For Utah's DJ Gasso, WCWS trip is more than a reunion with OU softball family

DJ Gasso grew up on the diamond.

That should come as no surprise considering he’s the son of OU head coach Patty Gasso, whose storied career includes six Women’s College World Series championships and 15 Big 12 regular-season titles.

DJ spent his formative years rolling down the hills at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium and playing with the flowers. There are even photos of him being bottle fed by his mother on the complex’s practice field.

Those were good times for DJ, who knew he wanted to one day coach at that very venue in the Women’s College World Series. And that day has come.

Now an associate head coach for Utah, DJ will coach at the stadium where he spent much of his youth. The 15th-seeded Utes will begin their WCWS run with a game against seventh-seeded Washington at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

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DJ will also share a bracket with his mother, whose top-seeded Sooners are searching for their third straight national title. They'll begin their run with a game against ninth-seeded Stanford at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

“It's cool," DJ said. "I don’t think it’s really hit us that we’re both in the World Series. ... But I think once this weekend is done, we’ll probably look back and say, ‘Hey, that was pretty cool that we were all there.’”

DJ spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at OU before becoming an assistant coach at Utah in June 2020.

The Norman native has flourished in his new setting, becoming an associate head coach in December, and Utah’s program has also thrived since then.

After going 22-33 (3-21 Pac 12) in 2021, Utah went 42-14 (15-9 Pac 12) this season. It then secured a Super Regional win over San Diego State on Sunday to earn its first WCWS appearance since 1994.

“I think that’s probably the coolest thing of it all,” DJ said. “When I got there, (the WCWS) wasn’t a goal. It wasn’t anything anyone thought we could do. … Being able to have the team believe in that goal and that dream, I think the coaching staff is extremely proud of that.”

Patty is also proud.

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After securing its spot in the WCWS with a Super Regional win over Clemson on Saturday, Patty watched Utah book its spot from the comfort of her home.

“Watching it as a mom, I was kind of nervous,” Gasso said. “I said I was proud of him (after the game). He’s just done a really, really good job.”

DJ is set to accomplish a lifelong goal of coaching in the Women's College World Series, and sharing the same field as his mother only makes it that much more special.

But if DJ learned one thing from watching Patty rack up championships at OU, it's that the main focus for this weekend is winning games.

"You're not there to participate," DJ said. "You're there to win. I guess that's the Gasso family. We're a very competitive group, and we want to win. There was a moment of 'Congrats. That's awesome for you guys.' But you're here to win the thing."

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Cowgirls 'embraced' transfer portal

OSU head coach Kenny Gajewski knows what he’s up against on the high school recruiting trail.

When sixth-seeded OSU begins its Women’s College World Series run with a game against third-seeded Florida State at 6 p.m. Thursday, it’ll showcase one of the tournament's most talented rosters.

It’s also a roster that’s mostly led by transfers, due in large part to the hand Gajewski and his staff have been dealt.

“I have a hard time here convincing young high school kids that Stillwater is a cool place,” Gajewski said. “It’s really hard. I have a hard time with that. But instead of being upset at that, we’ve just embraced that.”

Gajewski and the Cowgirls have made up for their disadvantage on the high school recruiting trail by hitting the transfer portal. OSU has 14 newcomers on its roster this season, and seven of them are transfers.

Atop that list is All-Big 12 first team honoree Rachel Becker, a graduate transfer who spent her first four seasons at Purdue. Becker has recorded 28 RBIs and 61 runs on a team-high .449 batting average with the Cowgirls.

OSU also added a key piece inside the circle in Lexi Kilfoyl. The senior pitcher spent her first three seasons at Alabama, and she boasts a 15-5 record with a 1.82 ERA this season.

“We figured out that we can grab some portal kids because they have a better idea of what they want and what's most important to them,” Gajewski said. “We become very attractive in that moment, so we'll continue down that path."

Of course, there’s still value in bringing in high school prospects.

OSU has gotten plenty of production out of freshman Tallen Edwards this season. The former Southmoore High School standout has 26 RBIs and 40 runs to her name on .329 hitting.

Adding young talent is always important. But for Gajewski, he knows how to win in the ever-evolving recruiting game.

“Hopefully the winning will keep attracting some younger kids because I do want those kids to be here,” Gajewski said. “But the way the game is changing and with NIL and everything that we've got, we’re just going to jump right in and go and see where it takes us.”

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Alabama’s special support

For some players, the magnitude of the Women’s College World Series can be overwhelming.

But for Alabama’s players, they know it’s just softball.

The Crimson Tide enters the tournament with a different perspective thanks in large part to its biggest supporter, Madelyn Daigle.

Daigle, 6, is undergoing chemotherapy at St. Jude’s Children Hospital. And while it has been a battle for the Crowley, Louisiana, native, her constant support of the Alabama softball team is an inspiration to its players.

“We love her dearly,” graduate pitcher Montana Fouts said. “We always know we have our biggest cheerleader watching us. It's just perspective that softball is just a game and we are inspirational to other people, as well as she is to us.”

Daigle is all about Alabama softball.

She paints custom cleats for players such as graduate infielder Ashley Prange. She wears an Alabama softball jersey during her chemotherapy.

Daigle’s support provides plenty of motivation for fifth-seeded Alabama, which begins its WCWS run with a game against fourth-seeded Tennessee at 11 a.m. Thursday.

“She's been an inspiration for the team,” graduate catcher Ally Shipman said. “When you think about it, we could lose all the games in the world. But the perspective of her and her fight and her faith is really what has motivated us to get this far.”

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USA Hall of Fame Stadium’s growth

Lonni Alameda still remembers rolling down the hills at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in the early 1990s.

Alameda was an OU softball player at the time, and the recently constructed stadium was named Don E. Porter ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.

But plenty has changed since then for Alameda, who’s now the head coach for Florida State, and plenty has changed at the stadium.

Vacant hills have been replaced by bleachers in the 13,000-seat venue, which is the host site for the Women’s College World Series through 2035. Hall of Fame Stadium’s growth is a reflection of college softball’s growth, which continues to expand its fan base at a remarkable rate.

“We’re busting at the seams,” Alameda said of college softball’s growth. “I think when you get this venue to (expand), we dream about getting there. … If we don't get the game to the level it needs to get to, it's hard to fill the stadium where it's at.”

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Filling the stadium hasn’t been much of a challenge as of late.

The 2021 WCWS recorded a total attendance of 111,514, which came out to an average of 11,551 people per session.

Last year’s WCWS then set the single-day attendance record for the largest crowd in tournament history. A recorded total of 12,533 fans packed the venue to watch OU-Texas and OSU-Florida.

The growth of college softball isn’t lost on Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy, who first attended the WCWS in Oklahoma City in 1993. He was an assistant at Southwestern Louisiana at the time.

“I cannot tell you the differences of the facility,” Murphy said. “If I had a son, and he played in Omaha, I would want him to have the best experience of his life playing college baseball at the highest level. If I had a daughter, I would want her to have the exact same experience playing at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

“It's getting closer.  I applaud the NCAA, the committee, for doing that.  And I can't wait to get going."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: WCWS 2023: Utah's NCAA softball run is 'pretty cool' for DJ Gasso