AllSooners Softball Show, Ep. 9
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00:00 What's up, welcome back another week of the all Sooners softball show and it's a super sized episode
00:06 for a super sized weekend the Oklahoma Sooners open loves field and
00:12 My what a facility it is
00:15 stunning beautiful
00:17 Expansive I think my good friend Eddie Radosavich put it best
00:21 They literally built a palace for Patty gas
00:24 So what an incredible weekend it was and it was bookended by a pair of thrillers a seven inning contest Miami of Ohio pushed
00:31 Oklahoma to the limit the Sooners won the opener at loves field then a pair of run rules on
00:38 Saturday an easy performance on Friday night
00:40 Then the stunner Louisiana upsets the Sooners snaps the NCA record 71 game winning streak on Sunday
00:49 We're gonna dive into all of that with my good friend, but oh you alumni Nicole Mendez. She hopped on
00:55 She joined the show gave us a ton of time breaking down loves field the games all that stuff
01:00 So stick around on the other side
01:02 We're gonna dive right into that interview with Nicole and then we're gonna close out with some thoughts
01:05 From Alyssa Brito Jada Coleman Patty gas
01:08 So Kinsey Hanson all of that will dive into and more here on the all Sooners softball show
01:14 Fired off right now
01:16 You
01:18 All right, what's up we're gonna get right into it you can see her like right next to me
01:28 But if you'll allow me I personally have not got to do this for a hot minute. So we are now joined
01:36 by two-time national champion
01:39 She is the queen of the triple. She was an Olympian is the Olympian will always be an Olympian
01:46 She is the host of the I'm so terrified. I'm gonna tongue twister this
01:50 10 teams two rings podcast a softball America part of their expansive podcast network
01:57 She's an all-around great human. You've heard her on flow. You've heard her on ESPN
02:01 You've heard her on the OU radio broadcast and it's one of the better humans. I know in the entire world
02:09 It's the coal Mendez. Sorry, Nicole. I've had a little uh, I've been sad
02:13 I haven't got to roll that out here in a hot minute
02:15 Yeah
02:17 I know right if you all the fireworks boom
02:22 There we knew I was forgetting one the double thumbs up
02:25 Excited I am to be here
02:29 Always showing me all of her zoom stuff before we actually got going got recording
02:33 If you don't know Nicole and I did radio together for two great years, then she left us
02:39 She's on the bigger and better things. No, I I'm so stoked. Well, you can hear on all the great flow stuff
02:45 You heard her as Oklahoma open loves field on Friday
02:48 I'm not gonna reveal your whole schedule, but I'm sure she's all over the place
02:52 She said regionals all that fun stuff for ESPN Nicole. Welcome aboard. Thank you. I'm happy. We finally got to link up
02:57 I'm so happy my gosh. I've missed our weekly chats had him for two years. I know you've had
03:05 Everyone's had it up
03:09 But what better show to bring you in there's so much to cover
03:15 Obviously a five-game set loves field opens up a winning streak comes to an end all that stuff
03:22 Too much to like hit all deep dive. So let's just start at the beginning Nicole Friday. We all gathered for a
03:29 monumental day not just in
03:32 Oklahoma softball but Oklahoma sports in
03:35 The landscape of women's sports collegiate sports pro sports
03:39 It was setting standards loves field and before you even get to the game and the thriller that kind of opened up the weekend
03:45 Nicole it's finally here. I have an inkling that you were recruited saying that you were probably gonna play in that stadium
03:51 I think that's kind of how all facilities kind of go is that at some point someone's like you're gonna play in a new stadium
03:56 But what was it like to finally see that just palace in person? I
04:02 Mean I was talking with Erin Miller and she's like I've been hearing that since oh eight and I was told that
04:07 whenever I was an eighth grader and
04:09 I was on my very first visit to Oklahoma and it was something you dream about you think about obviously I would have loved
04:17 Loved to play in that stadium, but walking in I immediately got a little teared up
04:23 I got to see a ton of alums and all of us that whole entire weekend not just Friday, but the whole weekend
04:30 we're just talking about how special it was because
04:33 coach gas so I think
04:35 the legacy that she has created for herself and
04:39 for softball and for women period is so incredible so to see her be able to
04:48 build and
04:50 Get to the place where she was at Reeves. She went to Marita now. She's at loves fields. It's just
04:56 mind-blowing
04:59 And I just think of all all the things that she's done and it just makes your heart happy because you're like man
