OKLAHOMA CITY — As Jordy Bahl struck out 11 batters against Stanford in Oklahoma’s first game of the Women’s College World Series, one person was constantly in her ear.
OU pitching coach Jennifer Rocha, who’s been a part of head coach Patty Gasso’s staff since being hired from Florida in 2019. Rocha, who recorded a 1.57 earned run average as a player at OU from 1996-98, has worked with many of the Sooners’ best pitchers in the past four seasons, including 2019 Softball America Pitcher of the Year Giselle Juarez and two-time All-Big 12 selection Shannon Saile.
When OU’s sophomore pitcher came to the dugout after each inning against the Cardinal, Rocha took a personable approach with her. She’s Bahl’s coach but wanted to act more like a friend or mentor.
“She’s so smart about the game,” Bahl said. “A lot of times when we go in there in between innings, she’s just asking me how I feel. We’re talking about what we felt from the hitters and what to plan for them. She’s really great.”
⛽⛽⛽ MID 4 | OU 0, Stanford 0 | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/XlN1zL8bDT
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 1, 2023
Rocha’s engaging demeanor is what helps her pitchers stay calm during each outing. It’s safe to say it’s working out, as OU’s pitchers have combined for a nation-best 0.96 ERA this season. The pitching staff has been key in helping the Sooners reach their fourth consecutive WCWS finals against Florida State, which start Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN. In three WCWS games against Tennessee and Stanford twice, OU has given up two runs.
Gasso first got to know Rocha when she was at Long Beach City College in 1994. Rocha committed to Gasso’s Vikings but never played for her there as she took the job at OU before the 1995 season. Rocha stayed at Long Beach City for one season before Gasso re-recruited her to transfer to the Sooners in the fall of 1995.
Even as a player, Gasso saw Rocha’s style and approach. She was calm, poised and sensible, leading to a stellar career at OU.
“I’ve been with her since my beginnings,” Gasso said. “Everyone would always gravitate to her.”
Rocha stayed at OU as a graduate assistant from 1999-2001, but she left to take her first assistant coaching job at Oregon in 2002. After a three-year stint at Wichita State and 12 years with Florida from 2006-18, Gasso coaxed her back to Norman as an associate head coach to replace the outgoing Melyssa Lombardi, who took a head coaching job with the Ducks.
Gasso knew it would be a long shot to hire her and an even larger one to keep her. But, she had a feeling their personal relationship would prevail.
“When coach Lombardi left for Oregon, I thought, ‘OK, this is a long shot, but I’m going for it,’” Gasso said. “And I went for it and got her back again. The connection we have has been fantastic.”
Pitchers like Saile were worried once Lombardi departed, but, once they heard Rocha was coming, that worry turned to excitement. She and others immediately got to work with Rocha as opposing batters hit .158 against OU during Saile's first season. Just like in her playing days, Rocha brought a calm demeanor to the Sooners, helping her pitchers during practices and games.
Saile said she was always an “admirer” of Rocha’s work with the Gators and jumped at the opportunity to work with her when she came to OU.
“When I heard she was coming, I was very excited,” Saile told the Daily. “She’s a really good mentor and a really good coach. We started bouncing off each other, and I just really came to love learning from her.”
Saile enjoyed the “freedom” she got from Rocha as she was willing to let her experiment with new things. Saile wanted to improve skills like her pitch velocity and command, and Rocha was able to develop her the way she wanted.
To improve Saile’s velocity, the two first worked on getting her stronger before tweaking her backswing to make sure she was throwing harder. After throwing at around 61-64 mph during her time at Florida International from 2017-18, Saile says her work with Rocha got her pitching speed to up to 72 mph.
𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞. '𝐄𝐦. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝.Saile with her 7⃣th K to leave 'em loaded and we head to the fourth!OU 5, ISU 1 | 📺 Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/uHDOQk30jq
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) March 27, 2021
To improve her command, Saile wanted to become less of a “momentum” pitcher and start more at-bats strong instead of having to ease into the game. It became a process as the two had to work on that into the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. But, Saile says Rocha was patient enough to give her the necessary time to get better.
Lastly, Saile improved her mental game, saying Rocha put an emphasis on developing the “little things” such as doing warm-ups correctly or staying focused in the circle.
“She was always going along with developing what I wanted,” Saile said. “If one thing didn’t work, we were onto the next thing. She always made sure my goals were right. She was right by my side, and she was always available in case I needed anything.”
Rocha also brought the same personable approach she had as a player but made sure to “keep things real” with pitchers. While she stayed friendly, Rocha wouldn’t try to sugarcoat anything, making sure to be honest with players when they had bad days.
And when her pitchers played well, Rocha celebrated in a unique way. Every time an OU player retired an opposing side in order on three pitches, she would hold “guacamole parties” at her house. Rocha and the pitchers would make guacamole, eat tacos and draw pictures with Rocha’s kids, with the parties becoming one of Saile’s favorite things to do during her time in Norman.
Rocha has made a good impression on today’s OU pitchers as well, with senior Alex Storako calling her the “mother of the bullpen.” She says Rocha has not only helped her improve as a pitcher, but as a person too.
“She’s great at leading us not just as pitchers, but as people too,” Storako said. “I think that adds a big aspect to our bullpen. How we communicate with each other, how we work together on and off the field and the way she’s been able to work with us has been a huge part of our success.”
Both Storako and Bahl have been impressed by Rocha’s knowledge of the game. Before every game, she presents her pitching staff with a strategy for every opposing hitter, even the ones who aren’t in the starting lineup, allowing them to be prepared for any situation.
When she visits the pitching circle during games, Rocha tries to encourage pitchers more than anything. Instead of telling them what they should or shouldn’t do, she tries to be a calming presence in a difficult moment.
Saile sees it when she watches the Sooners today, believing OU’s staff of Storako, Bahl, junior Nicole May and freshman Kierston Deal have been coached well by Rocha.
“All of the developments that I’ve seen Jordy, Nicole and now Storako go through have been pretty incredible,” Saile said. “Their movement, their speed, their mechanics improve each year. I think that's a testament to her and how she's able to develop guys.”
𝟏-𝟐-𝟑 for Nic in the second ✔️END 2 | OU 1, Stanford 2 | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/2wl1ZDbMuz
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 5, 2023
Gasso and Rocha go back decades when the latter brought a composed approach to OU’s team. Nearly 30 years later, she’s bringing the same approach as a coach, which is why Gasso wanted her in Norman.
Rocha has played a crucial role in OU’s past two national championships. As the Sooners go for a three-peat, Gasso is hoping she can use her softball smarts and gentle attitude to help bring another title home.
“Her neutral, balanced and calm (approach) has really helped put this all in order,” Gasso said. “She is just an outstanding communicator, and her style is exceptional. I think she’s just the perfect blend for what we need."
This story was edited by Colton Sulley.
