Oklahoma’s juggernaut of a softball program has continued its dominating ways this season, compiling a 50-7 record that includes a 30-2 mark in the Sooner State.
The two in-state losses were applied in late March by Tennessee, which faces Oklahoma on Thursday (2:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN), the first day of the Women’s College World Series at 13,000-seat Devon Park in Oklahoma City. The second-seeded Sooners are on a quest for a fifth consecutive national championship and a ninth overall, while the seventh-seeded Lady Volunteers (45-15) are still tracking their first crown.
“I think everybody is a whole lot different from March, and I don’t think that series means anything for this week,” Lady Vols coach Karen Weekly said Wednesday in a news conference. “Winning at Oklahoma — I think what that did for our team was give them the confidence, and we kind of came together and solidified some things in our lineup, but other than that, it means absolutely nothing as far as Thursday.
“It’s a brand new season, and we’ve talked about that at every stage of the postseason. Everybody is 0-0. You have some experiences that you can draw from, but it’s a brand new ballgame.”
The Sooners have won their five NCAA tournament games by the combined score of 44-5 with three run-rule victories.
Tennessee junior Karlyn Pickens picked up both of the wins in Norman, striking out six Sooners on each occasion and throwing a combined 206 pitches. That suddenly seems like a light load after the two-time Southeastern Conference pitcher of the year threw 284 pitches last weekend in the best-of-three Knoxville Super Regional against Nebraska that went the distance.
One of her pitches against the Cornhuskers was clocked at 79.4 mph, setting an NCAA velocity record.
“I would say my team fuels really all of my pitching,” Pickens said. “It’s just knowing that they’re behind me and that my goal at the end of the day is to win for my team.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.