)
Hits: Alyssa Brito 68 (Tiare Jennings 65)
Runs scored: Jayda Coleman 66 (Alyssa Brito 59)
Stolen bases: Ella Parker 15 (Maya Bland 8)
Earned run average: S.J. Guerin 0.70; 10 IP (Paytn Monticelli 1.11; 19 IP)
Wins: Kelly Maxwell 19-2 (Nicole May 14-2)
Innings pitched: Kelly Maxwell 123 1/3 (Nicole May 80 2/3)
Strikeouts: Kelly Maxwell 129 (Nicole May 90)
FSU Numbers
Entering last week
Games: 57
Batting average: .338
On-base percentage: .423
Slugging percentage: .588
Earned run average: 3.67
Strikeouts/walks/innings pitched: 248/154/364
Opponent batting average: .263
Fielding percentage: .968
Errors: 51
Unearned runs allowed: 38
Entering this week
Games: 60
Batting average: .335
On-base percentage: .421
Slugging percentage: .580
Earned run average: 3.60
Strikeouts/walks/innings pitched: 258/167/385
Opponent batting average: .259
Fielding percentage: .969
Errors: 52
Unearned runs allowed: 38
Leaders
Batting average: Jaysoni Beachum .425 (Michaela Edenfield .389)
On-base percentage: Jaysoni Beachum .516 (Michaela Edenfield .509)
Slugging percentage: Michaela Edenfield .824 (Jaysoni Beachum .746)
Runs batted in: Jaysoni Beachum 65 (Kalei Harding 64)
Home runs: Jaysoni Beachum 15, Michaela Edenfield 15 (Kalei Harding 14)
Triples: Amaya Ross 7 (Kaley Mudge 4)
Doubles: Isa Torres 14, Kalei Harding 14 (Kaley Mudge 12)
Hits: Jaysoni Beachum 77 (Isa Torres 67)
Runs scored: Amaya Ross 61 (Jaysoni Beachum 53)
Stolen bases: Amaya Ross 28 (Devyn Flaherty 16)
Earned run average: Ashtyn Danley 3.12 (Makenna Reid 3.37)
Wins: Ashtyn Danley 18-5 (Makenna Reid 12-1)
Innings pitched: Ashtyn Danley 137 (Makenna Reid 87 1/3)
Strikeouts: Ashtyn Danley 101 (Makenna Reid 75)
Sooner Notables
The more things change …
Beginning around mid-season it appeared the Sooners’ top two pitchers, Kelly Maxwell and Nicole May, were being chased by both Kierston Deal and Karlie Keeney. Yet, even as Deal and Keeney continue to carry better ERAs than Maxwell and May, they’ve struggled in relief. Keeney, for instance, allowed three hits and two runs to Oregon last Saturday without getting an out. So here we are entering super regionals and we’re back to Maxwell and May, who were both very good at the Norman Regional.
May actually got two starts, throwing five shutout innings at Cleveland State, striking out nine without a walk, and five more innings at Oregon, allowing one earned run, striking out six without a walk. Maxwell, meanwhile, tossed seven innings at Oregon on Saturday, allowing a single hit and a single run, saving her own victory after Keeney gave back the chance to finish in the seventh, before then earning a save in relief of May on Sunday. It’s interesting how Gasso appears not to want May to pitch beyond five innings. Nonetheless, it worked last weekend, perhaps it will again this one.
Bullpen? What bullpen?
Keeney relieved May against Cleveland State in the Friday game before failing in the same role in relief of Maxwell on Saturday. Deal has been very good as a starter, but not so good in relief. S.J. Guerin and Paytn Monticelli, despite tiny ERAs, appear all but forgotten in the Sooner bullpen, having thrown 26 innings total. Gasso will do what she has to do, but it’s not clear what that will be. Maxwell can always relieve May, but can May relieve Maxwell given Gasso’s aversion to May closing her own starts?
It could be OU’s Achilles’ heel.
The Sooners appear to have four pitchers with enough innings to have proven themselves, yet, perhaps, only one and three-fourths pitchers Gasso truly trusts and not because she’s stubborn but because she has reason. We’ll see what happens, this weekend and, good chance, beyond.
Still an historic offense
Though the numbers have all come down from mid-season highs, the Sooners still count five .400 hitters in Rylie Boone (.416), Ella Parker (.413), Kinzie Hansen (.410), Jayda Coleman (.403) and Alyssa Brito (.400). They also have Kasidi Pickering (.381), who’s come up with huge hits, and homers, when needed and Tiare Jennings (.374) may still be their most dangerous hitter, leading the squad in slugging percentage, home runs, RBIs and doubles. Even OU’s worst everyday hitter, Cydney Sanders (.252), carries a higher on-base percentage (.473) than Boone (.455), OU’s top hitter for average.
It’s a whole lot to hold down.
Seminole Notables
What’s culture worth?
Perhaps the best thing Florida State has going for it is its own history. The Seminoles are used to super regionals, used to reaching the World Series and should feel just fine having to make the trek to Love’s Field. They should not be afraid of the moment and they’ll need it given the apparent discrepancies between the teams.
Florida State sports a fine offense, but not a powerhouse like OU’s. Florida State brings fine pitching, yet it’s not in OU’s league, just take a look at the discrepancies in earned run average, strikeouts per innings pitched and opponent batting averages.
While the Seminoles claim two very big bats, belonging to Jaysoni Beachum and Michaela Edenfield, who’d be right at home in the top half of the Sooner batting order, they’re the only two.
Running game
Florida State does one thing significantly better than OU and that’s run. For the Sooners, Jayda Coleman has swiped 15 bases in 18 tries and Maya Bland 8 of 11. For the Seminoles, it’s Amaya Ross, who’s been successful on 28 of 31 attempts; Devyn Flaherty, who’s swiped 16 of 18; Kennedy Harp, who’s swiped 9 of 9 and still others. All told, OU’s stolen 61 bases in 74 tries this season, while Florida State’s managed 84 of 99.
Additionally, while the two squads’ doubles totals are virtually identical — OU 96, FSU 95 — triples are a different story: OU 8, FSU 19.
Look for the Seminoles to push that advantage every chance they get, not just trying to gain extra bases, but turn momentum, too.
Fielding issues
There’s no other way to say it, but that Florida State has issues in the field. Its fielding percentage is .969 compared to OU’s .980, and if that doesn’t seem like much, what it’s led to has been. To date, the Sooners have committed 29 errors and given up nine unearned runs. The Seminoles have committed 52 errors leading to 38 unearned runs, a mammoth number of more than one every two games that does no favors to a pitching staff whose best hurlers earned run averages are in the 3s.
Until next time …
Clay: After reading Tahwee Walker explain the OU mess that forced him to transfer, I'd love to see you delve a bit deeper into that story. Walker said exactly the same things that any OU fan with half a brain was asking at the time: Why in the hell isn't this guy starting and being the go-to RB! Injuries were everywhere in that room and they went with anybody still standing rather than Walker, the obvious choice. I've heard that he and the RB coach had a falling out, but that's on the coach for not doing what was best for the team...which was to play Walker a lot! Inquiring minds want to know!