Patty Gasso's reaction to OU softball's Big 12 tournament loss? Sooners 'walk away with a lot of value'

OU softball coach Patty Gasso didn’t spend much of her postgame press conference after the Sooners’ 4-3, eight-inning loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game rueing the chances her team let slip away.

Instead, Gasso looked forward to next week’s NCAA Regionals and beyond, pointing to the benefits of the tournament to her pitching staff, in refocusing her offense and in the defense’s continued surge.

“We walk away with a lot of value as we go into postseason, which is absolutely where the money is at,” Gasso said. “Our ultimate of all goals is to always be a national champion. And if that is the way we’re thinking, then I know that I did the right thing by putting those two on the mound because we’re going to need them moving forward.”

Gasso was referring to using Hope Trautwein and Nicole May exclusively in the circle during the two tournament games. Gasso rested staff ace Jordy Bahl, who is dealing with some soreness, while putting Trautwein and May in pressure situations they hadn’t experienced much this season.

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That work with the pitching staff was at the top of Gasso’s reasons to feel relatively content.

Up until OU’s 4-2 loss to Texas on April 16, Gasso often said she felt like her team was just going through the motions, even with a 38-game winning streak to start the season.

But Gasso said that loss led to some of the Sooners’ best softball of the season, and she hoped Saturday’s loss to OSU would have a similar effect.

“This team is not happy with the defeat,” Gasso said. “They always seem to bounce back even stronger usually. They did that with Texas and I’m sure they felt it (Saturday) and they were not happy. They’re used to and wanting to always win championships, so when someone takes it from them, they don’t like it, and they respond.

“I hope and trust that in practice we’ll feel that. That’s what this was about really is getting ourselves prepared for the biggest prize there is in softball, and that is to be standing with the trophy at the end of the year.”

The loss doesn’t figure to affect the Sooners’ standing when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.

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OU will be hosting a regional and super regional and is almost certain to be the No. 1 overall seed.

While the Sooners are 49-2 this season, no other team has fewer than five losses.

Gasso was asked again about Bahl’s status after revealing after Friday’s game that Bahl was dealing with soreness.

“She’s got enough soreness that we don’t want to mess with that,” Gasso said. “We’re just kind of leaving it alone and just taking it day by day. We will know by next week where she’s at, but we’re just really not even picking up the ball or circling anything right now. Just kind of waiting to see from doctors when it’s time to check, and see where we’re at.”

The Sooners did have plenty of chances Saturday, leaving seven runners on and not drawing a walk offensively while Trautwein and May walked a combined six batters.

“I felt we were trying to be heroic,” Gasso said. “Felt like our swings, we were trying to get too big and saw a lot of flyballs today, which is something we needed to chance and we just adjusted a little too late.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball: Patty Gasso says Sooners Big 12 tournament loss has value