05:05 This is it. This is worth it. I was talking with Toby Baldwin. He's a sport
05:08 Admin for OE softball and he was saying that he's this is the largest women's
05:14 Stadium built for a women's sport and college that has ever been built and I'm like man
05:21 That is so cool because little kids are walking in here and they're saying this is normal
05:27 This is great. But this is normal. Of course, of course stadium should look like this. And so for me
05:32 Getting to see that level and it'd be yeah, that's normal. Of course is
05:38 So incredible so what it meant not just to see that beautiful stadium, but what it means for
05:44 Sports female sports in the future. It was just such a special moment to be a part of
05:49 Got to talk with them. These a DJ Sanchez, excuse me, and she talked about how when she's a college DJ Sanchez
05:56 I
05:58 Another one
06:00 Like when you looked at it you stepped in and it felt like it was a major league baseball
06:05 Ballpark like that style of ballpark just scaled for college athletics, right?
06:10 I thought it was really cool. It really felt like that
06:13 It felt like there were I got to walk around a couple of times
06:16 I'm sure you did and no bad seats in the house and all that. Yeah, she talked about how spacious it is
06:22 Just how many seats are there? There's obviously the video board. It's a it's a iconic showpiece the state of Oklahoma video board
06:29 Classic
06:31 Did you happen to see it at night when the like outline was LED?
06:35 I haven't seen at night Josie was bragging about it and he was like I
06:40 Told them you know what we should do. We should do some LED lights
06:45 So whenever you're driving at night
06:47 you can see it illuminated from the road and you could be like what's that and you still notice the stadium even in the nighttime and
06:54 I just
06:56 Details the details everything so incredible. Yeah iconic though all the way down to
07:01 the old Marita Hines wall out
07:05 The third baseline when you saw that what what did that do to you?
07:09 No, I'm like I'm late in front of that wall. That's my that might be my favorite thing
07:13 I think because coach Caso always talks about
07:17 How the players before us you have players like Melissa Lombardi you have players like Jen Rocha
07:24 You have players like Lauren Chamberlain amber Flores like amazing athletes who came before us and had to play
07:32 that Reeves Park who played at Marita Hines and brought those fans in and built that fan base and
07:38 She's like that's what they built like you're getting to be where you are now because of them
07:43 um, and she always always emphasized like
07:46 Looking back at what past teams had done and learning from them and knowing that and connecting that knowing your history as a softball program
07:55 And so to be able to see those walls just up there how cool right?
08:00 I was just so special because it was like man like I was a part of that and you could see
08:05 everybody who has been a part of that from
08:09 Early on up until this last 2023 season. So it was just very very incredibly special
08:15 It's the pad you pulled down. It's the pad that
08:18 Everyone when you when you see Oklahoma win a Super Regional
08:22 Sprint out to the outfield bring it back in that now hangs at loves field
08:28 I thought that was for me
08:30 That was the coolest thing on the stadium side here and stuff here and stuff about there's a full-size artificial turf infield
08:38 Underneath that then the ceilings high enough that you can hit pop flies and the batting cages come down from the ceiling
08:45 So like all of that stuff's good
08:47 When it's done, it's beautiful. I got to
08:51 walk through right now that side of
08:54 That indoor space that locker room that medical room training room all that right now
09:01 That weight room. It's it's unfinished
09:04 it is a skeleton of what it is going to be but
09:08 Their their emphasis was we want to build this with the convenience in mind
09:15 We want to build this with the athlete in mind
09:17 We want to build this for not just this athlete but the athlete eight years from now ten years from now
09:22 Like are they gonna be able to enjoy these amenities? And so I think it's just really incredible
09:28 It's unbelievable seeing Nicole and over 13,000 fans across three days packed in to see five fun contests in different ways
09:37 two absolute thrillers the weekend was bookended by a
09:40 Seventh inning comeback another seventh inning comeback the push into eight innings and a record was snapped
09:46 We'll dive into all that. But first let's go to that Miami of Ohio game on Friday the opener
09:51 Patty gasso the whole weekend
09:54 She talked about how with all the fans in there and it being right on top of you
09:58 It felt like a Women's College World Series atmosphere
10:00 Something that usually you ramp up into and we've talked about this with all the newcomers, right?
