NORMAN — A document crowd of 4,609 striped Love’s Area in crimson and white Sunday afternoon as OU beat Texas 9-8 to brush the Pink River Rivalry collection.
Each seat was occupied beneath the overcast sky. Standing-room-only sections alongside the concourse have been stacked two to a few individuals deep. Followers would’ve taken root within the batter’s eye bushes if allowed. Or climbed the Oklahoma-shaped scoreboard for a greater view. A couple of ticketless followers even stood outdoors the stadium’s outfield gates and peered in.
OU softball is queen on this state, and it retains getting larger.
Time for the Sooners (and Longhorns) to suppose larger.
As a substitute of striping the stadium towards Texas, how concerning the Sooners and Longhorns undertake a soccer custom and play in entrance of a 50/50 cut up?
How about OU-Texas on the Cotton Bowl … softball version?
“I like it,” Sooner coach Patty Gasso mentioned of the concept.
“It’s a chance,” mentioned Texas coach Mike White, who introduced up taking part in OU on the Cotton Bowl earlier than I might even pitch him on it. “Clearly, the expansion of the sport is huge proper now and we need to showcase it.”
Gasso mentioned she not too long ago received a textual content from Ohio State head coach Kirin Kumar, who broached a Sooners-Buckeyes showdown at Ohio Stadium.
“The Shoe? Is that what you name it? I don’t know the size or something however we might do it in a heartbeat,” Gasso mentioned. “We might like to do it right here however I do know that it does take some work to make that occur, simply doesn’t match proper.
“But when we might do the Cotton Bowl, we might go to Ohio State, we might do wherever if it will assist this sport develop.”
Gasso paused.
“The Cotton Bowl,” she mentioned, letting the phrases linger.
The thought of OU softball taking part in in a soccer stadium to attract a document crowd was bandied about earlier this week within the wake of Stanford and Cal setting the school softball attendance document (13,207) at Stanford’s soccer stadium, which is the place the Cardinal has performed this season as its softball stadium will get renovated.
The earlier regular-season attendance document? The 9,259 followers OU and OSU drew this season at Devon Park in Oklahoma Metropolis.
The Stanford-Cal crowd drew extra spectators than capability permits at Devon Park, even when non permanent bleachers are introduced in for the Ladies’s Faculty World Collection. One WCWS session final 12 months drew 12,566 followers, which was the general softball attendance document earlier than the Stanford-Cal recreation.
“Hey,” White mentioned, “we’ve received to beat Stanford now.”
The three-game mixed attendance for OU-Texas in Norman was a program document 13,734.
“Love’s (Area), the place we’re sitting proper now, is surreal nonetheless,” Gasso mentioned, “however I don’t wanna cease. They don’t wanna cease. That’s our job, is to assist push this sport.”
What number of might the Sooners and Longhorns attract Dallas? 20,000? Double that?
I do not know if the Cotton Bowl is possible as a softball venue. Owen Area will not be as a result of its tight dimensions. However the Cotton Bowl hosted World Cup video games in 1994. So if there’s sufficient actual property for a soccer discipline, possibly establishing an impromptu softball diamond will not be so far-fetched.
In 1950, the Cotton Bowl hosted the opening recreation of the Texas League baseball season. Greater than 50,000 confirmed up for that. The Athletics and Raiders shared Oakland Coliseum for a few years.
Stanford match a softball discipline into its soccer stadium by placing residence plate in what can be the again nook of 1 finish zone. The left-field line goes down one sideline whereas the right-field line runs throughout the again of the top zone to the far sideline. Stanford waited till after soccer season ended to put in the dust infield. Every part else, although, the grass, stands, concessions and lights, was there. An outfield wall was raised and netting was put up.
NCAA guidelines require that the outfield fence is at the least 190 toes down the strains and 220 toes to useless heart. Love’s Area is 200 down the strains and 225 to heart.
May OU and Texas truly do that? I don’t know. Directors must need to do it. The Cotton Bowl must enable it. The faculties must determine if it’s a one-game factor, a doubleheader or maybe an entire collection. If it’s not doable throughout SEC play, possibly it might rely as a non-conference recreation.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” mentioned Gasso, contemplating all of the questions. “However I wanna do it.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports activities columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a narrative concept for Joe? E-mail him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Assist Joe’s work and that of different Oklahoman journalists by buying a digital subscription right now at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
