Patty Gasso

Patricia Marie Gasso (née Froehlich; born May 27, 1962)[1] is an American softball coach for the Oklahoma Sooners. She has been the head softball coach at the University of Oklahoma since 1995. She has led the Sooners team to seven national championships (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023) and has compiled a career record of 1,456–345–2 and a winning percentage of .808.

Patty Gasso
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamOklahoma
ConferenceBig 12
Biographical details
Born (1962-05-27) May 27, 1962
Los Angeles, California
Playing career
1981–1982El Camino
1983–1984Long Beach State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1990–1994Long Beach City
1995–presentOklahoma
Head coaching record
OverallJunior college: 161–59–1 (.731)
NCAA: 1,456–345–2 (.808)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
  • 6× NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2022,2023)
  • 10× NFCA Central Regional Coaching Staff of the Year (2012–2019, 2021, 2022)
  • 3× Speedline/NFCA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year (1999–2001)
  • C.Vivian Stringer Coaching Award (2017)
  • CCCAA Coach of the Year (1992)
  • NFCA West Regional Coach of the Year (1992)
  • 15× Big 12 Coach of the Year (1996, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2012–2019, 2021–2023)
  • National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2012)
Records
  • Most Big 12 wins by a coach in league History (406)
  • Most Wins by a coach at Oklahoma (1,452)

Early years

Born Patricia Marie Froehlich in Los Angeles, Gasso grew up in Torrance, California.[1] She played softball at California State University, Long Beach.[2][3] She also coached softball at Long Beach City College from 1990 to 1994, compiling a record of 161–59–1.[4][5][6]

Oklahoma

In 29 years at the University of Oklahoma, she has compiled a record of 1,395–344–2 and a winning percentage of .802.[7] Her teams have advanced to the Women's College World Series fourteen times and won the national championship seven times in 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023.[2][8] Her winning percentage of .802 ranks the highest of Division I college softball coaches with at least 1,000 career wins.[7][9]

In 1999, the University of Oklahoma won its third Big 12 Conference championship in five years at Oklahoma, but financial difficulties nearly ended her tenure following the 1999 season. Gasso noted:

Money was tight, and my husband, Jim, had actually gone back to California because it was hard to find a job here at the time. So here I was raising our two children and trying to coach a Division-I softball program, which was very demanding of my time and energy.[6]

Gasso remained in Oklahoma for the 2000 season despite her husband's return to California.[6] The 2000 University of Oklahoma team compiled a record of 66–8 and defeated UCLA three to one in the Women's College World Series to win the Sooners' first softball national championship.[10]

Following the national championship in 2000, the University of Oklahoma gave Gasso "a significant salary hike," and her husband was able to return to Oklahoma.[6] Over the next 12 years, Gasso built the Sooners into a national softball power, winning over 40 games every year. The 2001 team finished with a 50–9 record, and the 2007 team finished 55–8.[7]

Gasso's 2012 team advanced to the finals of the Women's College World Series but lost the national championship in a close series against Alabama.[8][11] The 2012 team finished its season with a 54–10 record.[7] In late June 2012, the Oklahoma University Board of Regents extended Gasso's contract through the 2017 season.[12][13]

Gasso was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame in 2012.[5][14]

Gasso reached a milestone on March 15, 2015, when she got her 1,000th win as the head coach of Oklahoma in a resounding win over East Carolina.[15]

On June 6, 2017, Gasso and the Sooner softball team swept Florida in the national championship, winning Gasso her second national championship in two years and fourth overall.

On June 10, 2021, Gasso's Sooners defeated the Florida State in the national championship, Gasso's and the school's fifth national championship.

On June 8, 2022, Gasso's Sooners defeated the University of Texas in the national championship, Gasso's and the school's sixth national championship.

On June 8, 2023, Gasso's Sooners defeated the Florida State Seminoles in the WCWS national championship series, winning Gasso's and the school's seventh national championship. That team nearly finished the season undefeated with a record of 61-1. Their only loss came in February to Baylor, 4-3, during an early season tournament played in Waco, TX. The Sooners swept Baylor in the Big XII regular season series, holding the Bears scoreless in three games.