10:05 Nicole that usually you get a Hall of Fame classic. So you play in the stadium in OKC
10:10 5,000 fans then you get regionals and supers and the Big 12 tournament that you're able to like build up into that
10:17 But in the middle of March, you just toss that down. It was really emotional for the team on top of that Nicole
10:22 They didn't get to step onto the field and actually play on it until Friday. So they're learning
10:27 Off the wall they're learning
10:30 Oh when it clears the a pop fly when it clears the overhang the wind gets after it does different things
10:35 And on top of that they were facing off against my Ohio who had come into the weekend
10:40 With the most home runs in college softball did nothing to hurt that case as they blasted five. It was a
10:46 thrilling game on Friday
10:49 Yeah, Friday was such a fun game and I think
10:52 What a way to open up Lossfield. I mean how fitting yes, everybody loves a run rule
10:59 But whenever you get games like that
11:01 I mean games like that grow the game games like that make fans of the sport fans of the teams whether you're
11:08 Miami, Ohio or your Oklahoma, you're like man. That was a great game. Like I enjoyed that you're in it the whole time
11:16 I know as an announcer I was like, oh wow, this is such a great back and forth back and forth back and forth. I
11:23 Just think that whenever
11:26 You're Oklahoma
11:29 you are
11:30 Waiting on this day. I mean we talked about okay, you see the little poster
11:35 It's gonna be the field you're gonna play on one day and these seniors in their last year
11:40 They're getting to play on this and I mean there's ten of them
11:43 There's a lot so being able to experience that being able to go through that is so big and then it's your last first
11:50 game
11:52 ever in college
11:54 And it's at this brand new stadium and then I was talking to Cassidy Pickering's parents and they were saying Cass told us
12:01 The really loud like everything just kind of echoes whenever you're on the field and I was like, yeah
12:07 That's a World Series feel right there. And if you can get that
12:12 sucks that
12:14 Sunday they ended up losing but if you can get that and you can experience that day in day out during conference
12:20 You're not gonna be surprised you're gonna be like, yeah, this is normal. This is normal
12:25 I thrive in this kind of environment. So I think it's amazing what that opening day was
12:31 The performance the battle the back and forth the crowd. I mean just goosebumps the entire night
12:38 It was incredible. I'm imagining what's gonna be like Baylor series what's gonna be like for bedlam and certainly
12:44 For postseason when that comes around it's gonna be a ton of fun and
12:48 Case in point. So you're talking about Nicole Nicole may got the start in the circle. She is always
12:54 Outwardly as cool calm collected. This is someone that is a true freshman
13:00 Started a super regional game that appeared on ABC
13:03 this is someone that's been through three wars at the Women's College World Series as far as
13:08 different trips local has been through and
13:11 She looked like as close to nervous as I've ever seen Nicole may look I think it just kind of speaks to
13:16 Everyone knew what that meant going all the way to the dedication ceremony. That was so great 11 a.m. Being up early
13:23 It was such a long day learning the stadium wanting to put on a show for the fans all that
13:28 It was a really emotional day and you could tell at the end of Friday. We talked to
13:34 Kinsey Hansen and we talked to Alina Torres and they were just drained. Yeah, they
13:40 They had a lot of emotion they had to get to the stadium at 9 a.m
13:47 On Friday and get there hitting in just because there's timing there's so much stuff to do you had the ceremony
13:54 They spoke at the ceremony. There was a little private meet-and-greet before everyone else was allowed on the stadium
14:00 They got a peek and then you go back and you rewarm up and then you get onto the field first time ever
14:06 There's a lot of chaos and moving there being shuttled like we talked about the indoor not quite ready yet. So shuttles between
14:13 Marita and then you warm up and then you go. Okay, you gotta hop on the shuttle bus and then you go back to
14:20 Love's field and it's just a lot of chaos. So I can't definitely imagine
14:27 How tired they must be because also they're coming off of preseason
14:31 I was there last weekend of preseason, but they're coming off of a ton of traveling trips. I can just
