Sooners Announce 2022 Schedule

NORMAN – Oklahoma softball and head coach Patty Gasso announced OU's full 2022 schedule Tuesday.

The Sooners, reigning national champions and nine-time defending Big 12 champs, will match up against 13 schools that reached the 2021 NCAA Tournament, including four Super Regional participants and three Women's College World Series teams.

The slate features 14 home games at Marita Hynes Field, including three Big 12 series in Norman. The non-conference schedule is highlighted by an opening weekend matchup against perennial contender UCLA, the return of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic and a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Rainbow Wahine Classic.

The 2022 campaign marks the 28^th for Gasso at Oklahoma. During her tenure, the Sooners have reached the postseason every year, made 11 consecutive trips to Super Regionals and 14 overall appearances in the WCWS and won five national titles.

The season will begin in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Feb. 10 vs. UC-Santa Barbara. The team will then meet four opponents at the Mark Campbell Invitational (Feb. 11-13) in Irvine, Calif. Oklahoma will open the tourney against Loyola Marymount, prior to contests versus Mississippi State, UCLA and UC-San Diego.

Week two sees the Sooners head to Houston for the second straight season to take part in the Houston Classic, Feb. 18-20. OU will meet host Houston, along with Texas State and McNeese State.

Making its return to college softball after a one-year hiatus in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic is the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., Feb. 25-27. Oklahoma makes its 16^th consecutive trip to the tournament, playing in the event every season it's been held since 2006. The Sooners will meet Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, Arizona, Tennessee and Utah over the three-day tournament.

The team will open its home slate at Marita Hynes Field in Norman with a Monday contest versus Minnesota on March 7. Oklahoma went undefeated at Marita Hynes in 2021, finishing 21-0 in Norman and winning regionals and super regionals in front of the home crowd.

The Sooners will travel across the Pacific to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the third time in program history (2009, 2015) for the Rainbow Wahine Classic, March 10-12. Oklahoma will face host Hawaii, as well as Big 12 foe Baylor and California on the island.

OU will return to the state of Oklahoma for the second annual Hall of Fame Classic at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, March 18-20. The Sooners went 4-0 in the inaugural tournament last season in OKC. The 2022 installment will feature OU playing Sam Houston, Indiana, San Diego, Houston and Iowa.

Big 12 play begins March 25-27 in Norman versus Baylor prior to a midweek matchup at home against 2021 regional foe Wichita State, March 29.

The Sooners will welcome UAB April 1-2 for a pair of games before another midweek contest April 6 versus Tulsa in Norman.

Conference play continues in Lubbock, Texas, versus Texas Tech April 8-10 and in Austin against Red River rival Texas on Easter weekend, April 14-16.

Following a midweek game at North Texas on April 20, Oklahoma hosts Iowa State April 22-24 before playing its final non-conference game April 28 in Kansas City, Mo., against Kansas City.

The Sooners will make the short drive to Lawrence from Kansas City for a series against Kansas, April 29-May 1.

The Bedlam Series presented by Phillips 66 closes the regular season in Norman, May 6-8. It will mark the first time three matchups versus the Cowgirls have taken place in Norman since 1997, when the Sooners hosted their in-state rival for one regular season contest and two NCAA Regional games. The Sooners took two of three from OSU in Stillwater last season to claim the Big 12 regular season title.

OU will go for its fifth consecutive conference tournament title at the Big 12 Softball Championship in Oklahoma City, May 13-14. NCAA Regionals will be played at host institutions May 20-22 prior to Super Regionals May 26-29.

The newly expanded Women's College World Series will take place in OKC June 2-9.

TV information for the season will be revealed at a later date.

Season ticket renewals will go out in December, while single-game tickets will go on sale in February.

The 2022 team returns 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo, along with four other All-Americans in Jayda Coleman, 2021 NFCA Freshman of the Year Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen and Grace Lyons. The Sooners are coming off a record-breaking 2021 season that saw the team finish 56-4 and claim the program's fifth national title.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.

2022 OU Softball Schedule
Date	Opponent	Location
Feb. 10	at UC Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara, Calif.
Feb. 11-13^	vs. Loyola Marymount, Mississippi State, UCLA, UC San Diego	Irvine, Calif.
Feb. 18-20 !	at Houston, vs. McNeese State, Texas State	Houston, Texas
Feb. 25-27 #	vs. CSU Fullerton, Long Beach State, Arizona, Tennessee, Utah	Palm Springs, Calif.
March 7	Minnesota	Norman
March 10-12 +	at Hawaii, vs. Baylor, California	Honolulu, Hawaii
March 18-20 $	vs. Sam Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Houston, San Diego	Oklahoma City, Okla.
March 25-27	Baylor	Norman
March 29	Wichita State	Norman
April 1-2	UAB	Norman
April 6	Tulsa	Norman
April 8-10	at Texas Tech	Lubbock, Texas
April 14-16	at Texas	Austin, Texas
April 20	at North Texas	Denton, Texas
April 22-24	Iowa State	Norman
April 28	at Kansas City	Kansas City, Mo.
April 29-May 1	at Kansas	Lawrence, Kan.
May 6-8	Oklahoma State	Norman
May 13-14 *	Big 12 Championship	Oklahoma City, Okla.
May 20-22	NCAA Regionals	Host sites
May 26-29	NCAA Super Regionals	Host sites
June 2-9 *	Women's College World Series	Oklahoma City, Okla.
Home Games in bold ^ Mark Campbell Invitational played at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif. ! Houston Classic played at University of Houston # Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic played in Cathedral City, Calif. + Rainbow Wahine Classic played at University of Hawaii $ Hall of Fame Classic played at USA Softball HOF Stadium in OKC *Played at USA Softball HOF Stadium in OKC Dates and times subject to change