Different Team, Different Year.

[Oklahombre]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Excellent post KC1.

[TropicalSooner]

To me, the thing that sets this team apart, not just from past Sooner teams, but from most if not virtually all softball teams in the history of the sport (at least to my knowledge), is that we have THREE aces. It wasn't that long ago that if it wasn't Keilani Ricketts' or Paige Parker's day to pitch, you didn't feel very confident about our chances. Most teams in the hunt have 1 elite pitching ace (and they run them out there as often as they can, especially in the playoff tournaments). Last year we had 2, with Bahl and Trautwein. Storako essentially replaced Trautwein, but then Nicole May came on this year in a way she hadn't yet last year. Not many teams (none except us?) can play a 3 game series and trot out 3 different pitchers and each one is just as good as the last one was. And if somebody doesn't have their best stuff some day, another one will.

Yes, the offense is not as explosive without Jocelyn Alo, which is to be expected, but there have still only been 7 games out of 52 when we scored less than 4 runs. And 4 runs is the most this pitching staff has given up in a game all year, and that's only happned 3 times. The lone loss is the one time those two things happened in the same game.

Bingo!

Looking at our recent championship teams ( I didn't go back to 2000) you have a lot of duo's intimately involved in the success of those teams. 2013 had Ricketts and Gascoigne, 2016 was the anomaly with the Sooners riding Parker all the way into the championship circle. In 2017, we had Parker and Lowary. 2021--Juarez and Saile (with May as a fledgling), 22 Bahl and Trautwein--until--the OSU series. There was no doubt Jordy and Hope were 1 and 2 and that left May to continue working on her craft. But after Bahl's injury, I think this was the beginning of the metamorphosis of May. Nicole won her game in the Texas series. Won her game in the OSU series. Won her game in the Regionals and Supers. Yes, she had the bad game against UCLA, but came back to anchor the middle innings of the final with Texas for the championship win last year. I think the last month of last year was where May found her footing and etched her place in upcoming 2023 season rotation.
With the addition of Storako in the off season, the Sooners pitching staff has become a three headed monster with the freshmen Deal honing her own craft under the wings of the three masters.

I admit I had a lot of concern as the Sooners wound their way through the early and middle parts of the season and we weren't getting all those run rule wins....but we were winning anyway. And of course the defense has been nothing short of high light reels all season long. But to change our identity like this?

I am eager to see how our offense responds as we switch gears and take on the post season challenges. I feel like the power we have ALL up and down the batting order can explode at any time. With the pitching we have and the support the defense gives to them, we can hold our own with any team we face. We absolutely DO still have to score runs to win. But I am definitely more comfortable going into post season with our "Three Headed Monster".

Like KC titled the thread:
Different Team, Different Year?

You Bet!

[OU Guy]

I sometimes think that less run rules is better long term. We get more real game experience. Pitchers get more innings to face different challenges (you can be way up yet still have individual batter challenges). I think all the extra innimgs helped get more olayers in and different combinations of players on defense. It provides Patty more options that are known in case of injuries or bad spells.

[inconnu]

I sometimes think that less run rules is better long term. We get more real game experience. Pitchers get more innings to face different challenges (you can be way up yet still have individual batter challenges). I think all the extra innings helped get more players in and different combinations of players on defense. It provides Patty more options that are known in case of injuries or bad spells.

All well and good...but, wouldn't you rather kick their barn doors in with 15-20 run explosions!?

[OU Guy]

I sometimes think that less run rules is better long term. We get more real game experience. Pitchers get more innings to face different challenges (you can be way up yet still have individual batter challenges). I think all the extra innings helped get more players in and different combinations of players on defense. It provides Patty more options that are known in case of injuries or bad spells.

All well and good...but, wouldn't you rather kick their barn doors in with 15-20 run explosions!?

Sure, but do that in playoffs

[1KCSoonerFan]

I watched the replay highlights of (2019?) OU vs Hofstra last night. Sooners won 17 to 3. Juarez pitched. We meet Hofstra again on Friday in the Norman Regionals.

I was always nervous about the first inning or two with Juarez back in the day. She seemed to often throw batting practice for the first inning. After that, however, she was money.

In the first inning or so, Hofstra scored three runs to nothing for OU.....and I felt shocked! Not used to seeing that this year at all. The 17 runs was also shocking for the same reason. (Alo hit two bombs in that game, and 6 were hit overall) Funny how that game seems like forever ago.

That is how that great team played often: solid pitching and defense with a mauling offense that could score 11 runs in one inning. Holy smokes!
That team was built differently than this year's team, IMO:

2019: Pitching very good and with less depth. Defense excellent (with Syd, CC, and Lyons). Offense a Juggernaut.
2023: Pitching excellent with excellent depth. Defense excellent with excellent depth. Offense good to very good with very good depth.

Of course, I am basing this on my perception and recollection - the raw stats may show a different picture.

Triple Option took it to the house with the observation, "...we have THREE aces." Nice audible!