OKLAHOMA CITY — There’s no time for Oklahoma to linger on Saturday’s disappointment.
One day after falling to 6-seeded Texas 4-2, the Sooners will fight for their Women’s College World Series lives against Oregon.
The 16-seeded Ducks dumped Ole Miss out of the NCAA Tournament on Friday to avoid elimination themselves, and now Patty Gasso will have to take on former assistant Melyssa Lombardi for the second straight postseason.
“We’ll get ourselves ready for it,” Gasso said after Saturday’s defeat. “It’s a celebration. I mean, she has been with me for over 20 years, like a sister to me.”
There’s plenty of overlap between the 2-seeded Sooners and the Ducks.
Former OU star Sydney Romero is one of Lombardi’s top assistants, and another member of Oregon’s staff, Sam Marder, worked with the Sooners as well.
“We know them very well. It’s going to be a battle,” Gasso said. “We’re both fighting for our teams, but at the same time there’s absolute mutual respect, which feels good in this game, to feel like you can feel that way against a team that you’re playing against.”
The Ducks traveled to the Norman Regional last year, but fell in two completive games against the Sooners.
OU faced pitcher Elise Sokolsky a year ago, but Oregon has added Lyndsey Grein to the rotation as well.
Where the Ducks really excel is on the basepaths.
As a team, Oregon has stolen 173 bases.
That’ll serve as a big test for Oklahoma catcher Isabela Emerling, who has only gunned down three of the 19 runners who have tried to steal on her in 2025.
The Sooners will also have to deal with the stress of facing elimination for the first time,
A year ago, OU bounced back to beat Florida in an elimination game on its way to a fourth-straight title.