14:35 Really drain a player
14:38 Preseason is not for the faint of heart
14:40 Especially if you live in the Midwest and the weather is not great
14:44 so for them the ability to
14:47 Find time to reel in their emotions there wasn't a lot of that and so
14:57 You could definitely see the nurse with him this weekend. Yeah, you saw there's on Friday. I think on Saturday
15:02 They kind of had settled in a little bit more as they had to pretty clean performances. I've likened them
15:08 I've started calling Nicole
15:10 Economic run rules where you just get to eight and that's enough
15:13 But you don't have and it's not the 14 15 poured on type thing
15:16 Then you get to Sunday where it was a Louisiana team. They'd already beaten
15:20 I think that mentally and after the game Kinsey Hanson did what she was not letting this happen as an excuse that they were mentally
15:27 Drained anything like that, but patty gas so talked about they needed the rest
15:31 They it was a draining weekend and you got a Louisiana team huge credit to them
15:36 they were up for it, but at the same time it's about as a
15:39 Mistake riddled game as I've ever seen like a patty game. Let's call it what it is, right? It was an ugly game
15:46 It was I mean you got three errors that were credited a couple more plays that weren't errors
15:51 But should have been by yeah by by Brito or it's ya re like things plays that they normally
15:57 Yeah, yeah, you had two mistakes on second base one of Jada Coleman leaving early. They're the Kinsey Hanson being aggressive
16:06 It basically the reason the seventh inning happens because my name is not my house. Excuse me, Louisville
16:14 Louisiana third times a charm we're all coming down from it
16:17 But Louisiana misplays one of those balls that goes from protecting on the overhang into the shallow outfield
16:22 You get a ball go through a catcher's legs who had been a stud
16:25 It was a miracle. It was frankly and I gave walked in two runs
16:29 Before we talk about the game. I want to ask you about this. You were a part of that 21 team that was
16:36 Chasing the home run record not something that was like active like you guys were thinking about but it was there
16:43 How much of an extra as you got further and further into the season and teams knew you were inching up on that?
16:49 Did you send to me extra juice from like pitching staffs and stuff?
16:52 Like I want to shut this down anything extra because it feels like when
16:55 This team's on the win streak that they're on and you guys had huge win streaks all throughout your your career
17:01 the more closer and closer you get to like a
17:04 30 or a 40 or a 50 like it doesn't matter if you've been if you've been run ruled by Oklahoma
17:10 Every team is as fired up as can be to hop on and try and snap that streak
17:14 I think whenever
17:18 You win a lot
17:21 it
17:23 it's really hard to
17:25 Stay hungry all the time. You still want to search for success
17:29 but it becomes
17:32 difficult
17:34 To compare yourself against what you can do and that's always a goal, right? And I think Oklahoma they
17:41 handle it so so well and
17:44 After a while it can get really hard
17:48 Especially whenever you're tired, especially whenever you're fatigued now
17:52 excuses no, it was a mistake riddled game and
17:59 Louisiana's just they played better. They did they had a better scout plan. They had better execution
18:05 They caught Oklahoma off guard
18:07 They made the right plays and then Oklahoma just made enough wrong plays for everything to fall into their favor
18:13 but I think it can be really hard whenever you're in that win streak and
18:18 I think Oklahoma does a good job of not paying attention to it, but it's more so
18:25 Self team. How do you stay hungry? How do you stay challenged? And
18:30 It's not that you're not wanting to win. It's not that you're not wanting to get better, but it's just difficult. It's difficult and I
18:39 remember that senior year our streak got snapped by Georgia and
18:45 We were not expecting that at all. I mean we took that game and we prepped for it. We were ready for it
18:51 we are excited for it and
18:54 We wanted to go into that game giving it our all and a couple of errors couple mistakes
19:00 Things go right for the other team and we found ourself with a loss
19:04 But I know one thing is you get that loss
19:07 What do you immediately do afterwards? So I am really excited to see Oklahoma bounce back on Tuesday. I think
