Looking Back at the NCAA Champions: 2017 Oklahoma Sooners

Photo courtesy Ty Russell/Oklahoma Softball

With the start of the 2024 season fast approaching, all eyes will soon be on the chase for the title.

Early focus will be centered on the University of Oklahoma as they begin the quest to become the first team in Division I history to win four consecutive national championships.

The Sooners tied UCLA (1988, 1989, 1990) as the only teams to ever win three consecutive titles when they defeated Florida State to claim the 2023 title.

Extra Inning Softball will be reviewing the 41 national champions that have previously hoisted the trophy.

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2017 Oklahoma Sooners

The Venue: USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Head Coach: Patty Gasso

The Players (Women’s College World Series Roster): Nicole Pendley, Sydney Romero, Kelsey Arnold, Hannah Sparks, Macey Hatfield, Paige Parker, Nicole Mendes, Paige Lowary, Lea Wodach, Shay Knighten, Melanie Olmos, Caleigh Clifton, Alissa Dalton, Raegan Rogers, Kylie Lundberg, Vanessa Taukeiaho, Falepolima Aviu, Mariah Lopez

The Regular Season: The 2016 Oklahoma Sooners that won the national championship featured a strong core element of freshmen and sophomores, so it was no surprise that the Sooners were one of the favorites to make a return trip to Oklahoma City in 2017. And like the 2016 team, Oklahoma found a second gear during the midway point of the season. After dropping back-to-back games to Cal Poly, the Sooners found themselves with a 23-7 overall record, but would close the regular season on a 24-1 tear to conclude the year with a 47-8 mark heading into the postseason. OU also posted a 17-1 mark in Big 12 play and finished first in the conference and then defeated Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State via shutout to win the Big 12 Tournament. The Sooners were paced offensively by Nicole Mendes, Sydney Romero, Shay Knighten, Caleigh Clifton and Nicole Pendley. Mendes topped the Sooners with a .408 batting average and also added seven home runs, while Romero batted .339 with 12 homers and 59 RBIs. Knighten followed up her freshman season with an outstanding sophomore year as she batted .358, hit 11 home runs and drove in 70 runs, while Clifton batted .356 and scored 70 runs and Pendley had 17 home runs and 65 RBIs. Paige Parker once again anchored the Sooners pitching staff as she finished the year with a 26-5 record and a 1.43 earned run average. Missouri transfer Paige Lowary contributed a 16-3 record and a NCAA-leading 11 saves, while Mariah Lopez went 18-1 and posted a 2.08 ERA. Knighten, Parker and Clifton were each named All-American (Second Team).

The Regional: Oklahoma began the postseason by hosting the NCAA Norman Regional which featured North Dakota State, Arkansas, Tulsa and the Sooners. The Sooners opened regional play against North Dakota State and the Bison got an RBI single from Tabby Heinz in the top of the ninth inning to shock Oklahoma 3-2. Facing elimination each time they took the field, the Sooners faced Arkansas in their second game of the regional. OU jumped out to an early lead as Sydney Romero and Nicole Pendley each produced RBI singles staking the Sooners to a 2-0 lead. Arkansas would answer immediately as the Razorbacks scored three times in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-2 lead. OU tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the second inning courtesy a sacrifice fly by Shay Knighten and then took the lead for good in the top of the fourth inning when Nicole Mendes scored on a wild pitch. OU added an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Knighten. Paige Parker and Paige Lowary combined to 6.2 innings of scoreless relief while striking out seven. Game three of the regional featured a rematch with North Dakota State and the Sooners jumped on the Bison early on the way to a 10-2 win. Knighten and Pendley each went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs to pace the OU offense, while Mariah Lopez allowed two runs in 5.1 innings to secure the victory. The fourth game for OU was one for the ages as the Sooners staged a dramatic rally to take down Tulsa and remain alive in the regional. Tulsa scored single runs in the first and second innings against Parker to take a 2-0 lead. The Sooners cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning on a home run from Pendley and evened the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning when an a single by Romero scored Caleigh Clifton. Tulsa placed the Sooners in serious jeopardy in the top of the 10th inning by scoring two runs to take a 4-2 lead, but the Sooners would respond. Mendes led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a single and Clifton followed with a home run that tied the game at 4-4. Knighten followed with a single to leftfield and Romero hit a walk-off home run giving OU a 6-4 victory. Lowary was outstanding in relief as she permitted just two runs in 8.1 innings of work. With a trip to the Super Regional on the line, Parker turned in a gem leading the Sooners to a 3-0 victory over Tulsa. Parker went 7.0 innings and struck out 10 batters to lead the way, while Mendes and Macey Hatfield homered and Romero also drove in a run to pace the offense.

