Texas comes to town

Jeff Johncox
The Norman Transcript

April 26, 2008 12:27 am

— • Sooners host Longhorns for regular season’s final homestand
Before the season, if you had told Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso her squad would be rolling into the final four Big 12 games with just two conference losses, it’s a good bet she’d have been more than pleased.
Unfortunately, both those losses came at Texas A&M, and the Aggies’ lone loss, to Oklahoma State, just hasn’t been enough for the Sooners to overtake them in the conference standings.
OU (39-11, 12-2 Big 12) hasn’t won a regular-season conference title since 2000, when the Sooners won the national championship. And it’s unlikely A&M will fall twice in its last three Big 12 games, so OU will probably have to wait another year.
But the conference title is secondary for the Sooners. Red River rival Texas comes to town today for the start of a two-game series, and ending Big 12 play on a high note has repercussions bigger than a conference title.
“Honestly, we can’t decide what’s going to happen with A&M,” Gasso said. “We have to rely on other people to decide our fate, which isn’t a position you like to be in.
“We had our opportunity at A&M to do what we needed to do and we didn’t. We have to continue to move on and get better, and we’ve been doing that.”
The Sooners are trying to solidify themselves as a potential NCAA Regional host. A strong Big 12 record, and another strong showing the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City in two weeks, would give them a big boost.
But even if they finish strong, there’s no guarantee the Sooners would host. Just look at what happened last year. OU was the top-ranked team in the country and still had to travel to UMass for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“I know the reasoning behind that,” Gasso said. “The teams around us, in a 250-mile radius, just weren’t good enough to get in the tournament. That left them with few options.
“But I think if we get wins against OSU, Texas and Baylor, that would be something impressive for the committee to look at.”
OU swept the Cowgirls earlier this week in back-to-back games, and the Longhorns are up next for the Sooners in their very own rivalry week.
“It’s always exciting when Texas comes to town,” OU pitcher D.J. Mathis said. “It’s always an awesome environment to play in. We need to stay focused, though, like any other game. But I think there’s a little extra motivation knowing it’s OU-Texas and the rivalry there.”
Texas (25-17, 9-6) is in fourth place in the conference, but the Longhorns have won six of their last seven games.
Meagan Denny is 18-6 and has a 1.62 earned run average, but in 12 conference appearances, she’s 6-2 with a 1.53 ERA.
Loryn Johnson is one of the hottest hitters in the Big 12. The Longhorns’ two-hole hitter is batting .431 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in conference play. Tallie Thrasher has also been hot at the plate, hitting .350 with four homers and nine RBIs in Big 12 action.
While this isn’t the Texas team that dominated OU a few years ago under Cat Osterman, the Longhorns are still a formidable opponent. And with Big 12 and postseason aspirations on the line, the Sooners can’t afford to slip up, especially not at home.
“I’m not fooled by their record at all,” Gasso said. “I think a lot of people are. I know them. I know them enough to know they have good, talented athletes. They have good, powerful hitters, a good defense and a pitching staff that, when they’re under control, can handle anybody. They’re much, much better than what their record shows. We’re not taking them lightly at all.
“It’s going to be a tough weekend.”

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