19:15 their response is going to be very very telling their response is gonna be everything and
19:22 If you can figure out, okay, that's done. It is what it is. That was great. That was historic
19:28 We still have a season. We still want to end at number one at the very last game like that circle
19:34 They're gonna be able to move past that pretty quickly
19:37 If they were to wrapped up and to focus on the streak
19:41 It'll take them a little bit to get back into the group. So I think it's just a matter of
19:46 Priorities and now they have that. Okay. Well
19:50 Now we have something to prove now. There's a standard which we can measure ourselves against again
19:56 And I think their response is gonna be very very telling I
20:00 Would love to be able to sit back and view that practice on Tuesday
20:05 I bet it's the best one of the year not close like what one of those things and then I think that
20:09 Oklahoma's obviously crush sure they play. Well, they play Wednesday. They've got a an M commerce on Wednesday
20:16 They I was about to say Oklahoma crushed by losing as anyone always is
20:21 I think that the second saddest team in the country was poor Texas a time commerce who will be walking into
20:26 Good luck have fun
20:30 We won't hold that one against you to our friends from a an M Commerce
20:34 but you look at it and I was gonna sense the cold that
20:37 We talked to Jada Coleman today on the radio show and she was just like yeah, you lose games in softball
20:44 Everyone knew that was gonna happen and into a certain extent
20:46 I think that this allows the team to exhale that they've not looked as crisp as they're going to in June
20:52 But how do you guess who knows that locker room knows if you play your best softball in February?
20:56 You're not gonna win a national championship. It doesn't matter how good you are
20:59 and so and so you look at it and
21:02 It's not like they were just outgunned in this game and oh my gosh
21:05 Like Kinsey Hanson never drops the ball at home plate that happened
21:09 You got more errors and scuffed balls from Tiare and Alyssa Bredo that you'll get probably through half of big 12 play combined
21:16 Carly Keeney doesn't just walk into run like it felt like anything that could go wrong went wrong for a call
21:21 I'm missing first
21:23 Yeah, like just not not running through and you know, Patty gas after the game talked about that
21:29 It was a runners in your fit
21:30 so missing first
21:31 but also just not running through the bag like all those little things that like you would have to
21:35 it's a miracle like if Kinsey Hanson dropped a ball like that at home plate and that's the only thing that happened in the game you'd
21:41 be like
21:42 What just happened? What like that doesn't happen with Kinsey Hanson and it did it did it was just the perfect
21:48 So of everything going wrong, you know what?
21:50 I
21:51 would be stunned if they don't battle back and they're not better from it and if almost they could play free and loose again because
21:56 That even if they're not thinking about it on top of mine
21:59 Subconsciously, it has to be there knowing that every team's looking to snap a streak. Whereas now it's just the typical
22:05 every team wants to be at Oklahoma because they're the standard in college softball as opposed to they're the standard and also on a
22:10 71 game win streak and all the stuff that comes with that. Yeah, and I think again
22:15 if you
22:18 You can always challenge yourself to be better. But if you're winning games, you're like, yes, I could be better but we won right and
22:24 Oklahoma does such a good job with the little things that makes them so good and they did not do that on
22:33 Sunday and so the ability to go
22:35 Okay, all these things went wrong and we didn't win. We got to go back to it
22:41 I mean, I don't think they need to change everything
22:43 But they do need to lock in a little bit more on the little things
22:48 they need to get sharp on the little things because
22:50 Honestly, and this is coming from an alum. This is coming from somebody who loves softball who loves that program
22:55 Honestly, they haven't looked
22:58 very
23:00 Sharp in those little details and don't you have the bats have been great. The pitching has been great
23:06 They faltered a little bit this weekend
23:08 But there there's been moments where you're like those little things didn't look sharp
23:13 And so I think it just kept building and building now is the grand crescendo, right?
