OU softball rolls past Texas A&M, advances to Super Regionals

The top overall seed cruised past Texas A&M to secure its 12th consecutive Super Regionals appearance

May 22, 2022

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Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings (23) celebrates with teammates after scoring on a grand slam home run hit by Lynnsie Elam in the 2022 Big 12 tournament on May 13, 2022, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo / Sue Ogrocki)

NORMAN, Okla. — It was a normal day for Oklahoma’s softball team.

They arrived early for a team breakfast and relaxed in the locker room until it was time to mentally prepare for its regional final against Texas A&M.

Soon after the players departed to the field, Jocelyn Alo noticed a shift in her teammates.

“I just felt something different from the offense today,” Alo said, “and it started from the warmup.”

Twenty runs later, including nine in the first inning, Oklahoma secured its 12th consecutive Super Regional appearance with a 20-0 win over Texas A&M in five innings on Sunday.

It was the most lopsided win in NCAA softball tournament history, but not the most runs scored — the Sooners own that record, too, scoring 24 in last year’s regional-clinching win over Wichita State.

“Very proud of this team today,” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “Probably one of our best, complete efforts in all phases of our game, top to bottom.

“Fans were on fire. … So, just felt good momentum from the start. They looked loose. They looked fast with the way they were swinging, very aggressive, very disciplined at the plate.”

It started with Grace Lyons, Lynnsie Elam, Jana Johns, Taylon Snow and Jayda Coleman all driving in runs, Tiare Jennings scoring on an error and Jocelyn Alo hitting her 115th career home run to give the Sooners a 9-0 lead before Texas A&M’s offense had a chance to face Day 3 starter Nicole May.

The rout continued with another run in the second and four in the third, including a home run from Alyssa Brito. Jennings added a three-run homer in the fourth and OU tacked on three more runs in the top of the fifth.

May earned her second start of the weekend. She allowed no runs, no walks, two hits and struck out six in 4 1/3 innings worked. Macy McAdoo relieved May in the bottom of the fifth with two outs remaining and preserved the shutout.

Asked of what Gasso saw from May, a sophomore and whose received more opportunities to lead the pitching staff with Jordy Bahl still sidelined by an arm injury, the longtime OU skipper could not have been more complimentary.

“A boss is the best way to say it,” Gasso said. “Good mix of pitches, efficient, effective. They're a very good hitting team. Texas A&M can swing the bat. We saw that all day [Saturday] against us and also against Minnesota and they came back big. I thought Nicole just did a really great job of keeping them off balance.”

To think she did all of it after the top of the first inning took nearly 50 minutes to finish.

• Next: The Sooners will host their Super Regional against either Central Florida. Game 1 is set for Friday, May 27, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Game 2 is scheduled for the following day, starting at 1 p.m. on ESPN.

🎥 Postgame presser

📝 Notes

Texas A&M made three pitching changes with none of its four pitchers lasting more than 2 1/3 innings. The Aggies staff gave up 12 hits and struck out just two in the loss.
Oklahoma returns to the Super Regionals for the 12th consecutive postseason and 15th trip since 2005.
OU has won 37 of its 54 games by mercy rule. The Sooners run-ruled two of their three opponents in regional play.
Jana Johns continues to draw hits by pitch, securing her 93rd and 94th HBP of her five-year college career on Sunday.
OU improves to 52-30 against Texas A&M in the programs' all-time series. The teams last met on Saturday in a regional winner’s bracket game. OU won 3-2 to force Texas A&M to work its way out of the loser’s bracket into Sunday’s regional final.
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