University of Oklahoma softball head coach Patty Gasso achieved a significant milestone by securing her 1,500th career win. The No. 2-ranked Sooners emerged victorious with a 2-1 win against UCF in Orlando, earning a series win in the process.
Led by left-hander Kierston Deal’s outstanding performance, Oklahoma limited UCF to only two hits throughout the game. Deal’s complete-game effort helped Oklahoma improve to 44-4 overall and 20-3 in the Big 12 conference. With this win, their “magic number” for clinching an outright Big 12 championship is now four, and three for a share of the title.
In the fourth inning, Sooners’ shortstop Tiare Jennings hit her 90th career home run, becoming one of only eight players in NCAA history to achieve this milestone. This marked the first run of the game. Kinzie Hansen drew a walk, followed by Ella Parker’s double, extending the Sooners’ lead to 2-0.
Deal’s dominance on the mound resulted in just one unearned run, two hits, and a walk allowed, along with four strikeouts. She completed the full 7 innings using only 92 pitches, improving her record to 11-1 for the season. In her last 12 starts, Deal has won 11 games, allowing only three earned runs over 57.0 innings, resulting in an impressive 0.37 ERA.
With Gasso’s 1,500th win at the Division I level, her coaching record at Oklahoma stands at 1,500-349-2 (.811).