Oklahoma arrived in Tucson Wednesday for its Super Regional showdown with host Arizona.

The Sooners were there in 2005 as well, bowing out after two straight losses. Though Arizona has won two straight national championships, the Sooners hope a reversal of fortune will be in order against a different Arizona opponent.

Once a small ball team, enveloped by slap hitters the Wildcats might bunt into scoring position and hope to bring in with a hit, it is now a team fully capable of going deep.

“I don’t feel the small ball coming at us a lot,” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “They have 88 home runs. They still have a couple slappers that can do things for sure, but their lineup is a lot stronger.”

In fact, it may be the Sooners who try playing more small ball this weekend, although they have plenty of big hitters, too.

At Tuesday’s practice, OU went through game-like situations and practiced moving runners along the bases, putting them in scoring position. That may be the weakest part of the Sooners’ game this season, and it may be required to score on Arizona ace Taryne Mowatt.

“It comes down to good pitching, having your pitchers be able to hold the other team,” Gasso said. “And it comes down to timely hits with runners in scoring position. Whether you have one out or two outs, you need to find a way to score. That’s what it all comes down to, being clutch.”

The Sooners weren’t clutch in last year’s super regional in the friendly confines of Marita Hynes Field.

OU was railed out of the NCAA Tournament by visiting DePaul in two games.

“Obviously, last year you could see we didn’t have that kind of clutch,” Gasso said. “We didn’t get people on or in scoring position, and when we did we’d get ground outs.”

The Sooners are looking to take that next step. They haven’t been to a Women’s College World Series in four years after going five straight seasons beginning in 2000, when they claimed the program’s first national championship.

“We feel very confident,” OU pitcher D.J. Mathis said. “We’re playing really well right now and we’re looking forward to the games in Arizona because they’re going to be a battle, for sure.”

The Sooners have seen Mowatt before. The last time the two teams met, at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., last season, OU dominated. The Sooners won 6-2 in the tournament’s pool play, then run-ruled the Wildcats 11-0 in the championship game.

That was two national titles ago for the Wildcats, but Mowatt may prove human again. At 27-12 with a 1.69 earned run average, last year’s World Series MVP has endured some rough moments. And at 39-16, Arizona has been strong but not too dominant most of the season.

Plus, coach Mike Candrea is on a year of leave to coach Team USA. Assistant Larry Ray has been running the dugout this season.