The Oklahoma Sooners are champions in softball — again.
The Sooners just completed one of the most dominant seasons you’ll ever see in sports after sweeping Florida State in the Women’s College World Series.
Though everyone expected an Oklahoma win, the game didn’t come without tension. Florida State’s Mack Leonard hit a solo home run in the 4th inning to put FSU up 1-0. That lead was short-lived, though. Oklahoma’s Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons hit back-to-back homers in the 5th to give the Sooners a lead they’d never let go of. The rest is history.
Here’s the moment it happened. What a moment it was.
𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐆PILE 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/hkhNXGEIf1
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 9, 2023
This team is one of the most dominant teams we’ll ever see. And, of course, it is. Oklahoma went 61-1 on the season and didn’t lose a single game in the playoffs. With this championship, Oklahoma cemented itself as one of the greatest teams to play organized sports.
But if you still don’t believe that, here are four stats showing just how dominant this program is.
Oklahoma just won 3 straight championships
That, alone, is extremely impressive. It’s the 7th championship of the Patty Gasso era of Oklahoma softball, too, which adds another layer of greatness to this thing.
UCLA from 1988 to 1990 is the only other team to three-peat in the history of the sport. That’s it.
Final | Oklahoma 3, Florida State 1
Sooners seal 53 straight wins and the 7th national championship in program history, all under Patty Gasso.
OU joins UCLA ('88-90) as the only other team to claim three straight titles. Let the "greatest of all time" conversations commence.
— Eli Lederman (@ByEliLederman) June 9, 2023
That’s extremely impressive company.
The Sooners finished with the best record in softball history
The Sooners finished the season 61-1, which is the best record in the history of the sport. They went undefeated in the postseason and ended the year on a 53-game winning streak.
What more can you say about this team?
Oklahoma beats FSU 3-1, winning their 3rd straight national championship.
61-1. Best record in softball history.
53 straight Ws.
Outscored opponents 23-3 in #WCWS.
Jordy Bahl scored more as a pinch runner (2) than allowed pitching (0) in OKC.#Sooners pic.twitter.com/ZuUerkXL4N
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) June 9, 2023
Their only defeat came in a 4-3 loss to Baylor on February 19. That’s it.
Expanding out a bit, they've got a 176-8 record over the last 3 years
That includes a 53-game winning streak in their 61-win season this year. Plus, their point differential is absolutely out of this world. The Ringer’s Rodger Sherman has more.
Oklahoma softball over the past three seasons:
176-8 record
51-2 in conference play
1,718 runs scored, 231 runs allowed (743% more runs than opponents)
More home runs (433) than opposing total runs (231)
Back-to-back-to-back national titles pic.twitter.com/cSJAifnSuu— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) June 9, 2023
This is unreal.
They completely dominated every opponent
Bringing things back in a bit, the fashion in which we’ve seen Oklahoma dominate opponents has been amazing.
Not only did the team end the season on a 53-game winning streak, but they also had 35 shutout games and won 29 games by run rule, which is essentially when an umpire ends the game because of how dominant one team has been.
The 2023 Oklahoma Sooners are the greatest college team we have ever seen 🧵
61-1 record (best in NCAA history)
53 game winning streak (NCAA record)
35 shutouts (1st in NCAA D1)
29 run rule games
19 games with 10+ runs
28 wins vs NCAA Top 25 Teams (ESPN/USA Softball)(1/4)
— Alec Rapp (@AlecRapp) June 9, 2023
Y’all. It’s rare that we see a team dominate a sport like this. Oklahoma is doing it. We need to appreciate this while we have it. Congrats, Sooners. You’re the best we’ve ever seen.
