Mathis plugged away, helping out where she could, yet wary of re-injuring her shoulder.

That tentative attitude was costly.

“I think I was really scared of coming back too soon and maybe tearing myself up again,” Mathis said. “It was kind of hard still being in pain and thinking I was supposed to be O.K.”

Things are looking up for Mathis, though. The Sooners are at the UNLV Desert Classic this weekend, meeting BYU at 2:30 p.m. today and Cal State Northridge at 7:30.

She’s a Norman girl now, and hardly gets a chance to go back home.

And she’s finally healthy and looking forward to a big season. When Eckermann and Mathis are both pitching well, the Sooners have a 1-2 combo in the circle that’s hard to beat.

For Mathis, things are just getting back to normal.

“(The shoulder) is pretty much as normal as it’s going to get,” she said. “It’s been awesome so far. It’s just nice to go out and throw without any worries of an injury or anything. I’m really looking forward to being able to to come out and throw healthy all year.”

Jeff Johncox

366-3535

jjohncox@normantranscript.com