OU Softball: Things to watch vs. Georgia

NORMAN — Oklahoma is hitting the home stretch of the regular season.

The Sooners have just two conference series left, starting this weekend against Georgia. The Sooners (43-6, 15-3 SEC) host the Bulldogs (34-13, 10-8 SEC) for their final home weekend of the regular season, looking to generate more momentum heading into the postseason.

The Bulldogs had a chance to win their last series against the Longhorns, but dropped the rubber game in extra innings. They’ve been a solid team this season, particularly offensively, and could present some challenges this weekend.

“They’re good,” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “They’ve got really good pitching. They’ve got a team that’s been around. They’ve got a really good young pitcher that a lot of people recruited. that’s showing well, but they’ve got a lefty returner that is very, very good. Tony Baldwin is very, very good at his job and he gets hitters to hit, and they can swing it, and they’re showing their numbers are very good on defense. They’re finding ways to beat teams and we’re going to have to pitch very, very well. And we’re gonna have to find ways to get on base, score some runs.

“They’re a very, very good team. I think, probably underrated, or people don’t look at them close enough. They should be looking closer. They’re really good.”

Here’s a look at some things to watch from the weekend:

Weekend schedule

Friday: 6:30 p.m. (SECN+)

Saturday: 1 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday: 12:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

More records to be broken?

The Sooners have hit home runs at a historic pace this season, and have broken records in the process.

But two significant records are within their reach this weekend.

As a team the Sooners have hit 161 home runs, tying the NCAA record they set in 2021 for most home runs in a single season. It’s almost a given they will break that record this weekend in front of their home fans.

Another record within reach? True freshman Kendall Wells is three home runs away from tying the NCAA record for most in a single season. She’s hit 34 home runs, including nine in the last 13 games. That record might be tougher to reach this weekend, but she could certainly inch closer to it.

Can a couple of veterans bounce back?

It’s been a down stretch for Kasidi Pickering and Ella Parker.

Pickering, who has established herself as one of the most elite hitters in softball, hasn’t quite regained that form in conference play. She’s batting just .263 against SEC opponents with a .328 on-base percentage. She’s logged just two hits in her last 21 at-bats. Notably, she was not in the lineup in the Sooners’ last two games.

It’s been tough for Parker, too, who’s logged just two hits in her last 12 at-bats. She also didn’t start in the Tuesday game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

There’s no reason to hit the panic button about either player. Both Pickering and Parker have been elite hitters who have delivered huge plays in big moments. But with only two conference weekends left, it’s worth monitoring to see if they can find their rhythm heading into the postseason.

The pitching rotation

The Sooners rank 26th nationally in earned run average (2.96), and the pitching staff has been a bit uneven.

It’s time to solidify the pitching rotation before postseason.

Audrey Lowry (3.5 ERA in conference play) has been the ace this season, and has been mostly solid. Miali Guachino (3.42 ERA in conference play) rebounded from a slow start to the season and has been effective, particularly at generating strikeouts.

But true freshman Allyssa Parker delivered a stellar performance in last weekend’s rubber game against Arkansas, allowing just six hits and one run while striking out seven batters in five innings.

It’ll be interesting to see how Jennifer Rocha deploys the pitching staff this weekend against a Georgia team that ranks 23rd in scoring (7.2 runs per game).