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Oklahoma Learns Tough Lessons From Loss to Long Beach State
Sooners bounce back, but Patty Gasso worries loss could hurt NCAA Tournament resume
Published on Feb. 25, 2026
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The Oklahoma Sooners softball team suffered a surprising 6-4 loss to Long Beach State on Saturday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Head coach Patty Gasso was disappointed in her team's lack of leadership, energy, and focus during the game. While the Sooners bounced back the next day with a 15-2 win over Washington, Gasso is concerned the Long Beach State loss could hurt Oklahoma's NCAA Tournament seeding, as the committee has been known to penalize teams for losses to unranked opponents.
Why it matters
Oklahoma is one of the top softball programs in the country, and losses to unranked teams can seriously damage their chances of securing a high NCAA Tournament seed, even with an otherwise strong record. Gasso wants her team to learn from this experience and maintain their focus and intensity against all opponents, as those kinds of losses can haunt a team come tournament time.
The details
The Sooners were flat in their 6-4 loss to Long Beach State, failing to bring the necessary mentality, energy, focus, and leadership that Gasso expects from her team. While they bounced back the next day with a 15-2 win over Washington, the Long Beach State loss was still a frustrating experience for the coaching staff. Gasso emphasized that her players can't afford to take any opponent lightly, as the NCAA Tournament selection committee has been known to penalize teams for losses to unranked foes, even if they have a strong overall record.
- The loss to Long Beach State occurred on Saturday, February 25, 2026 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral Springs, CA.
- The next day, the Sooners defeated Washington 15-2 in five innings.
The players
Patty Gasso
The head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners softball team, who was disappointed in her team's lack of focus and leadership in the loss to Long Beach State.
What they’re saying
“If you think you can get away with playing averaging and thinking it's good enough to win and beat anyone, you're wrong. We didn't have the mentality, we didn't have the energy, we didn't have the focus, we didn't have — to be honest — a lot of leadership that's recognizing this and saying, 'Stop this right now.' So it was really frustrating to watch that.”
— Patty Gasso, Head Coach (SI.com)
What’s next
The Sooners will look to continue building their NCAA Tournament resume as they prepare for their upcoming conference schedule in the Big 12.
The takeaway
This loss serves as an important lesson for the Oklahoma Sooners that they cannot afford to take any opponent lightly, as losses to unranked teams can seriously damage their chances of securing a high NCAA Tournament seed, even with an otherwise strong record. Gasso wants to see her team maintain their focus, intensity, and leadership against all opponents moving forward.
