Let's see if losing is a motivator to 3x NCs

[SoonerGirl1201]

I so appreciate all the comments after this weekend's series and hate starting a new thread. But I really think this will be a turning point for the team, either good or bad. Does losing motivate them? As was stated, the majority of players on this team have 3 rings. There is very little more they have to prove or accomplish. However, do they like losing? Perhaps the only thing that could motivate this team is losing. Check. Now let's see what they do to ensure it does not continue to happen. If it doesn't bother them enough, we may see more of the same. If it bothers them enough, perhaps that is the change we needed.

If this motivates them to reach that high gear we all know and love, it will have been worth it. This team, pitchers, hitters and all is good enough to win #8.

[OUBeliever56A]

I so appreciate all the comments after this weekend's series and hate starting a new thread. But I really think this will be a turning point for the team, either good or bad. Does losing motivate them? As was stated, the majority of players on this team have 3 rings. There is very little more they have to prove or accomplish. However, do they like losing? Perhaps the only thing that could motivate this team is losing. Check. Now let's see what they do to ensure it does not continue to happen. If it doesn't bother them enough, we may see more of the same. If it bothers them enough, perhaps that is the change we needed.

If this motivates them to reach that high gear we all know and love, it will have been worth it. This team, pitchers, hitters and all is good enough to win #8.

While I understand your post and what you are saying, I find it very hard to believe that the Sooners were not motivated to play against Texas. Were they less motivated than in 2021, or 2022 or 2023? I don't really think so. I believe each and every player that was wearing a Sooner uniform this weekend was very motivated to beat Texas and to keep things like Big 12 records intact.

I think the team is maybe struggling a bit with what each of their individual roles are. The shuffling of the lineup below the first three hitters is non-stop. Hitting basically anywhere between #4 and #9 can be really weird to handle I think by many players.

In the circle, to me, only 2 roles are known. Maxwell will start and May will start. Everything else is more or less unknown except that Keeney is a reliver. It is unknown when Geurin or Monticelli will likely pitch and for Deal, is she a spot reliver or a starter? I don't know about much of that.

With 7 returning starters that were all 'proven' I would have thought that we would have had a fairly stable batting order. That was a figment of my imagination.

I thought we would have the 3rd starter nailed down between Deal and Kenney by now also. It may be neither for now.

Boomer Sooner!

[SoonerGirl1201]

I didn't mean to imply they were not motivated. But as has been pointed out - this team is full of players that have 3 NC rings. At some point all the motivation and what inspires them has to change to some degree to really still get the best output. I do agree that the musical chair line-up always seems to cause issues every year. Every year I complain about it - and it seems like for the last 3 we have come to near misses and then it gets settled and we roll. This year was no near miss - it was a pretty big miss 2 days in a row. The batting lineup has to solidify and totally agree about players then being to learn their role.

Our pitching is more than good enough to win. I think the hitting will settle in once the batting order does and then I think it will really depend on how desperate to win (or not lose) the girls are as to whether we see #8 or not.

[jmac11]

I posted on another thread that it seems like we are still trying to figure things out. But we have a ton of talent, and the best head coach in college softball. I can't imagine how difficult it is to be the best year in and year out. Really tough level of intensity to maintain. Hopefully we can get some things ironed out.

[OUBeliever56A]

Okay, the word would be "inspired" or "desperate"?

I am not sure I feel that they are not already "all-in" on doing everything they can to win #8. I would be shocked if they were not.

I am not trying to be difficult at all. But the premise that they are not "fill in the word that fits", is surprising to me.

[inconnu]

Okay, the word would be "inspired" or "desperate"?

I am not sure I feel that they are not already "all-in" on doing everything they can to win #8. I would be shocked if they were not.

I am not trying to be difficult at all. But the premise that they are not "fill in the word that fits", is surprising to me.

It could be that mostly the problem was that it's hard to believe the txwhorns could have improved THAT MUCH, especially since we knocked both Gutierrez and Czech around pretty convincingly last year. We just weren't wound up enough. Also, our fluid batting order possibly added to the problem.(and,the tx losses to LosuR the previous weekend didn't help to jack us up)

[AustinTXSooner]

I'll play the contrarian on the batting order. Except for who leads off, our entire team hits well enough that it doesn't really matter what order they are in. I think we have the right person in leadoff. Nobody looks at the lineup and says I'm hitting 3rd, so I need to do this... It's not any different than hitting 6th or 9th. Go up there, don't make an out, and try to move any runners around.

I agree with the lack of pinch-hitting. We don't usually carry 6 pitchers, so that takes an extra bat or two off the bench.

We know today's pitcher won't be Maxwell. There's a minuscule chance it will be May. I'm expecting Deal and won't be surprised at all if it's Keeney. The weekend series starts on Thursday because it's BYU. They don't play any sports on Sundays.

[soonerindallas]

our entire team hits well enough...

