Diamond Girls by michael kinney
T
he University of Oklahoma softball team played 61 games this season. In 57 of them, they came out on the winning side. That included the final contest of the season that clinched the programs second national championship at the 2013 Women’s College World Series. However, it was the second to last game that told the entire story of the 2013 Sooners. The 5-3 come-frombehind victory over Tennessee was a display of the Sooners talent, drive and character. After that win, they seemed destined to walk away with the top prize in the sport. “I don’t even know what to say, except I think that was the greatest game I’ve ever been a part of,” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “You know, Tennessee put some things together, but the resiliency of this team and the fight, and them following instructions of just find your way on, don’t try to be the big hero. I really don’t even know what to say. That was one of the most amazing comebacks I’ve ever seen. I can’t imagine. “I mean, it’s nervous on the field, I can’t imagine how people felt watching it. But this is a team on a mission, and, man, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Lauren Chamberlain’s walk-off, 2run homer in the 12th inning of Game 1 of the championship series didn’t win the national championship, but it took the heart out of the Volunteers, who were shut out 4-0 the next night to close out the series. “It means the world to be able to have that National Championship for our senior year,” Keilani Ricketts said. “Because we’ve had a lot of high points throughout our careers, but this is definitely the highest. I think we’ve built our way up to this point. Just to see these three girls have a tremendous year so far and for their senior year to go out so strong is awesome.” It had been 13 years since the first and last time Oklahoma raised a championship banner in softball. But this time was different. While the one in 2000 was all about the emergence of the Sooners as a powerhouse in the sport, this OU team seemed to be playing for a cause bigger than themselves. They were playing for an entire state. The May 20, EF-5 tornado that ripped through Moore was just a few miles from the Sooners campus. The storm took the lives of 24 people and
NORMAN magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2013
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6/28/13 4:08 PM