Softball: Things to watch at Missouri

The Sooners emerged from their first two conference weekends with a perfect 27-0 record in tact.

There were certainly battles across the weekend, as they faced deficits at some point in four of the six games. But the Sooners remain perfect despite some scars, outscoring Arkansas and South Carolina by a combined score of 45-30.

The Razorbacks and the Gamecocks boast two of the best offenses in the country. This weekend's trip to Missouri (17-13, 0-3 SEC) doesn't project to include as much pressure.

However, OU coach Patty Gasso dismissed any notion that this will be an easy weekend.

"It's a good matchup coming, for sure," Gasso said. "I don't think you can look at anyone's record and (assume anything). Just look at Arkansas... They're always tough. We've always had them in postseason. They're very well-coached."

Here's a look at a few things to watch this weekend for the Sooners:

SERIES SCHEDULE

5 p.m. Friday, SECN+

2 p.m. Saturday, SECN+

12 p.m. Sunday, SECN+

THINGS TO WATCH

1. What does the pitching rotation look like outside of Sam Landry?

That's been a bit of an issue through the first two conference weekends. It was particularly a struggle against Arkansas.

In the 11.1 innings Landry pitched last weekend, she gave up five hits, two walks zero runs. In the 9.2 innings she didn't pitch, the Sooners allowed 12 hits, seven walks and 11 runs. That just isn't sustainable. Gasso tried her best to keep Landry out of the circle for as long as possible in Game 3, but after Kierston Deal allowed her second home run through 2.2 innings, Gasso had no choice.

Fortunately, the Sooners should have some semblance of relief this weekend. Missouri ranks 70th nationally in scoring and 140th in batting average. For comparison, Arkansas ranks fourth in scoring and South Carolina ranks 14th. This should be a weekend where the pitching staff faces less pressure. The good news is that Deal, Isabella Smith and Paytn Monticelli enter the weekend with some momentum after combining to throw a no-hitter in Wednesday's win over East Texas A&M.

But that also leads to the question of how the Sooners manage the staff. Landry will certainly start Game 1, and she'll likely make a relief appearance in at least one other game. But will she be forced to play in all three games, like she was last weekend? Who earns the starts in Game 2 and Game 3, and does pitching coach Jennifer Rocha get creative in who she puts in the circle, and for how long? And, perhaps most notably, does Audrey Lowry make an appearance? The true freshman is dealing with a muscle strain, and the coaching staff is really monitoring her status.

This weekend should be a good opportunity for the staff to find a rhythm and for Rocha to experiment with different combinations. Considering the Sooners still have Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi State on the schedule, they need to take advantage.

2. Does Ella Parker rediscover her swing?

The sophomore has nothing to prove. She proved she was one of the best offensive players in the country during last year's championship run, and she has been mostly stellar this season. She leads the Sooners in batting average (.478) and on-base percentage (.608).

But by her incredibly-high standards, she's started a little slowly in conference play. She's batting just .077 (1-for-13 at the plate) with an on-base percentage of .478, numbers that are well-below her averages. She's salvaged some of her production with a team-high 10 walks across the six conference games, but the power hitting we're used to seeing from her hasn't appeared thus far.

Is there reason to be concerned? Absolutely not. It's still early in conference play. When she's at her best, she is the Sooners' best offensive player and one of the best hitters in the country.

This should be the weekend where Parker regains her usual form. The Tigers rank 99th in ERA (3.45), and their top-three pitchers all have an ERA of 3.08 or worse.

The Sooners have done just fine offensively without the usual offense from Parker and Kasidi Pickering, mostly thanks to the stellar hitting from Gabbie Garcia and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas. But obviously, Parker needs to be at her best if the Sooners hope to contend with the best teams in the country. This weekend should be the performance opportunity for her.

3. Who else emerges offensively?

Garcia, a true freshman, has logged a hit in 13 straight games and boasts a .455 batting average in conference play. McEnroe-Marinas leads the Sooners with a .522 batting average in conference play. Together, the two have combined for 47% of the team's runs in conference play and 59% of the team's ERAs. That duo has been fantastic.

But they've also contributed most of the offense. This should be a weekend where everybody finds a rhythm.

Abigale Dayton is batting just .235 so far in SEC play. Ailana Agbayani is at .294. Cydney Sanders is at .133. This is the type of weekend where those numbers should see an increase by Sunday night.

It'll also be interesting to see if the Sooners' lofty walk numbers continue. They lead the entire country in total walks (160) and have averaged 6.3 walks per game in conference play.

Also, if the Sooners build big enough leads, look for the coaching staff to see what the other freshmen can do.

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