University of North Texas
Oklahoma
Softball Faces Tough Test In No. 2 Oklahoma
3/20/2019 9:00:00 AM | Softball
NORMAN, Okla. - After a strong weekend home series in which North Texas rolled through UTEP, the Mean Green (16-9, 5-1) face No. 2 Oklahoma Wednesday.
The Sooners (25-2) are coming off a five-win undefeated weekend in the LMU/CSUN Tournament. Oklahoma allowed just two runs across the five games, outscoring its opponents 58-2. The Sooners' only losses this season are to then-No. 1 Florida State and then-No. 2 UCLA.
"If there was a program I could model my program after, it would be [Oklahoma]," head coach Rodney DeLong said. "They don't give you a break in any phase. They play hard, they play right and have fun. They're a monster."
Wednesday will be UNT's sixth meeting in five years with Oklahoma. No. 2 is the highest the Sooners have been ranked going into a game against North Texas since 2013 when Oklahoma was No. 1. It is the first time the Mean Green have faced No. 1 or No. 2 since playing No. 1 Florida at the end of 2017. The Sooners are top of the nation in team batting average at .365.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for the Mean Green staff which features its share of Oklahoma natives. DeLong is a fan of Sooner head coach Patty Gasso, a four-time national champion as head coach of the Sooners in her 25th season. She's coached the Sooners to seven-straight Big XII titles and won more than 1,200 games as the Oklahoma skipper.
"In my career path, I am living a dream," DeLong said. "Just being here coaching at this school I am living a dream. But now to have an opportunity to face a school that I have admired and a coach that I have admired my entire professional career, I'm very excited. Very honored and very privileged."
The Sooners present a tough test for a Mean Green team that has knocked off two top-20 opponents this season. Freshman Tayla Evans is coming off a strong weekend that saw her hit .857, driving in four runs on six hits. Against UTEP, the Mean Green drew 26 walks in the three-game series. North Texas has cut down on errors in recent games, committing just two in the series against UTEP.
The Mean Green could turn to sophomore Hope Trautwein in the circle. She is coming off yet another stellar weekend in which she appeared in all three games, striking out 18 over 13 innings of work while allowing eight hits. North Texas' bats will need some of the power they displayed against UTEP. The Sooners pitching staff is ranked second in team ERA at 1.09, allowing just 13 home runs all season.
"It will show us where we're at talent-wise," DeLong said. "It will show us where we need to go and where we need to be improving. It's a great opportunity and that's all there is to it. We can't give them anything. We've got to pitch well, keep the ball down and make plays. Gotta find ways to score."
Wednesday's game is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch. Live stats will be available, and the game will be televised on Fox Sports OK+ and streaming on Fox Sports Go. Follow @MeanGreenSB on all social media channels for live updates from Norman.