23:18 and I think
23:19 This is the moment for them to look back and notice all those little things and how they added up to that moment on Sunday
23:26 And go, okay, we got to get a little bit sharper on
23:30 The little things we need to be tighter on the details
23:33 It doesn't matter if you're tired or not if you can if you do a little thing, right consistently all the time
23:38 It's gonna pay off. So I think nothing better could have happened for, Oklahoma
23:43 I think this is gonna change their season of where they are at the end in June
23:47 It reminds me of last year. It just it didn't look right. They didn't look totally locked in together
23:53 They lose that Baylor game and it didn't really look like the first couple of days of the Mary Nutter
23:58 It was kind of that UCLA game where I think that they were like that team's now number one
24:02 We want that back. It was 14 nothing and then from there
24:05 Roll it rolled. So I'm like if I if I were an Oklahoma fan today
24:10 here on Tuesday, I would have hoped that
24:13 Everyone ranked him number two like that. Like I know that there's a lot
24:17 That would be the best thing for that locker room
24:20 If you know anything about this team that would be like the best thing in the world for them to be chasing
24:24 Texas the whole year or whatever it would only be helpful. I cannot wait for that matchup, Texas looks so good
24:32 Oklahoma, obviously, they're fantastic that matchup is going to be insane
24:38 Insane, so I've already got the hotel to put that game on ABC. Yeah
24:43 Yeah, they need to flex it up because I've got the hotel book for us
24:46 I told my boss for the year
24:47 It's like this series is gonna be the series of the year and I've only we've only looked more and more right as everything is
24:53 panned out which has
24:55 It's like the one time of year. I'm right on like one thing a year and that was it this year. I was like cool
24:59 I'm happy. No what?
25:02 Let's go back to year one of our radio show. I was waiting
25:07 I was talking about the Cajuns and you gave me so much crap for two years. I mean
25:14 Revenge is a dish best served cold three years later
25:19 And here it is right hurts my heart that I have to serve it against, Oklahoma
25:24 But here it is. I told you about them
25:28 Best served in gut with gumbo. I think it's probably
25:32 Gumbo a little po-po action
25:35 I I jokingly before the year was like we have to have you on to preview when Louisiana comes to town
25:41 The Cajuns your Cajuns will be here and look what happens everyone that's what you get for mocking me
25:47 Send your hate
25:49 Hey before I hop out of here
25:51 Is there anything else from the weekend that stuck out to you before?
25:53 We we let you pump all of the great stuff that you're doing as you've gotten so much bigger than hanging out with schmucks like me
26:00 Ah
26:01 schmucks I
26:02 Would say the fans the fans were
26:05 Unreal it felt again like a World Series game not even postseason a World Series game
26:12 The way that the stands just rise up the way that the crowd was just on their feet so loud. It was such a roar
26:20 If you're Oklahoma, you're saying thank you for supporting. Thank you for coming
26:26 Thank you for preparing us for the World Series for high-pressure situations
26:30 They were incredible and I'm really
26:35 Really looking forward to seeing again
26:38 Like you said a couple of matchups with Baylor, Oklahoma State postseason
26:43 the feeling in that stadium
26:46 It felt professional it felt next level and you could see it. You could feel it
26:53 You can hear it. The fans were awesome
26:55 I think I'd be remiss if I didn't touch on that like everything about that weekend was
27:00 pretty special
27:03 But the fans were
27:05 fantastic
27:06 It's gonna be fun. It's a weird thing
27:08 It feels like where you see loves feel grow a little bit this year too
27:11 Just cuz obviously was ready to host a game some of the cosmetic stuff not a hundred percent done
27:16 A lot of the work still to be done
27:17 It's like little press box top which is totally fine
27:19 As you mentioned that the team area some of the guts of the stadium some of the real amenities that the team's gonna get to enjoy
27:25 But I'm curious it's gonna look a little bit different
27:27 They're gonna have it landscaped around and not you know, some of the dirt and stuff
27:30 So it's gonna be kind of cool for those fans that are able to
27:33 Make it out a couple of times in year one bit to see this grow and remember back to it looked
27:39 Amazing and we can one and it's gonna look even better by postseason
27:43 It's gonna be a fun ride to be on as well as the ride that this team will be on together
27:47 Yeah, it's gonna be fantastic
27:49 It's awesome. Nicole. Thank you so much for taking some time to hop on with us
27:53 This is not the only place you can find a cold. Oh, obviously where you have tons of coverage wall-to-wall
27:59 It's it's incredible again
28:01 If you want to listen to oh you softball coverage first stop listen to Nicole then come to all Sooners after that
28:06 But if you want rest of the big 12 all that stuff, what all great stuff are you into this year?
