Another Mega-Star Commit To Oklahoma Softball….

NORMAN — Saturday ushers in what Patty Gasso often calls the second phase of the season. Big 12 Conference play will open in Norman for the final time as No. 1 Oklahoma hosts Iowa State (9-10), the first step for Gasso’s team to be able to take home hardware — the Big 12 regular season crown. And though her Sooners are 19-1 overall, she’s still not satisfied with the level her team is playing at.

“We need more fight. We need more relentlessness for this team,” Gasso said after OU’s midweek win over Texas A&M Commerce. “… In order to get what you want out of this conference you’ve got to be ready to play and never waste a pitch, never waste an at-bat. Or you’re gonna get beat. And that’s something that we need to start to showcase a little bit more. “We’ve been running through our schedule OK. Doing enough, doing well. But we’ve got to go to another level.” The fight to get the Sooners to bring that relentlessness every game starts with the battles in practice.

OU entered the year with an open battle at second base. Veteran Alynah Torres, who played primarily outfield and filled in at third base last year, and reserve Avery Hodge seem to have consolidated the opportunities there. Cydney Sanders also works to hold onto her job at first base, as Riley Ludlam has sparingly been used there and at catcher as well. Torres and Hodge bring different skillsets to second base, but Sanders came alive at the plate last weekend to continue to justify her stranglehold on the position. Across the five games to open Love’s Field, Sanders hit 4-of-8, driving in six runs while drawing three walks. She entered the weekend with a .250 batting average, but has raised that mark to .324 with the work done over her last six games. “She’s had some good at-bats where she’s turned tough at-bats into walks,” Gasso said of Sanders. “… She has really been hitting the ball hard. Part of it is because she is that good and part of it is she doesn’t like when she’s not in the starting lineup. “ … She wants to show is that she can hit any pitcher, and so that’s really the battle that she’s facing and the battle that she’s trying to win.” Related: AllSooners Softball Show: Oklahoma Looking to Rebound as the Sooners Open Big 12 Play For Sanders, the key to getting hot at the plate was to actually take a step back and relax. “I felt myself a little this weekend not really thinking about anything and just going for it,” Sanders said Tuesday. “I feel like that’s when I play at my best. … You’ve just got to go up there and swing honestly. If you swing, good things will happen.” Torres’ willingness to move around defensively gives Gasso another option to compete at multiple spots. “She’s very much team-oriented and I really like that about her,” Gasso said Tuesday. “She’s not in the dugout boo hooing. She’s just waiting for her opportunity and she’s always ready for it. So I really like what I see and feel from Alynah right now.” Torres also went into last weekend batting .250, but is now hitting .343 in her 35 at-bats this year and has become a consistent presence for the Sooners. The final Big 12 opening weekend in Norman didn’t start according to plan. Friday’s series opener was shifted to Saturday due to the weather. OU will take now on Iowa State in a split doubleheader on Saturday, with the first game proceeding as scheduled at 2 p.m. and Friday’s game getting moved to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Per Oklahoma, Love’s Field will be cleared between games, and Friday’s tickets will be honored during the second game on Saturday. Sunday’s series finale will move ahead as scheduled at 1 p.m. “We’re super excited,” Torres said. “… Especially for me being a senior, I’m kind of soaking it in. This is my last first start of conference. “I’m just ready to have fun, play with my teammates.”