The Oklahoma University women's softball team is a national powerhouse. Under head coach Patty Gasso, who took the reins of the program in 1995, the team has won 15 Big XII regular season championships, nine Big XII tournament championships, and eight Women's College World Series (WCWS) titles. She has the highest winning percentage of any softball coach in college history, has been named Big XII Coach of the Year 15 times, and she and her staff have won the NFCA Coaching Staff of the Year eight times.
Gasso's Sooners are currently the four-time defending national champions. In fact, the last time they were beaten in the WCWS, it wasn't by another team; it was by COVID. In 2025, the Lady Sooners are 34-3 and ranked third in the nation.
So, naturally, when Gasso held a press conference a couple of days ago after her team won yet another game, a reporter in the room wanted to ask the coach about why her team went to meet and listen to Riley Gaines speak on campus.
Coach wasn't having any of it. Watch:
A sports media member was mad members of Oklahoma’s softball team attended @Riley_Gaines_ talk on campus and asked the coach about it?! I swear these sports media losers are pathetic. Imagine thinking it’s your job to police who college kids watch speak. pic.twitter.com/l309OpVqxH
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) April 6, 2025
'It is their right. I support them and whatever they choose.'
Expertly handled of course, and the only one who comes out of the exchange looking badly is the reporter who -- unsolicited by anyone -- wanted to make a political issue out of women going to listen to another woman speak about defending the rights of women in sports.
Gasso is a better person than we are because we would have asked the reporter why he was asking such a stupid question.
Gaines herself agreed.
What a ridiculous question from the "reporter", but great answer from a great coach.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 6, 2025
We love @OU_Softball !!! Boomer sooner ☝🏻 https://t.co/hTEN79A03m pic.twitter.com/rNhMP1KPSl
Dude needs his media pass revoked. They're in the middle of their season and THIS is what he asked?
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 6, 2025
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The reporter, who we have not been able to identify, is even more craven than this clip shows. At the press conference, Gasso was flanked on either side by two of her players, Audrey Lowry and Ella Parker.
The reporter did not address either player. He only addressed his question to Gasso. But if you take a look at the full clip of the press conference on YouTube, you can see both players practically roll their eyes at the question.
Translation:
— Common Sense Todd (@CommonSenseTodd) April 6, 2025
“Liberal man (reporter) tries to pressure woman (coach) to disown or denounce other women (her players) for daring to listen to yet another woman (@Riley_Gaines_) speak.”
Your modern ‘progressive’ party ladies and gentlemen.
That pretty much sums up the exchange, yes. And it sums up what 'progressives' are all about.
What’s really great about the Legacy media is just how open to dialogue and debate they are on this issue. Such paragons of truth, seekers of balanced journalism! https://t.co/xaM9ticIK4
— XX-XY Athletics (@xx_xyathletics) April 6, 2025
HA.
We think our sarcasm meter just exploded.
Media members even in sports are just insufferable.
— Eric Pistey (@shawnpisteySC) April 6, 2025
The virtue signaling & gotcha questions are just exhausting. https://t.co/ZlI37iyntI
We're pretty sure we caught Gasso rolling her eyes a little bit there as well.
Or at least just sighing as if to say, 'Really, dude? REALLY?'
Top softball players in the nation only want girls to play their game. Their coach supports their right to think that. THE HORROR!!! https://t.co/Q1W46LNOiZ
— tristan martin (@tristanmartin) April 5, 2025
Hang on. We're searching for some pearls to clutch.
The fact that this is even asked is the problem. Keep the interview about the game not politics. Cmon https://t.co/hzoZY9Ttfu
— Zach (@ScootsZach) April 6, 2025
Gasso's Lady Sooners had just beaten UCF 6-0, so of course, this was a TOTALLY relevant question for the press conference.
So the women’s team went to hear a speaker who is a former college athlete who supports other women athletes? pic.twitter.com/MCM24ShQKW
— JPEEPS (@peeples02) April 6, 2025
How controversial!
great answer by the coach but just wondering if the same question would be asked if it was a left leaning event instead…
— blonde conservative (@blondeconserv1) April 6, 2025
Yeah, not a chance.
Will the reporter be following players to movie theaters, restaurants and other hangouts - then asking coach about those decisions on their own time?
— Noshit Sherlock (@Sherlock86Poop) April 6, 2025
Is he an aspiring journalist or aspiring hall monitor?
Don't give him any ideas. He sounds creepy enough that he would actually do that.
It was a stupid gotcha question and Coach Gasso answered it perfectly. What the girls want to do in their free time is their right.
— Raymond James (@rjj1089) April 6, 2025
And it's none of the reporter's business.
Oooh just wait until he finds out that our OU girls softball team believes in God, and they even pray!! 😱
— KathiOkie54 (@KathiOkie54) April 6, 2025
So does Coach Gasso and she infuses her faith into her coaching. Scandalous!
This is my coach. Supporting her players. Women. https://t.co/Us1aoTHmPe
— BoomerSooner130 (@OUsoftball3x) April 5, 2025
Patty Gasso is the GOAT!
— Lori (@MuppetDogsMom) April 6, 2025
This is a dumb question to ask lol but I love the response from Gasso. Support women and support your athletes 🫡 https://t.co/iSuyuRyTRc
— meg (@mxg021) April 5, 2025
Some users on X wished that Gasso had laid into the reporter a bit more, but that's not really who she is. While she is a devout Christian, she has declined to speak about political issues such as abortion in the past.
She seems to be more focused on supporting her players, coaching them to excellence, and winning games and championships.
This is likely why Patty Gasso is in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame while this reporter is a nameless nobody who will wallow in obscurity.
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