Softball Coaching Staff Earns National Honor

NORMAN — The Oklahoma softball coaching staff was named the 2022 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year, announced Thursday by the NFCA.

The Sooner coaching staff, consisting of head coach Patty Gasso, associate head coach Jennifer Rocha, assistant coach JT Gasso and volunteer assistant Kristen Zaleski, helped guide the program to its sixth national title and second consecutive crown in 2022.

It marks the fifth national coaching staff of the year honor for Gasso and her staffs, also receiving the award in 2000, 2013, 2016 and 2017. Additionally, the staff claimed the NFCA's regional honor for the 14th time in Gasso's 28 years at the helm.

Under the coaches' tutelage, the Sooners finished 59-3, winning the national title, Big 12 regular season crown and pacing the country in the circle and at the plate with a 1.05 ERA, .371 batting average and 155 home runs. The dominant run included an NCAA-record 38-0 start, 41 run-rule wins, 33 shutouts and eight no-hitters. The Sooners finished the season ranked first in home runs, batting average, slugging, on-base percentage and runs per game, while the pitching staff boasted the lowest ERA and most shutouts in the country.

Additionally, OU was the wire-to-wire No. 1-ranked team, including the unanimous No. 1 for all but one week in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.

Five Sooners were named NFCA First Team All-Americans, with two being unanimous choices, while Jocelyn Alo collected her second straight USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honor and Jordy Bahl was named NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year.

The National Coaching Staff of the Year award is voted on by NCAA DI member head coaches. Gasso and her staff will be honored at the NFCA Awards Brunch, Dec. 10 at the 2022 NFCA Convention in San Antonio.

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