Oklahoma’s win over 3rd-seeded Florida in the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) on Thursday set many records.
For Sports Illustrated it was all about the players. The sports magazine quoted the team’s head coach Patty Gasso: “Defense … secured the game along with pitching.” Gasso also focused on the team’s pitcher, Jordy Bahl: “Jordy Bahl is just an absolute athlete … this is her playground.”
Reporters from the NCAA focused on the numbers:
- The Sooners led the nation in scoring, with 501 runs, and are the first team in history to score 500 or more runs in three consecutive seasons;
- The win on Thursday secured the fifth national championship for the Sooners in the past seven years, and the sixth in the last 10;
- Coach Gasso now has seven national titles, just one behind coach Mike Candrea’s all-time record of eight at Arizona;
- The team ended their season with 61 wins and a single loss; and
- Following that loss they had 53 consecutive wins, the longest winning streak in NCAA history.
For the members of the team, however, it was all about their Savior, Jesus Christ.
During a press conference on Tuesday, two days before the team secured its big win, ESPN’s Alex Scarborough asked them how they “keep the joy” as the pressure to win continued to mount.
Team captain Grace Lyons responded:
The only way that you can have a joy that doesn’t fade away is from the Lord.…
I think coach (Patty Gasso) has said this before, but joy from the Lord is really the only thing that can keep you motivated … no matter the outcomes.
Thankfully we’ve had a lot of success this year, but if it was the other way around, joy from the Lord is the only thing that can keep you embracing those memories, moments, friendships and all of that, so that’s really the only answer….
Teammate Jayda Coleman agreed:
[I] 1,000% agree with Grace.…
I think that is what makes our team so strong, is that we’re not afraid to lose, because it’s not the end of the world if we do lose.
Yes, obviously we worked [hard] and we want to win, but it’s not the end of the world because our life is in Christ and that’s all that matters.
And teammate Alyssa Brito seized the moment to give Scarborough her personal testimony:
We’re really fixing our eyes on Christ, and that’s something where, like they were saying, you can’t find a fulfillment in an outcome, whether it’s good or bad.
I think that’s why we’re so steady in what we do and our love for each other and our love for the game, because we know this game is giving us the opportunity to glorify God, and I just think once we figured that out and that was our purpose and everyone was all in with that, it’s really changed so much for us.
I know myself, I’ve seen so much of a growth. Once I turned to Jesus and I realized how He had changed my outlook on life, not just softball, but understanding how much I have to live for, and that’s living to exemplify the kingdom.
I think that brings so much freedom, and I’m sure everyone’s story is similar, but we all have those great testimonies that have really shown how awesome it is to play for something bigger.
I think that’s what brings me so much joy, no matter the outcome. Whether we get a trophy in the end or not, this isn’t our home, and I think that’s what’s amazing about it is we have so much more.
We have an eternity of joy with our Father, and I’m so excited about that. Yes, I live in the moment, but I know this isn’t my home and no matter what, my sisters in Christ will be there with me in the end when we’re with our King.
Following the victory over the Florida Seminoles on Thursday night, members of both teams gathered in prayer.
In the background is coach Patty Gasso, also a Christ follower. Her remarkable record is reminiscent of the one set by UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. His record included winning 10 national championships in a 12-year period, including a record-setting seven wins in a row. His teams set an NCAA record by winning 88 games in a row.
Also a follower of Jesus Christ, Wooden said:
I have always tried to make it clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live.
There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior.
Tuesday’s interview with the team can be seen here.
