How Jayda Coleman's 'unbelievable' catch lifted OU softball past Florida State into WCWS

NORMAN — Patty Gasso didn’t think there was a chance.

The OU softball coach had watched Jayda Coleman deke runners all the time.

“She’s going to catch it and everyone tags up and the ball is going over the fence,” Gasso said. “She fakes us all out.”

So when Jaysoni Beachum’s fifth-inning blast looked destined to land in the center field batter’s eye area, Gasso thought Coleman was just being optimistic as she timed things up.

But there was no fakery here.

Coleman robbed Beachum of a home run, setting the tone for the second-seeded Sooners’ 4-2 win over Florida State at Love’s Field to clinch yet another Women’s College World Series berth.

“I know this is weird, but I just kind of had this little tear, like a little tear,” Gasso said. “Because I’m so expecting of it. But that was unbelievable. And I’m just … then I look over and Cyd (Sanders)’s making a great play, like it just bled right all over on our team in a wonderful way.”

OU is in the Women’s College World Series for the 17th time in program history and the eighth consecutive time.

Oklahoma State is the only team with an active WCWS streak of more than one season entering this weekend’s action. The Cowgirls have made the last four WCWS.

In each of the last two WCWS Championship Series, Coleman has robbed a home run.

In 2022, it was Texas’ Courtney Day who fell victim to Coleman’s robbery.

Last season, it was Florida State’s Kalei Harding who was the victim.

“That’s tough,” Coleman said when asked to compare the robberies. “I like all my robbed home runs, I’m not even gonna lie. But I will have to say, I had 110% trust in Hannah Coor.”

Coor, the Sooners’ left fielder, was yelling to Coleman how much room she had before reaching the wall.

“Having 100% trust in your left fielder or your right fielder is key to making those plays and that was a reason why I was able to make that play. And just to see her face after I caught it, like, ‘Oh my gosh you actually caught it’ was the best thing out of all.”

Harding followed Beachum’s near-blast with a deep bomb to cut the Sooners’ lead to two. But Coleman’s play continued to resonate.

“I’m sure she has a Florida State highlight reel,” Seminoles coach Lonni Alameda said of Coleman. “I’m sure she does. We can see it in our brains. … She’s a special player.”

The Sooners spent time at practice in the week leading up to the super regional practicing plays at the wall.

“I actually got a really good feel of that this week,” Coleman said. “It’s good it was on JT (Gasso)’s agenda for practice because it came into play today.”

Here’s three more takeaways from the win:

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Patty Gasso thrilled with pitching staff

Kierston Deal’s start in the circle was as much about the future as Friday night.

After not pitching in last week’s regional, the sophomore got the call to start in the circle Friday.

“She needs to feel this moment,” Gasso said. “She handled it really well, handed the ball off.”

Deal made it through the first two innings scoreless but quickly ran into problems in the third, surrendering a home run to Beachum to lead off the inning, followed by a single to right by Harding.

After a deep flyout, Karlie Keeney came on to replace Deal.

Keeney went 2 ⅔ innings to earn the win, before Nicole May finished with two scoreless innings for her second save of the season.

“I think Nicole has been unfairly judged and she knows that we’ve got her back and we’ve got her support,” Gasso said. “This is a great example of coming in and just being an absolute boss on the mound and getting it done for the Sooners.

“So there’s no one in that moment that I would rather have than Nicole May because of her hard work and her professionalism as an athlete, but her absolute commitment and loyalty to this program.”

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Freshmen lead the way for Sooners

As Kasidi Pickering’s towering fly to left carried and carried, the roar built.

OU had just taken the lead, but it was the Sooners’ freshman’s two-run shot in the fifth that lifted the lid off the Love’s Field crowd.

It was a big day for OU’s freshman duo.

Pickering was 2 for 4, while Ella Parker was 2 for 2 with a run and two walks.

“These two are really going to take the reins of this program,” Gasso said. “When these 10 seniors are gone, the program will be in great hands with these two.”

With runners on the corners in the third, Parker took off from first, getting caught in a rundown.

Parker was tagged out, but the play allowed Tiare Jennings to come racing in from third for the game’s first run.

“Ella did a really nice job of creating the rundown,” Gasso said. “You create the chase with the second baseman and then you have to get her to stop, turn her body and try to throw to home plate, which is very difficult. So we gave up an out, but we gained a run and that was fine with us.”

Parker was at the center of the Sooners’ first run in the fifth, stealing second as a wild pitch sailed by, allowing Coleman to come around.

More: Watch: Oklahoma softball's Jayda Coleman robs a Florida State home run in NCAA Tournament

Up next: Duke or Missouri

The Sooners will open the WCWS on Thursday against either Duke or Missouri.

OU beat Duke 3-0 on Feb. 8 in their second game of the season.

The Blue Devils beat the Tigers 6-3 in Friday’s first game of the Columbia Super Regional.

The times for the opening game will be announced later this weekend.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball beats Florida State in NCAA Super Regional, earns WCWS bid