After last weekend, I'm not sure that is true. We just are not the potent lineup we have been the last few years.

[inconnu]

Soonerindallas:
After last weekend, I'm not sure (that we hit well enought)is true. We just are not the potent lineup we have been the last few years.


We only lost one regular from last year(Lyons), and she was a spurt hitter. Very good at times, but not consistent. We blasted Czech and Gutierrez last year. With nearly the same players, and 2 additional, adequately successful hitting freshmen(Parker and Pickering), why are we sometimes coming unglued at the plate?!

[TropicalSooner]

Soonerindallas:
After last weekend, I'm not sure (that we hit well enought)is true. We just are not the potent lineup we have been the last few years.


We only lost one regular from last year(Lyons), and she was a spurt hitter. Very good at times, but not consistent. We blasted Czech and Gutierrez last year. With nearly the same players, and 2 additional, adequately successful hitting freshmen(Parker and Pickering), why are we sometimes coming unglued at the plate?!

We also lost another regular starter in Haley Lee, who was a very solid and consistent hitter. Furthermore, we had a much deeper bench with Nugent, Green, and Erickson--who were all very good at the plate. Granted the two new freshmen have been excellent replacements, but we did have a very strong lineup last year.
That said, we have rarely seen a time when everyone went cold all at once and nothing seemed to work like we saw last weekend.
That was just plain weird.

[inconnu]

WOW, I forgot about Lee!

Yes, bats got cold, and I'm not convinced that Czech and Gutierrez have become that much better pitchers. We haven't been up to our standards at base running, either.

[OU_Tom]

I don't think the statistics support that OU isn't batting well. Team is batting .382 with 11 players hitting .300 or higher

Screenshot_20240409-173450.png (446.44 KiB) Viewed 205 times

[SoonerGirl1201]

Soonerindallas:
After last weekend, I'm not sure (that we hit well enought)is true. We just are not the potent lineup we have been the last few years.


We only lost one regular from last year(Lyons), and she was a spurt hitter. Very good at times, but not consistent. We blasted Czech and Gutierrez last year. With nearly the same players, and 2 additional, adequately successful hitting freshmen(Parker and Pickering), why are we sometimes coming unglued at the plate?!

We also lost another regular starter in Haley Lee, who was a very solid and consistent hitter. Furthermore, we had a much deeper bench with Nugent, Green, and Erickson--who were all very good at the plate. Granted the two new freshmen have been excellent replacements, but we did have a very strong lineup last year.
That said, we have rarely seen a time when everyone went cold all at once and nothing seemed to work like we saw last weekend.
That was just plain weird.

I think we are definitely missing Lee (and maybe missing Lyons hitting just a bit too), but I can’t think of many if any games where Nugent, Green or Erickson did anything noteworthy enough to miss them this year. Maybe Erickson had a hit or two early, seemed like every time Nugent hit nothing happened and I don’t remember a single at bat for Green except maybe a sympathy at bat on senior day. Not trying to be harsh, but that’s how I remember it and I watched a ton of games last year.

[inconnu]

We hit the ball the first 2 innings for 7 runs, then went to PRE-vent on offense the rest of the game tonight in Wichita. HOWEVER, DEAL PITCHED GREAT! Hopefully, we have semi-patsy games for a while, til we play orange aggy, then Big 12 tourney, then all the national tourney games.

[1KCSoonerFan]

In Coach's post-game interview with Plank on the radio, Patty was audibly frustrated with the no-show of the offense from the 2nd inning on. She even commented that she was still emotional about it. Coach is not complacent about anything - and she accused the team of being too "oh well" about scoring. "We could have been on the bus heading home by now," was her paraphrased statement. It's the hottest I've heard her this year....no doubt because of a Texas sized hang-over. I don't blame her.

She also praised the defense and pitching. Even in their two losses, the defense and pitching was very good.

Seems like I can recall a couple games this year when the offense disappeared for multiple innings - only to reemerge for a crooked number in a single inning. We got the run rule win, but not until after an uncomfortable and awkward scoring drought. Or, we knock out the starter only to be completely shut out by the relief hurler for consecutive frames. The actual stats may show otherwise - that's only my feeling and perception about it.

Switch goes on. Switch goes off. I scratch my head as to why. I'm sure this happens to many other teams, too.

Texas showed EXACTLY how OU can get beat two out of three games: String together two ho-hum game performances at the plate, and you could lose despite the defense and pitching keeping a lid on everything else. One run scored in EACH of back to back games?! I was more surprised by this than if OU lost 5 to 7 and/or 6 to 8. I would have bet OU could score one run from switching sides of the plate - righties batting lefty, etc.

I know the team is hearing about it. And I really hope the lackluster play is only a motivational issue. I think the recent loses may have me a little too sensitive and focused on otherwise "normal" events in softball games. Maybe Patty is, too?