The Super Regional: Oklahoma traveled to Alabama for the Super Regional as the Sooners would face Auburn in a rematch of the 2016 Women’s College World Series championship finals. OU opened the Super Regional with a dominant pitching performance from Paige Parker in a 4-0 Sooners win. Parker went 7.0 innings, allowed just four hits and struck out 14 batters to shut out the high-powered Tigers offense. Makayla Martin matched Parker through five innings, but the Sooners finally broke through in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs and Sydney Romero on first, Fale Aviu lined a single to keep the rally alive and OU scored the first run of the game when Nicole Pendley followed with a double. Macey Hatfield then reached on an infield single to push the Sooners lead to 2-0. Oklahoma doubled the lead to 4-0 in the top of the seventh inning on RBI singles from Shay Knighten and Romero. Oklahoma earned a right to return to Oklahoma City, Okla., and defend its national championship as the Sooners rode a strong relief outing from Paige Lowary and the bat of Pendley to a 5-2 victory over Auburn. Pendley put the Sooners in front to stay in the bottom of the second inning when she belted a three-run homer putting OU ahead 3-0. The Tigers fought back with runs in the third and fifth innings to trim the lead to 3-2, but Oklahoma would put the game away in the sixth inning as the Sooners scored twice highlighted by an RBI double from Pendley. Lowary, working in relief of Lopez, went 4.2 innings, allowed just two hits, no earned runs and struck out five.

The Field at the Women’s College World Series: Baylor, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M, UCLA, Washington

The Sooners at the Women’s College World Series: Oklahoma faced a familiar foe in its opening game of the WCWS as the Sooners faced Baylor of the Big 12 Conference. OU wasted little time in jumping out to big lead against the Bears as the Sooners scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Fale Aviu hit a sacrifice fly that scored Nicole Mendes to give OU a 1-0 lead and Nicole Pendley belted a three-run homer later in the inning to push the OU lead to 4-0. Baylor countered with a run in the top of the second inning, but the Sooners answered with a run in the bottom of the third inning as Aviu produced an RBI single that scored Caleigh Clifton to up the lead to 5-1. The Sooners made it 6-1 in the sixth inning and then held off a Baylor rally to post a 6-3 win. Paige Parker and Paige Lowary combined to limit the Bears to just six hits and no earned runs. Game two of the WCWS for the Sooners was against Washington as OU looked to gain a measure of revenge against the Huskies after losing to UW during the regular season. OU took an early lead with a run in the top of the second inning when Lea Wodach reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed Aviu to score. OU upped the lead to 2-0 in the fifth inning when Aviu singled in Kelsey Arnold who reached via an error to start the inning. Sydney Romero made it 3-0 Sooners in the sixth inning with a solo homer and the combo of Parker and Lowary would shut the door on the Huskies as OU posted a 3-1 win. With an opportunity to secure a spot in the championship finals, OU would square off against Oregon in the Sooners third game of the WCWS and would rely on a little Sooner Magic. Oregon broke through first when Danica Mercado belted a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead. OU would answer back immediately as Wodach reached on an error to start the inning and the Sooners cut the lead to 2-1 when Nicole Mendes reached on a fielder’s choice. With runners on second and third, Shay Knighten delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single that put the Sooners ahead 3-2. The Sooners increased the lead to 4-2 later in the inning when Pendley doubled home Knighten. Lowary relieved Parker and retired six consecutive batters clinching a spot in the championship finals for OU.

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