While addressing a sold-out crowd at Marita Hynes Field following OU’s 8-2 win over Kansas, coach Patty Gasso appeared to hint at OU softball mimicking Nebraska volleyball’s Memorial Stadium game, which will be played in front of a crowd of 82,900 in Nebraska’s football stadium on Aug. 30.
“Women's volleyball at Nebraska is putting a court (in) the middle of their football field and they've sold out 80,000 (seats) for that game,” Gasso said Sunday. “So you know what my next conversation with Joe Castiglione is going to be.”
Moments prior, Gasso noted how OU broke the NCAA softball regular season attendance record with a crowd of 8,930 fans during its 8-1 win over Texas on March 31 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.
“(The game) at the Hall of Fame Stadium was a big, magical moment for us,” Gasso said to the crowd. “You guys were there. You're setting the standard across the country. You are. 9,000 people there broke a record.Â
“When you all had your camera lights on, I started to lose it a little bit.”
Gasso also suggested the Sooners may be playing in their new stadium, Love’s Field, next season. Love’s Field is expected to seat about 3,000 fans, an increase from the just over 1,600 Marita Hynes Field holds.
“Look at this stadium because you won't be sitting in it next year,” Gasso said. “You want to come down and get a little dirt, put it in a little (jar), save it, because I don't know if it's going away or not. Everybody asks me that.Â
“But the plan is this time next season we're going to be in a stadium that seats 4,000 instead of 1,200.”
OU has sold out over 60 consecutive games at Marita Hynes, including Sunday’s contest, which marked the Sooners’ last regular season home game.
“We are here to raise the ceiling for women's athletics (and) for women's softball here,” Gasso said. “You guys are making history for us.”
