Kasidi Pickering with a chance to 'cement' she's back for OU softball

What a rare sight to see for OU softball last Saturday. Not necessarily with freshman star Kendall Wells being intentionally walked. Sort of started to think that might happen as she approached the NCAA single-season record.

No, but walking Wells to get to Kasidi Pickering? That sounds outlandish, based on everything Pickering has done for OU since arriving as a freshman.

But, well, the last month had been incredibly rough for her. Head coach Patty Gasso had even sat Pickering for a few games, just to try to recalibrate everything and get back on track.

Pickering came through with an RBI single in the 4-3 victory in Game 1 of the doubleheader. But then the big shot. Pickering had just enough on it for a three-run shot in the first inning of an eventual 6-4 victory.

It feels like Pickering is back for OU. However, the SEC Tournament? That could be a real chance to show everyone that Pickering is ready to tear it up when it matters most.

“I could just see a big exhale and a little celebration,” Gasso told SoonerScoop. “I think she has found her groove. You could feel it. you could see it in Her body language and the way she’s talking.

“There is just a joy that has just come back. I’m excited for her this weekend. It’s gonna be a big opportunity to really feel she is back. I think she tasted it, but I think we need to cement it.”

Tell freshmen anything this time of year?

I really tell them nothing because I don’t want to scare them. They just go in. Kai Minor is just leadoff and has not left that space and has kind of set the tone for us and Kendall is obviously in this big race that I am not even considering a race because I just keep telling her this that records are going to be broken whether it’s by you or someone else so just be you and not try and Lexi’s been clutch coming up and getting big hits. They’re all doing something really, really well for us. I’m not trying to talk to them about, ‘This is the SEC Tournament’ Just like, ‘Let’s go win it. Let’s go win a tournament.’

Kendall Wells adjusting to being pitched around?

I didn’t really feel much about it. I do know she kind of threw her bat to the dugout in a little bit of a different way of frustration, but it doesn’t bleed into her game at all. I think this is probably the best… I mean, she’s made some really unbelievable defensive plays, and her hustle is at another level. And it really was a scary moment when she went into their dugout, and she was grabbing her knee, and that’s when that’s not the good sign.

So I just can’t say enough about her offense. Everyone loves it. But if you watch the quickness that she has picking up bunts, I mean, she is jumping out. She is making some phenomenal defensive plays, and I care as much about that as I do about the way she’s hitting the ball. So this is going to be a good test for her going into it. She’s going to get a lot of fanfare when she shows up. A lot of people going to want to talk to her. But she’s pretty… she’s extremely immature when she’s around her friends, but very mature when she’s around adults.