When Oklahoma’s season hung in the balance during the Norman Super Regional, Patty Gasso didn’t turn to a senior. She didn’t call on a veteran who had been through multiple postseason wars.
Instead, she looked down the bench and trusted a freshman.
Lexi McDaniel responded exactly the way future stars do.
One swing.
One moment.
One reminder of why she arrived in Norman as the No. 1 recruit in America.
Her pinch-hit three-run home run against Mississippi State changed the trajectory of the game, ignited Love’s Field, and helped keep Oklahoma’s season alive. It was one of those postseason moments that instantly becomes part of a program’s lore.
But here’s what I keep coming back to when I think about McDaniel’s freshman season:
That home run wasn’t surprising.
It was inevitable.
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