The importance of Oklahoma’s victory over Texas in the opening game of the Women’s College World Series championship series was stressed by head coach Patty Gasso. To do just that, she teamed up with Oklahoma State transfer Kelly Maxwell, the finest player in the circle. But in Game 2, the 30-year head coach of the Sooners had a major choice.
She was aware that she couldn’t return to Maxwell, who had thrown 118 pitches in a complete game victory against the Longhorns and 148 pitches in OU’s victory over Florida in the elimination game two days prior to advance to the championship series.
Gasso remarked, “I did that once with (former OU star pitcher) Paige Parker,” after the Sooners’ victorious series victory to earn a remarkable fourth consecutive national championship. “I wouldn’t do it once more. That was not worthwhile. Gasso was alluding to an incident that happened in the 2017 WCWS. Parker finished his nearly seven-inning bullpen effort with 108 pitches in the Sooners’ 17-inning, 5-4 Game 1 victory over Florida. Gasso decided to open Game 2 of the series with Parker, but it was a bad move because Parker gave up three runs on four hits in just two outs of the second inning. Oklahoma proceeded to triumph in the match and claim a second straight national championship.
Obviously, Gasso had the 2017 situation top of mind as she was mulling over how to approach last Thursday’s potential close-out game with Texas. She had fourth-year senior Nicole May, who had started 20 games and won 14 during the 2024 season, ready to go. But she elected to go in a different direction and do something Oklahoma had not done the entire season.
Gasso threw everyone a curve by going with what in Major League Baseball is termed an ‘opener” followed by a committee that incorporates the entire staff and, ideally, closes the game with the best on the staff. And that’s where Maxwell came in.
Sooner fans no doubt were wondering why OU was starting the game with Karlie Keeney, who had started just five times the entire season.
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the second, but OU responded in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer by freshman Kasidi Pickering. Keeney encountered more trouble in the third, and with two outs, a run in and the bases loaded, Gasso summoned seldom-used pitcher Paytn Montecelli from the bullpen. Montecelli recorded the final out in the inning on an infield groundout, limiting the damage to one run
Sophomore Kierston Deal pitched the fourth inning for the Sooners, allowing a hit, a stolen base and an unearned run on a rare OU fielding error, as Texas regained the lead 3-2.
Oklahoma loaded the bases in the home half of the fourth, and Cydney Sanders cleared the bases with a three-run double in the gap in right center field, flipping the scoreboard to 5-3 in favor of the Sooners.
That proved to be the turning point and made Gasso’s strategy to keep the Texas hitters off balance by giving them different looks and pitching styles in the circle appear brilliant. The Sooners would score three more time in the sixth, but May and finally Maxwell, closed out the final three innings, allowing two hits and striking out five of the 11 batters they faced.
“It was exactly planned out, and it worked exactly as it was supposed to.”
– Patty Gasso
“It was new to us,” she continued. “What I loved is every pitcher had a part in this, for the most part.”
Oh, by the way, Kelly Maxwell was named the Most Outstanding Player in this year’s Women’s College World Series. That award plus the national championship ring she just earned should ease all the shaming she endured after leaving Oklahoma State and crossing the Bedlam rivalry for Oklahoma.
Maxwell is the third Oklahoma Sooner pitcher in the last four years to be named WCWS Most Outstanding Player, joining Giselle Juarez (2021) and Jordy Bahl (2023)
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