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NORMAN — The stakes couldn't be much higher this weekend in Norman.
It's not just welcoming No. 3 Texas to Love's Field for the annual Red River Rivalry series. The Sooners (39-5, 13-5) and the Longhorns (42-6, 13-5) are both tied for second in the SEC standings as they sit one game behind Texas A&M. Both teams are also still jockeying for playoff position and a coveted top-eight seed — the Longhorns are sixth in RPI rankings, while the Sooners sit in ninth.
Plus, there's all kinds of history between these two teams. The Longhorns won the regular-season series last year in Austin, but the Sooners snagged payback in the Women's College World Series final. The two teams also met in the WCWS final in 2022.
This year, not much has changed. Both teams are elite and have championship expectations.
"They've got power," Gasso said. "Big hitters. They've got speed. Very well balanced. Very athletic. Good arms in the outfield. Great catcher, one of the best. They've got it all. So this is a huge challenge for us. We've gotta have to have some success off of their pitching staff. Have a good game plan, stick to it. Not get too high, not get too low.
"Just keeping staying in the game, staying ahead of the game the best that we can, both with our minds and with the scoreboard."
Here's a few things to watch from the weekend:
SERIES SCHEDULE
Friday: 5 p,.m. ESPNU
Saturday: 11 a.m. ESPN2
Sunday: 1 p.m. ESPN2
PITCHING BATTLE
This weekend will showcase two of the best pitchers in softball.
OU will rely quite heavily on Sam Landry who has become the most important players for the Sooners. Landry boasts a 2.06 ERA in conference play, limiting opponents to a batting average of .174 while throwing 54 strikeouts. Landry will start in Games 1 and 3, and the Sooners won't be afraid at all to have her close out Game 2 if they need it.
She'll need to outplay the ace pitcher on the other side.
'The Sooners have plenty of familiarity with sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan. The Longhorns have leaned very heavily on Kavan, who has started 11 of the team's 18 conference games while pitching 72 of the 119.2 innings (60%). Kavan has been stellar, logging a 1.56 ERA to go with a .209 batting average. She has 84 strikeouts and has allowed just 16 earned runs and five home runs.
The Longhorns will likely throw Citialy Gutierrez (3.46 ERA) at some point. But the Sooners will see a heavy dose of Kavan.
"I think they're pretty talented," OU's Cydney Sanders said of Texas' pitching staff. "It shows. They've been winning a lot the past three years and I think Kavan is a really awesome pitcher. She's doing her thing. I think it's going to be a pretty good matchup for us to see where we are as a team with their good pitching and our hitting to see where we're at.
"And it's going to be a test of what we learned from the previous games that we've had. So it's going to be a cool sight to see. I'm very excited for it."
SOONERS' OFFENSE WILL BE TESTED
Kavan will be one of the toughest pitchers the Sooners have faced all season.
The good news? They enter with some momentum.
The Sooners' offense was solid last weekend against Mississippi State. They scored 19 runs across the three games, blasting a season-high five home runs in Game 3. It was a much-needed boost for an OU offense that has struggled a bit in conference play, ranking 11th in the SEC in batting average (.258) and ninth in runs scored (94).
"It was good to see this team start to build at bats off each other," Gasso said. "... They were bowing up. We’re going to score right after you and score more. You score again? We’re going to score more. The feeling in the dugout. They’re not saying it out loud. Feeling I got in the dugout, their mindset was we’re going to keep answering until they can’t catch us.
"It’s important because we’ve had a couple of tough weekends... Mississippi State had not been swept by any team in Southeastern Conference play. That’s saying something about their toughness. For us to be able to pull that off was wonderful for our morale, confidence and pitching staff. And the chase that we’re in. We don’t talk too much about it, but we do understand that we’re in the chase."
Kasidi Pickering has been the star for OU's offense. She's batting .423 in conference play, which ranks fourth in the SEC. But the Sooners are going to need contributions elsewhere. Only two Sooners are batting above .300 in conference play. The Longhorns have five.
The Sooners could look for offense from a variety of places. But make sure to watch Abby Dayton (.298 batting average) and Ailana Agbayani (.240). That duo has had ups and downs this season, but considering their experience — and the youth of the rest of the roster — the Sooners really need them to step up this weekend.
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