Head coaching record

The following table lists Gasso's head coaching record at the NCAA level.[16] [17]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Oklahoma Sooners (Big Eight Conference) (1995)
1995 Oklahoma 43–2312–41stNCAA Regional
Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Conference) (1996–present)
1996 Oklahoma 50–2017–51stNCAA Regional
1997 Oklahoma 55–1914–42ndNCAA Regional
1998 Oklahoma 49–1512–52ndNCAA Regional
1999 Oklahoma 40–1611–31stNCAA Regional
2000 Oklahoma 66–817–11stWCWS Champions
2001 Oklahoma 50–914–22ndWomen's College World Series
2002 Oklahoma 49–1614–22ndWomen's College World Series
2003 Oklahoma 47–1412–64thWomen's College World Series
2004 Oklahoma 45–22–111–75thWomen's College World Series
2005 Oklahoma 50–1712–62ndNCAA Super Regional
2006 Oklahoma 40–21–18–105thNCAA Regional
2007 Oklahoma 55–814–42ndNCAA Super Regional
2008 Oklahoma 47–1416–22ndNCAA Super Regional
2009 Oklahoma 41–1614–41stNCAA Regional
2010 Oklahoma 47–1213–32ndNCAA Super Regional
2011 Oklahoma 43–1910–85thWomen's College World Series
2012 Oklahoma 54–1019–51stWomen's College World Series (Runner-Up)
2013 Oklahoma 57–415–21stWCWS Champions
2014 Oklahoma 51–1316–21stWomen's College World Series
2015 Oklahoma 49–914–21stNCAA Super Regional
2016 Oklahoma 57–817–11stWCWS Champions
2017 Oklahoma 61–917–11stWCWS Champions
2018 Oklahoma 57–518–01stWomen's College World Series
2019 Oklahoma 57–618–01stWomen's College World Series (Runner-Up)
2020 Oklahoma 20–40–0Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021 Oklahoma 56–415–11stWCWS Champions
2022 Oklahoma 59–317–11stWCWS Champions
2023 Oklahoma 61–118–01stWCWS Champions
Oklahoma: 1,456–345–2 (.808)406–91 (.817)
Total:1,456–345–2 (.808)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References
  1. "Patty Gasso". The Oklahoman. May 27, 2001.
  2. "Softball: Patty Gasso, Head Coach". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  3. "500 wins for Gasso, 500 more to go". the Oklahoma Daily. February 25, 2005. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
  4. "Softball Hall of Fame". City of Long Beach.
  5. "Former LBCC Coach Gasso to be inducted into NFCA Hall of Fame". Long Beach City College.
  6. Jay C. Upchurch (Summer 2009). "Building a Perennial Power". Sooner Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29.
  7. "Softball Coaches Career". NCAA.com. Retrieved July 16, 2012.(Enter "gasso" in the "Last Name" box and click the "Coach" button to retrieve Gasso's career record.)
  8. Jeff Johncox (June 7, 2012). "Sooners fall short in bid for national title". Muskogee Phoenix.
  9. "NCAA Softball Coaching Records" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  10. "Sooners whip Bruins, 3–1, claim national softball title". Altus Times (AP story). May 30, 2000. p. 3.
  11. "Softball: Patty Gasso becomes emotional talking about her team". OU Sports. June 7, 2012. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012.
  12. "OU Board Of Regents Approves Several Raises And Extensions". News9. June 26, 2012.
  13. Silas Allen (June 26, 2012). "University of Oklahoma coaches receive pay raises, contract extensions". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  14. "Oklahoma scene: Oklahoma softball coach Patty Gasso named to NFCA Hall of Fame 2012 class". The Oklahoman. December 3, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  15. "Eight homers give Gasso 1000th win at OU". Sooner Sports. March 15, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  16. "Oklahoma Softball Records". Sooner Stats. Sooner Stats. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  17. "Big 12 Softball Record Book" (PDF). Big 12 Sports. Big 12 Conference. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
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