OU softball coach Patty Gasso says Jordy Bahl will pitch for Sooners at WCWS
OU’s pitching hasn’t been an issue so far in the postseason.
But the Sooners will have a significant weapon back in the Women’s College World Series.
Jordy Bahl, OU’s freshman pitching sensation, will return for the WCWS, OU coach Patty Gasso said Wednesday. The top-seeded Sooners take on Northwestern at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of the WCWS at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.
“You’re going to see her pitch this week,” Gasso said. “How much? We’re still working.”
Bahl hasn’t pitched since the next-to-last game of the regular season, May 6.
The next day, Bahl injured her forearm in pregame warmups.
She didn’t pitch in the Big 12 tournament, regionals or super regionals.
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“It’s kind of like going into a laboratory and knowing exactly what you can and can’t do, the timing of it, how many pitches,” Gasso said.
“We’re still kind of putting all of that together, but we have followed doctor’s orders and done everything we’re supposed to do, including talking with Jordy, talking with doctors, communicating with her parents to make sure this is the right thing to do and she is not in enough severe pain, that if she was, this wouldn’t even be an option.”
Without Bahl, the Sooners have still been excellent in the circle, allowing just eight hits and three runs in 29 innings in the NCAA Tournament so far.
Hope Trautwein has a five-inning no-hitter while Nicole May and Trautwein combined on another.
Though all three have been effective all season, Bahl was getting the starts against the best teams on OU’s schedule.
Bahl started against UCLA and Kentucky, started two of the three games against Texas in the regular season and the opener of the Bedlam series.
She is 21-1 with a 0.95 ERA, 199 strikeouts and just 29 walks in 132 ⅓ innings.
Tuesday, she was named the NFCA/Schutt Sports Division I National Freshman of the Year at the team-only banquet to kick off the WCWS festivities.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball coach Patty Gasso says Jordy Bahl will pitch in 2022 WCWS