28:11 Like you kind of mentioned at the beginning. I started a podcast in teams two rings. It is a bit of a tongue twister
28:19 I had to practice it a couple of times before I got it, right
28:24 But I I'm just talking everything big 12 so kind of expanding on what we did before
28:29 It was predominantly. Oh you and then we kind of went across the country
28:34 It has been so fun being able to learn a lot more about not just a conference
28:40 But the newcomers have you made she has UCF you have BYU
28:44 It is it's gonna be a really fun year for big 12 man. It is it's a it's a fun time
28:52 So I'm actually getting to interview tomorrow a really great athlete from Baylor
28:58 you have to tune in to find out who but
29:01 It has been fantastic. Just getting that insight and getting to talk about big 12 as a whole
29:07 It's great stuff. And no one doesn't like Nicole you have to let me know the next time you to link up with Mike White
29:14 Everyone knows he's my favorite human in the world. He's box office
29:18 Mike White's the best. I know people Mike White's awesome. I love my I'm saving
29:24 I've been wanting to talk to
29:27 Texas I'm like no you have to save them you have to save them for the week of OU, Texas
29:34 you have to wait because
29:36 that
29:38 Week leading up. It's all about preparation. It's all about nerves. It's all about everything. Everybody said early in the year
29:46 Coming back to haunt them. It's about all the craziness all the alarms all the fans
29:52 Texas fans, they're crazy as they should be. I mean, I can't wait to hear all about it from your favorite Mike White
30:00 It's gonna be great. It's gonna be so fun
30:04 Reese deserves a podcast every week the way that she knows
30:09 So but for all of that be sure you head over to listen to Nicole's
30:15 Awesome podcast ten teams two rings part of the expansive softball America crew. They do a great job
30:21 Stoked stoked stoked to have them doing what they do in the world of softball because it's deserved
30:26 I'm happy it's on this huge scale, but Nicole thanks again for hopping on and for talking some loves feel
30:30 Ah, my favorite as always. I feel like again as always time always flies by whenever chatting
30:37 I always have a good time. It does it does but stay tuned. I'm not done here on the other side
30:42 We'll talk with basically I'll show you here's what patty gas had to say
30:45 Alyssa Brito
30:46 Jada Coleman what a Kenzie Hanson tiara had to say Sunday after the loss all that and more coming up stay with us on the
30:51 all Sooner softball show
30:53 Again, big shout out to Nicole Mendez. She's so busy and she was so generous with her time hopping on go check out her podcast
31:01 ten teams two rings part of the softball America
31:05 Podcasts enterprise. All right
31:08 We're not gonna dive in a time to the games game by game Nicole and I talked about the Miami game talked about Louisiana game
31:13 Let's dive into what the players what patty gas so had to say first off the emotion of the weekend
31:19 I thought Kinsey Hanson talked on Sunday about how she was not having we were emotionally drained
31:27 She was not having that as an excuse for Sunday's loss that flat-out
31:29 They didn't deserve to win the game Louisiana played better Oakland made all those mistakes, but on
31:35 Saturday we did talk to Alyssa Brito and Jada Coleman
31:38 They had some stuff to say we're gonna listen to Brito first and then Jada Coleman not just about
31:42 What it was like to play at Loves Field for the first time
31:45 But what kind of stood out all of that as the Sooners took the field in their new home across five games this weekend
31:51 I felt like yesterday kind of since it was the first time we've been on there felt like a new home
31:56 Kind of just like a visiting team in a way
31:58 But now we kind of got a feel for it and got a feel for the crowd, too
32:03 So yeah, and she said I was kind of mesmerized about how many people were watching
32:08 Just being in the best stadium in the country
32:12 It's kind of hard to wrap my brain around while I was playing but today was definitely more settled in
32:17 That comment by Brito that it kind of felt like a visiting
