Patti Gasso

University of Oklahama Softball Team

Head Coach

WINS: 1,565 LOSSES: 361 TIES: 2

81% WINNING PERCENTAGE

Coach Gasso recently was highlighted at the KLOVE awards and this was part of her speech to the audience,

“I think we've all been in that place where maybe we're sitting in our car and our car is stopped. And that song comes on and you just start bawling your eyes out. And that is something that I have felt many times. And I wanted my players to understand and feel that there's much more to life than winning games. And if you know the state of sports right now, there a lot of anxiety and mental health happening here And the only way to get through that is through Jesus And so it is really real.
I got to tell you this team is unapologetic. They sit on the presser row and they just praise the Lord up and down and nobody's taking notes. Nobody wants to hear that. So I'm very proud of that. I'm proud of the fact that they share their faith openly. And we aren't at a Christian school, but I thank our administrators for allowing us to have the freedom to do that. It's Oklahoma.
I'll also share with you that after every game, they invite the opponent to pray with them. And even after we beat the Longhorns - the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns are locked in arms and praying together, which is a beautiful, beautiful sight. I just want you all here to know, you artists and K-Love, what you're doing is not just changing lives, you're saving lives. You are saving lives. Our players are listening to your songs in our locker room, unapologetically. and not everyone in our team are Christians, They are playing it on the bus They’re playing it in our stadium And the fans are standing up with their hands raised high - Praise the Lord. So I can't thank you enough for the beautiful music that you all.”

Patty Gasso, widely hailed as the "greatest to ever do it" in college softball, has transformed the Oklahoma Sooners into a dominant force, achieving unparalleled success and cementing her legacy as a pioneer in women's sports. Recently, her influence expanded globally with her selection as the head coach for the USA Women's Softball Team through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

As evidenced by her KLOVE awards speech, Coach Gasso unequivocally expresses her faith. My profound respect for Coach Gasso stems from her unwavering commitment to her Christian beliefs. In a culture increasingly hostile to overt expressions of faith, she has consistently remained true to herself, never allowing external pressures to compromise her convictions. This steadfastness is truly remarkable, and I am deeply impressed by her and the young women she has positively influenced. John Maxwell says that leadership begins and ends with influence. Go sit in on a post game press conference for the Oklahoma Sooners softball team and as you will witness a prime example of influence at its most impactful.

I want to begin at the end - that makes sure that you know some of the incredible things about Coach Gasso at the start and be motivated to read this article to the end.

Beyond the impressive statistics, Gasso's impact is measured by the hundreds of lives her program has shaped. She is a torchbearer who has raised the bar for investment in the sport, becoming the first softball coach to earn $1 million annually and a central driver behind the $48 million ballpark Oklahoma opened in 2024. Her "desire for perfection" is a hallmark of her 31-year tenure.

As was mentioned in the beginning of this article, Coach openly shares her faith and allows her players to do the same, even though Oklahoma is not a Christian school. Her team listens to Christian music unapologetically in the locker room and on the bus, and after games, they invite opponents to pray with them, including rival Texas Longhorns. Gasso emphasizes that there is "much more to life than winning games," and that getting through the anxiety and mental health challenges prevalent in sports requires reliance on "Jesus". She specifically prays for athletes, particularly female athletes, who are struggling with the pressures of social media.

A Coaching Rise and the Genesis of a Dynasty (1990-2000)

Gasso's coaching journey began in the late 1980s in the local high school ranks in California. At 27, she took over Long Beach City College's (LBCC) softball program in 1990, compiling a 161-59-1 record, four conference championships, and two regional junior college titles over five seasons. At LBCC, Gasso instilled blue-collar principles and exacting standards, including mandated 6-mile jogs designed to build mental endurance, not just physical fitness.

In 1994, Marita Hynes, then a senior administrator and former Oklahoma softball coach, recruited Gasso to lead the Sooners, seeking someone to build on the program's recent momentum. Gasso, eight months pregnant with her second son, DJ, accepted the job and brought her ethos and three LBCC players, including infielder Christine Benyak, with her to Oklahoma. The early years at Oklahoma were characterized by a fierce dedication to perfecting every detail, with practices including dress codes for road trips and daily 5:30 a.m. workouts. Gasso even checked her players' refrigerators.

It hasn’t been easy

Despite leading the Sooners to a 71.8% win rate from 1995 to 1999 and reaching the postseason each of her first five years, the foundational work came at a cost. By the 1999 offseason,

Gasso felt disconnected and frustrated, considering resigning after the 2000 campaign to return to California.

