FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — DJ Gasso, Arkansas’ hitting coach, knows he might not be able to resist a little playful teasing when his mom, legendary OU softball coach Patty Gasso, is just a few feet away in the third-base coaches’ box at Bogle Park this weekend. “Knowing myself, I might have to say something to my mom every now and then, just to annoy her,” DJ admitted with a laugh. “That’s usually what I do—try to nag at her and get her to smile.”
But Patty, a 7-time national champion coach, isn’t one to let the antics go too far. “All I have to say is, ‘DJ!,’ and he’ll stop,” she said. “He knows. I’ll go down the line. All I have to do is stay focused. He’s the guy who will unfocus me.”
This isn’t the first time the mother-son duo has found themselves on opposite sides of the field. Last year, when DJ was at Utah, the Utes faced OU at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. However, with Utah in the first-base dugout, there wasn’t much opportunity for their usual banter. This weekend, though, with Arkansas hosting the Sooners, the stage is set for some lighthearted family rivalry.
As DJ tries to get under his mom’s skin and Patty works to keep her focus, the Gasso family dynamic adds a unique and heartwarming layer to an already highly anticipated softball showdown.
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