Patricia Marie Gasso (
née Froehlich; born May 27, 1962)
is an American
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
coach for the
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Ru ...
. She has been the head softball coach at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
since 1995. She has led the Sooners team to seven national championships (
2000
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,
2013
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,
2016
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,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
,
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
, and
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
) and has compiled a career record of 1,456–345–2 and a winning percentage of .
Early years
Born Patricia Marie Froehlich in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, Gasso grew up in
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...
.
She played softball at
California State University, Long Beach.
She also coached softball at
Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College (LBCC) is a public community college in Long Beach, California. It was established in 1927 and is divided into two campuses, the Liberal Arts Campus in Lakewood Village and the Pacific Coast Campus in central Long Beach ...
from 1990 to 1994, compiling a record of 161–59–1.
Oklahoma
In 29 years at the University of Oklahoma, she has compiled a record of 1,395–344–2 and a winning percentage of .[(Enter "gasso" in the "Last Name" box and click the "Coach" button to retrieve Gasso's career record.)] Her teams have advanced to the Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...
fourteen times and won the national championship seven times in 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023.[ Her winning percentage of .802 ranks the highest of Division I college softball coaches with at least 1,000 career wins.][
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:
Gasso remained in Oklahoma for the 2000 season despite her husband's return to California.][ 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.
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.][ 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.][
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
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
.[ In late June 2012, the Oklahoma University Board of Regents extended Gasso's contract through the 2017 season.
Gasso was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame in 2012.]Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
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
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
in the national championship, Gasso's and the school's sixth national championship.
On June 8, 2023, Gasso's Sooners defeated the Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
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.
See also
* List of college softball coaches with 1,000 wins
References
External links
Oklahoma profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gasso, Patty
1962 births
Living people
Female sports coaches
American softball coaches
El Camino Warriors softball players
Long Beach State Beach softball players
Long Beach City Vikings softball coaches
Oklahoma Sooners softball coaches
Sportspeople from Los Angeles
Sportspeople from Torrance, California
Softball players from California
Softball coaches from California
United States women's national softball team coaches