Last year, Lauren Eckermann stormed into Division I softball.

She immediately dominated, becoming not only the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Year, but the Big 12 Championship MVP, a three-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and a national player of the year finalist. She also earned first-team All-Big 12 and third-team All-American honors her first season out of Temple Junior College.

Eckermann tied the Oklahoma single-season record with 37 wins (against just five losses) and finished the year with a 1.66 earned run average despite the workload.

“By the end of the year, I know she was a little worn out, a little tired,” OU pitching coach Melyssa Lombardi said.

But this season, Eckermann is just one of the horses in the Sooner stable.

She struggled at the beginning of the season before leaving the team for two weeks for personal reason never disclosed. In the meantime, D.J. Mathis took over the ace role.

When Eckermann came back, she and fellow senior Jadyn Smith were getting Mathis’ rest starts.

And when she was in the game, Eckermann wasn’t herself.

“I think she was still trying to settle in,” Lombardi said. “I think it took a little bit longer for her this year.”

“I’ve worked through a few things, trying to get back on course, put some things together,” Eckermann said. “It hasn’t been the greatest season so far, personally, but this is when it counts, the postseason. I’m trying to get it all worked out so I’m ready.”

The Big 12 season arrived and everything started going right for Eckermann.

She finished conference play 5-1 with a 1.33 ERA, second only to Mathis’ 1.15 ERA in Big 12 games.

“She’s had some struggles this year, but she’s fought through it,” Lombardi said. “She did some good things in the Big 12 and really, I think her best is yet to be seen.”

The Sooners hope so.

Eckermann’s rebound during the conference schedule gave Gasso two strong pitchers, keeping the pressure off Mathis and keeping her ace fresh. But as last weekend at the Big 12 tournament showed, Eckermann is still doing something she didn’t do much last year: getting behind early.