32:21 Like the visiting team for a little bit was consistent across the weekend
32:24 And of course, there's what 4,500 Oklahoma fans packed in yelling back
32:28 That's not the part that Oklahoma talked about feeling like a visiting team
32:31 It was the fact that Alina Torres she told us on Friday that in the pregame
32:36 They're having to throw balls off the wall to see how it plays
32:38 And throw some stuff off the net and see how that plays and that stuff that you do when you go on the road
32:43 You don't have to do that as the home team because theoretically you've practiced
32:46 You know the stadium like the back of your hand
32:48 Oklahoma didn't know the stadium like the back of their hand which is fine. It's something that Wednesday
32:54 They'll get more practice in it
32:55 They've got a weekend series against Iowa State as the construction areas under the state and move along
33:00 They'll be able to get out there get on the field surface and practice. I think you saw it
33:03 Sunday I believe it was Cassie Pickering tries to play a ball off the wall
33:08 It rockets off the wall a lot faster than she thought it was going to and and that stuff that should get all
33:14 Tied up and all that but but something that maybe will be an adjustment period for the entire weekend will be the entire year
33:20 That is felt like there was a real home run tunnel to right field
33:23 Jada Coleman talked about if you kind of pop it up
33:26 It could fly ball looks like it goes it goes it goes and suddenly it's out the Oklahoma pitching staff had allowed two home runs
33:32 all year long
33:34 They surrendered eight across five games this past weekend
33:38 Here's what Patty Gasso had to say about the pitching specifically after things closed down on Sunday
33:44 I don't think they had the best weekend and I'll readily admit that to you. I mean, I
33:49 Don't know. I do feel that there was a little bit of pressure this weekend on everybody
33:56 Really, but the pitchers felt it. It's uncharacteristic for them to give up the amount of home runs and give up
34:03 runs period at times so again, we're human and
34:07 To be on the street that we're on it's just
34:10 Unbelievable ridiculously unbelievable and we take pride in that but it's over and we knew it was going to end
34:17 It's just when and so now we can just kind of let it go
34:22 And get back to work and go back to who we are which is blue-collar hard-working
34:27 hustling grinding type team
34:31 Wednesday, Oklahoma will have a chance to begin a new against Texas A&M Commerce
34:36 We're hosting the opening of Big 12 play Friday, Saturday, Sunday games against Iowa State at Love's Field
34:42 Just a little programming note because some football stuff going on Wednesday plus the game against A&M Commerce Wednesday night
34:48 I will not get a chance to record the All-Sooner softball show after
34:52 The midweek game on Wednesday, but as is the plan right now should still have our media availability per usual on Tuesday
34:59 So when we regroup on Thursday
35:01 We recap and everything that was said by Patty Gasso and the Sooners athletes
35:04 We get to speak with on Tuesday plus previewing Iowa State as the Sooners open things up
35:10 Remember you can find all softball content you want at allsooners.com
35:14 Every single press conference video whether it be midweek or post game game recaps for every single game every Sunday
35:21 I'm writing my weekend wrap-up my three to five biggest takeaways from whatever series just happening
35:27 Be sure you go on Twitter underscore Ryan Chapman the story pinned to my profile talk with Jocelyn
35:33 Alo, Kaylee Clifton, DJ Sanchez, Nicole Mendez about what Love's Field meant to them getting to see that thing open
35:40 It was a really really cool story great stuff from all those ladies
35:43 So thankful that they gave them a little bit of gave me a little bit of their time to link up with them for that
35:50 But as always for the entire all Sooners crew John Hoover, Randall Sweet, Ross Lovelace, Bryce McInnis and myself Ryan Chapman
35:56 Be sure you head to the website allsooners.com for all your needs and on the all Sooners softball show. We'll talk to you on Thursday