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Former OU softball pitcher Alex Storako surprises dad with trip to Mary Nutter Classic

ryan aber, the oklahoman
·5 min read

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — Rob Storako had been counting down the days.

Finally, late last week, it arrived.

His daughter, former OU pitcher Alex Storako, surprised him a couple months ago with a father-daughter trip to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

“It’s been so great to see how excited he is to be invested in a sport that has gotten me so far but it’s also growing,” Alex Storako told The Oklahoman. “And knowing that he’s been a part of it and helping me and developing me as a person and as a player.”

They watched the Sooners sweep through the event, going 5-0 and extending their NCAA-record winning streak to 67.

Storako played in the event just once, last season during her lone season with the Sooners.

“It’s crazy,” Storako said. “I knew it was crazy last year. The girls prepared me for it, the coaches prepared me for it. Mary Nutter is kind of a different breed, you don’t really realize until you come out here.”

OU pitcher Alex Storako (8) hugs catcher Kinzie Hansen (9) during a 14-0 win against UCLA last year in Cathedral City, Calif.
OU pitcher Alex Storako (8) hugs catcher Kinzie Hansen (9) during a 14-0 win against UCLA last year in Cathedral City, Calif.

Making the trip as a fan was an eye-opening experience.

“Just seeing how the fans are, reacting as a viewer and as a fan, I’m watching the little girls scream and jump for joy as they get their idol’s autograph,” Storako said. “It’s just so cool to see the inspiration vs. being on the other side and being the inspiration. I think it’s a whole different perspective.”

Storako and her dad have followed the early part of the season voraciously — not just the Sooners but the sport as a whole.

“He’s been locked onto the TV watching softball and texting me 24/7 now that I’m watching too and know that I just wanted to pay it forward and let him know how much I appreciate him,” she said.

Storako is readying for her second season with the Oklahoma City Spark and finishing her Master’s in Education and Intercollegiate Athletic Administration at OU. She’s also doing some radio work.

“I graduate in May and I’m kind of off to the real world,” Storako said. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing when August hits, but I’m kind of just letting it all happen.”

Here’s a look at what else we learned about the Sooners last week:

More: OU softball embraces the 'all over' chaos as rock stars at Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

No. 1 OU

Overall record: 14-0

Last week: 5-0 (Beat Mississippi State 9-3, Wisconsin 10-2 (5), San Diego State 7-0, Seattle 8-0 (6), Loyola Marymount 9-0 (5))

This week: At OU Tournament, Norman (vs. Miami (Ohio), 2 p.m. Friday; Liberty, 5 p.m. Friday; Louisiana, 11 a.m. Saturday; Liberty, 1:45 p.m. Saturday; Louisiana, 12:30 p.m. Sunday).

More: OU softball shuts out Loyola Marymount, pushes win streak to 67 in Mary Nutter finale

Getting deep OU pitching staff work a chore for Patty Gasso

Sooners coach Patty Gasso wanted to stretch her pitchers out more over the weekend.

But with three run-rule victories in five games shaving innings off games and an unusually deep pitching staff, that’s proved to be a challenge.

“Very hard,” Gasso said of managing her pitching staff. “Because they’re all viable resources for us. They all want more. They’re hungry, and that’s a good thing.”

Kierston Deal had a breakthrough game Saturday, throwing a complete-game, allowing three hits and striking out six with no walks in the Sooners’ 7-0 win over San Diego State.

“Coach (Jennifer) Rocha has built such an amazing platform and an amazing staff that when you get your opportunities, we talk about just going for it and being all in with that,” Deal said. “So it’s just been coming, I guess you could say, and it’s been really great.”

Deal was particularly effective outside the strike zone, getting hitters to regularly chase, leading to strikeouts and weak contact.

“It’s definitely something we’ve been working on for sure,” Deal said. “Just continuing to grow my arsenal and continuing to trust all my pitches through the zone has been a really big game-changer so now there’s different options of what pitches I can throw.”

More: OU softball in Mary Nutter Classic is a family reunion for Sooners star Tiare Jennings

Oklahoma's Kierston Deal throws a pitch during a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and North Central Texas College at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla. , Monday, Oct., 16, 2023.
Oklahoma's Kierston Deal throws a pitch during a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and North Central Texas College at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla. , Monday, Oct., 16, 2023.

Patty Gasso remains confident in Cydney Sanders

While OU’s bats came alive in Cathedral City, with the Sooners hitting .378 over the five games there, one hitter in particular struggled.

Junior first baseman Cydney Sanders went hitless in eight at-bats, though she did have three walks, a hit-by-pitch and an RBI.

Sanders is hitting .250 so far this season.

“Just get her confidence,” Gasso said of the key to unlocking Sanders offensively. “We’ve got good players that probably could be starting at other programs, so they’ve got to really battle here and sometimes that gets in your head and you force it.

“She’ll break out. She’s too good of a hitter. She’s not necessarily in a slump, she just needs to take advantage of the opportunities a little bit more.

Last season, Sanders was hitting .216 after 20 games, but rebounded to finish at .284, hitting the game-tying home run in OU’s Women’s College World Series clinching win over Florida State.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball at Mary Nutter: Surprise trip, pitching options and more