By Mallory Mattingly
For the Oklahoma Sooners softball team, Jesus is everything.
Last week, the team played in the first round of the Women’s College World Series (WCWS). The Sooners were down 3-1 against Tennessee in the final inning.
As their fans began to lose hope and started leaving the stadium, Oklahoma’s head coach Patty Gasso used it as an opportunity to fuel her team.
“I shared that with the team,” Gasso told ESPN after the game. “Not that that had anything to do with anything, but people thought we were done. One thing, if you’re watching us through the season, we’re never done.”
Sophomore Ella Parker stepped up to the plate, and on the second pitch, she ripped a ball to deep center field to give the Sooners a 4-3 win.
Parker told reporters after the game, “I knew our fourth man was in the fire,” referring Daniel 3 when God appears in the blazing furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
“I knew our fourth man was in the fire”
– Oklahoma Softball’s Ella Parker after her walk-off HR, referring to Christ in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) May 29, 2025
Gasso commended Parker for her resilience and perseverance through a lingering foot injury this season.
“This is a young lady still in pain,” Gasso told ESPN. “She has really taken a mental turn onto how to be there, present for her team. …She’s been really handling it like no one I’ve seen. It’s really, really been tough for her. But again, she really truly says it from the heart: It’s for the team.”
Related: Oklahoma Softball Coach Patty Gasso is ‘Here to Win Souls’
While at the K-LOVE Fan Awards last Friday, Gasso received the Sports Impact award.
“Our team loves Jesus. We work really hard on the field to give him the glory,” she told ChurchLeaders at the event.
Gasso believes that athletes’ bold declarations of faith come when coaches give them a safe space to do so.
“I do think it has something to do with coaches opening the door for that. And that’s something that I’m very proud of, even though I’m not at a Christian university,” she said. “But our players are very bold and unapologetic about sharing their faith, so when they’re in press conferences, they’re giving glory to God. Nobody’s wanting to write these [faith comments] down. [Reporters are] waiting for the juice, you know, but [the players] keep praising God for their talents.”
Oklahoma went on to play Texas on Saturday and fell short. Luckily, though, the WCWS is a double-elimination tournament, so the Sooners played Oregon on Sunday and defeated the Ducks in a 4-1 victory.
The Sooners look to continue advancing in the WCWS, all while glorifying God.
Read Next: Oklahoma Softball Star Knew ‘God Is With Me’ as She Won Historic Game
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