Kai Minor 'sets the tone' for OU softball as Sooners roll into NCAA Super Regionals
· Yahoo Sports
NORMAN — There was a game within the game during the second inning of the NCAA Norman Regional final Sunday.
Oklahoma softball's blistering center fielder Kai Minor stood ready to show off her wheels at first after reaching on a fielder's choice. The Sooners' next batter Ella Parker singled through the right side and instead of focusing on keeping her at first, Michigan attempted to throw Minor out at third, advancing Parker to second.
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The Wolverines didn't learn their lesson. Gabbie Garcia flew out to right during the next at-bat and instead of trying to keep Parker at second, Michigan attempted to throw Minor out at home, failing again and advancing Parker to third.
Minor, OU's true freshman star lead-off hitter, creates these kinds of predicaments every game. She can jet from first to home in seconds and create game-changing rallies with her bat.
"It sets the tone and brings a presence and a fire," shortstop Gabbie Garcia said. "Obviously, you see Kai, she’s so fast and she’ll beat out doubles and stuff. She’s like flailing her arms out and screaming. It gets everyone hyped and pumped up."
Minor led the Sooners offensively again in their 8-1 victory over Michigan to advance to the NCAA Tournament's Super Regional round next weekend at Love's Field. It'll be OU's 16th straight Super Regional appearance and it'll face either Mississippi State or Saint Mary's.
The Southern California native led off Sunday's game with a double for the third time in her last four games. She finished 5 for 11 with two doubles and two home runs across three games in the regional round.
Minor has not only made a difference with her speed, but she's been perhaps OU's best overall player over the last month.
"That's the thing I'm most happy about, is that we come out and we just set a tone right from the start," Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. "That has a lot to do with Kai and Gabbie and the hitters right behind that are ready to drive them in. So when you can put three up in the first inning, you've already set a tone and try to just keep matching that along the way, every inning."
Minor was the Sooners' lone bright spot in their collapse against Georgia in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals last week. Despite maintaining her consistency at the plate, she wasn't interested in talking about her individual performance and was already focused on helping her teammates bounce back.
She's been the tone-setter all season for a lineup that appears it has regained its groove throughout the opening weekend of postseason play.
"Just staying loose and staying relaxed," Minor said. "Letting everything handle itself."
Garcia added: "We're really excited going into supers. This is an expectation to us, and it was great, it's competitive, but we're just ready for the next game. A lot of us are just, we're feeling great right now, and really pouring into each other, and keeping our mindset on us. Everyone has a job and a purpose, and if we can just stay focused on that, and pour into the team, and take everything one pitch at a time."
Following a dominant weekend, OU's offense is as confident as ever heading into next weekend.
For Garcia and the rest of the Sooners' lineup, it's easy to be confident when they see Minor at the top of the scorecard.
"It gets me ready," Garcia said. "I’m like, 'OK, let’s go. We’re ready to go right now.' It’s like going to war almost and Kai has done an amazing job at setting that presence for us."
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball surging into Super Regionals as Kai Minor 'sets the tone'