OU Softball: Sam Landry's Gem Has Oklahoma One Win Away From WCWS

All afternoon, Landry knew her team had her back. That made it easy for her to shut down the Crimson Tide late, she said. 

“We already have the runs. We want to keep them at zero,” Landry said after the win. “Just keep Attacking them. The double was not my best pitch, have to let that go. Just keep attacking them.”

Landry feeds off her team, and the right-hander gives that energy right back to her defense. 

“I love seeing Sam in the circle,” OU outfielder Abby Dayton said. “Every time she comes in, she comes up to us, ‘Let’s go hitters.’ You don’t see pitchers so involved in your offense.”

The Crimson Tide put a runner on in each of the first six innings, but Alabama was shut out in a Super Regional contest for the first time since 2019. 

“I think that’s Sam,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said. “There’s nothing that really rattles her or upsets her. And if it does, she gets herself back on pace. I thought she had complete control today.”

Landry finished with five strikeouts while allowing four hits, two walks and one hit batter in the win. 

The showing was especially impressive considering she pitched two full games against the Crimson Tide in last month’s regular season series. 

But Landry has pitching coach Jennifer Rocha in her corner, something that Alabama coach Patrick Murphy pointed to after the contest. 

“Jen improved Sam,” Murphy said of the veteran transfer. “Because Sam was not like that last year. She was a good pitcher, but she’s better this year. She got better.

“… It's like a quarterback. A pitcher is like a good quarterback, but then you have to find the right one with the right mindset. Because if you're the quarterback of Oklahoma or the quarterback of Alabama, that's a big ass position to be in. It's bigger than the governor of both states. You have to have a kid that is very strong mentally to be able to handle that.”

Landry threw 108 pitches in the win.

It’s unlikely that she’ll start Saturday’s Game 2, but she should be available to close the game if Oklahoma calls her number. 

Either way, she’s focused on doing whatever it takes to get the program back to Oklahoma City. 

“I’m definitely not taking any of this for granted and just really emptying the tank the last year and I’m so glad that I get to do that here with Coach Gasso and Coach Rocha,” Landry said. “Very blessed to be here and just everything that’s happened this year is definitely part of God’s plan, and like I said I’m very blessed for that.”