She made less annually at Oklahoma than at LBCC, and as a single mother raising two sons after her husband returned to California, she struggled to manage the demands on a slim salary. However, on May 21, 2000, after clinching the program's first Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearance, Gasso and Hynes shared a tearful embrace, signaling a turning point. The Sooners went on to upset perennial power UCLA in the 2000 title game, marking their first national championship.

Building a Winner Through Evolution (2001-2012)

After their initial triumph, the Sooners often fell short for the next decade, making WCWS trips but not advancing past the second round, and experiencing super regional losses.

This period prompted Gasso's crucial willingness to evolve and embrace change.
While her core principles remained, she adapted to new video tools and scouting technologies, embraced the latest fitness trends like CrossFit, and more recently, welcomed the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).

The most transformative shift, however, came in recruiting. Recognizing the need to break the West Coast powerhouses' hold on top recruits, Gasso leveraged her roots in the Long Beach travel ball scene. The 2000 title bolstered Oklahoma's credibility as an attractive landing spot, allowing Gasso to chip away at Southern California's talent pipeline. While only three of the 16 players on the 2000 team were from the West Coast, by 2013, Oklahoma's core consisted of Californians, leading to their second national championship. From 2021 to 2024, nearly a third of the Sooners' roster hailed from California, demonstrating Gasso's success in turning Oklahoma into a "destination" program.

Master Motivator and Evolving Coaching Style (2013-2017)

Gasso's longevity at the sport's pinnacle is partly due to her appetite for reinvention and continuously reshaping her coaching style. She has blended her earlier, tougher approach with a more connected style, surprising former players by cracking smiles in the dugout and dancing with her team after wins. Gasso herself states that she,

"started listening instead of talking,"

realizing her players "yearn" for a deeper connection.

A testament to this evolution are the one-on-one breakfast or lunch meetings, often held at IHOP, where Gasso checks in with players away from softball, discussing school, faith, and family. This practice has fostered deeper trust, and Gasso notes she has "surrendered her ego" in recent years.

Her creative motivational tactics are legendary. These include staging faux locker room tantrums with her son, DJ, after ejections to "send a message". She has used interviews with sports figures like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, films such as "Gladiator" and "Secretariat," covert ice cream, and even required Janet Jackson quotes for communication in 2019. A poignant example of her motivational genius occurred weeks before the 2013 national title, when an EF5 tornado devastated Moore, Oklahoma. After a game was rained out, Gasso organized relay races with young girls from a impacted youth softball team, reminding her players "what matters and why we play". The 57-4 Sooners then swept through the WCWS, clinching their second title. Back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017 further solidified Oklahoma's status as a national power.

Managing from the Mountaintop (2018-Present)

Oklahoma's historic run of four consecutive national championships from 2021 to 2024 coincided with a national boom in college softball's popularity, bringing heightened pressure and expectations. To manage this, Gasso made insulating her players a chief priority, cutting down weekly media obligations, recalibrating daily routines, and even scaling back the program's official social media presence.

Gasso focused on sharpening her team's collective mentality, often testing their resolve herself. She had players engage in visualization exercises in cold tubs, meditate in the outfield grass, and concentrate on small details. This fostered a "siege mentality" or "bubble" among the team, where it was "21 [players] versus everyone," shifting focus to the process over results. This approach resulted in a remarkable .937 winning percentage over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, allowing players to "play free" and continue lifting trophies.

In 2025, with 14 new players on the roster, Gasso led the Sooners to their ninth consecutive WCWS appearance, describing the journey as unexpected and incredible.

Legacy and Impact

Patty Gasso's coaching résumé is arguably the best in college softball. Since arriving at Oklahoma in 1994, she has accumulated 1,565 wins, produced 84 All-Americans, secured 17 Women's College World Series appearances, and won 8 national championships, including the historic four consecutive titles from 2021 to 2024. Andrea Martensen [Davis], a member of the 2000 national title team, states that Gasso is "just the greatest to ever do it". The Sooners under Gasso are now discussed alongside dynasties like UConn women's basketball and Alabama football.

Patty Gasso's selection as the USA Women's Softball Team coach through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has been met with enthusiasm from OU students, who believe she "deserved the nod" and expect "gold for sure" from Team USA under her leadership.

There are very few people that I admire and respect as much as I do Patti Gasso. I am very proud that she is a Coach at the school that I have cheered for and supported for almost 65 years. Good luck to her as she continues to move forward.

You made it to the end - thank you.

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Until next time,

Expect ot Win!

JIM

#xp2win

#ChasingBetter

Patti Gasso - Living Legend: Coaching Series