OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Fans within the outfield turned their gaze to left field as Oklahoma's Kelly Maxwell jogged out of the bullpen. With the Sooners just 4 outs away from the national championship, Maxwell's appearance was greeted with excitement and a collective deep breath.

The Sooners felt they already had their fate of their hands, but coach Patty Gasso pulled off yet one more ace to shut out that championship series against No. 1 Texas. Maxwell, who was later named the Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player, did just that, leading the Sooners to an 8-4 victory, winning the championship series and making Oklahoma the primary team in college softball history to win 4 consecutive national championships.

Oklahoma is accustomed to this phase, however the players and Gasso will certainly indicate the challenges that include achieving this level of success time and time again. This season specifically, the pressure has increased, said veteran outfielder Jayda Coleman.

“Over time, when we lost a game or two games or lost to Texas, everyone had an opinion about us,” Coleman said. “It was frustrating to see everyone on Twitter and TikTok rooting for anyone but us.”

She shrugged. “Well… that didn't happen, so…”

With eight national titles and 17 WCWS appearances since 2000, Oklahoma's dynasty has been within the making for a while. Over the last 4 national championship seasons, OU has compiled a record of 235-15.

With the wins got here skepticism. Oklahoma has lost more games this season (seven) than it has since 2017. Texas dethroned the Sooners because the front-runner on this yr's NCAA Tournament for the primary time in 4 years. Skeptics identified that these were signs of vulnerability, while comments concerning the home-court advantage OU enjoys when it hosts the WCWS 20 miles up the road from campus sparked frustration and talk of rotating the event.

“It's probably the toughest coaching season I've had in a long time because of all the naysayers,” Gasso said. “It's hard to have a head that wears the crown, that's the only thing that really stood out. I heard someone say that. It really felt true. It was exhausting.”

But while the noise surrounding the team grew, Oklahoma maintained its identity on the sector.

“Whether you love us or hate us, I think you have to have a certain amount of respect for what we've done for softball and the women's sport,” said veteran pitcher Nicole May. “It's just crazy to see the growth of this sport and I just hope it continues to grow.”

Texas coach Mike White pointed to Oklahoma's ability to “retool and continue to add quality players to their program” as one among the aspects that continually puts the Sooners at the highest. Freshman outfielder Kayden Henry and sophomore infielder Viviana Martinez pointed to the Sooners' experienced roster as the largest difference: Oklahoma's 10-man senior class has been the inspiration for each championship run.

That class includes Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Rylie Boone, Alyssa Brito and Kinzie Hansen, all of whom rank in the highest 10 in program history in profession batting average. The trio of Maxwell – who transferred to OU this season from rival Oklahoma State -, May and Karlie Keeney form the inspiration of the pitching staff. Infielder Alynah Torres and do-it-all player Riley Ludlam round out this dynastic graduating class. The five who’ve been at OU for the reason that starting of their careers – Coleman, Jennings, Boone, Hansen and May – have never made it through a postseason with no national title.

“They're going to go down in history — not just at OU — but I would say personally, in the entire country as one of the best softball classes ever. I'm proud of that,” Gasso said. “It would be easy to say we've had enough. That's tough and we've had enough. But they're elite athletes. Whether they like it or not, they work hard and diligently.”

But what Gasso in-built Norman doesn't end together with her departure. That's where the freshmen are available. Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering were the 2 freshmen who jumped into the starting lineup this season, and neither of them shied away from the postseason highlight.

Parker hit 3 for 4 within the Sooners' elimination game against Florida — and hit the game-winning RBI that sent the sport into extra time. She finished the season with a .415 batting average, one of the best on the team. Pickering hit a house run in every game of the championship series. Both freshmen were named to the WCWS All-Tournament Team.

“I give all the credit to the seniors,” Pickering said. “Every at-bat, a senior came up to me and talked to me and helped me improve my mindset for the at-bats to come, so I give everything to them.”

When asked if she felt pressured to take over what the seniors left behind, Pickering quickly replied, “No.”

Oklahoma is poised to maneuver to the SEC, which just sent all 13 of its softball teams to the NCAA Tournament. The realignment will introduce a brand new level of competition. The Sooners are also welcoming an eight-man class within the 2024 recruiting cycle that ranks first within the nation in keeping with Extra Innings Softball. Of course, an unprecedented fifth straight win can also be on the forefront.

“We need (the freshmen). They do a great job offensively,” Gasso said. “There are a lot of young pitchers watching and learning and waiting for their number to be called. The future will continue to be bright without those 10 seniors.”

Hansen, Keeney and Jennings will return as assistants next yr, Gasso said. But whilst the players who formed the dynasty move on, Gasso stays the figure behind every championship run.

“I'm ready to go back to coaching because I don't have to coach this,” Gasso said, pointing to the seniors next to her. “They know it. They've got it. They coach each other. I'm really excited about what's to come.”

Oklahoma's parade to the outfield on Thursday night to have fun with tears of their eyes and championship trophies of their hands felt each familiar and exhilarating. Like an ace entering the sport at an important moment, the last hurrah finally sounded. This chapter in OU's history ended with a way of accomplishment and relief at having made history once more.

“This one was definitely a little more sentimental for me. We grew up together,” Hansen said. “There was never a hero at the batting plate or on the mound or anything like that. This was a team effort. We battled all season. Everyone had something to say about us all the time. People wrote us off. It was just a tough battle. Everything mentally, physically. We battled all year. In that moment, it was all so worth it.”

SACRAMENTO – Steph Curry, master of focus, sipped a beer and stared from 10,000 yards away.

The loquacious Draymond Green appeared speechless.

The all the time positive Klay Thompson was downright desperate.

The Warriors' season ended Tuesday night by the hands of the Sacramento Kings, and the battle left the once-great champions dazed.

The query was on the faces of all of the greats before the ultimate buzzer sounded and long after:

What just happened?

Let me let you know:

The No. 10 seed within the Western Conference — the worst team within the Western Conference postseason — was jumped from the primary tip on Tuesday. They were pushed around and beaten up and offered little or no resistance Kings' omnipresent force.

The Warriors were punk.

And it made the once-mighty Warriors — with a core that played for every part and won every part — appear to be a team overmatched in a modest play-in tournament game.

Sacramento is hardly a team of destiny – a future champion on the rise. The kings stink too. This team went into this game as underdogs No. 9 vs. No. 10, had poor form and poor spirits.

Still, they defeated the Warriors with ease.

Where does this leave the Dubs within the NBA hierarchy they once stood at the highest of?

The Warriors' dynasty can have ended years ago. Maybe the 2022 title fight was something aside from dynastic. Or perhaps that run of excellence that began in 2014-15 and continued until Tuesday night's game was prolonged.

But regardless of the warriors were, they are not any more.

The 118-94 loss in a made-for-television single-elimination game between two non-contenders is a transparent dividing line.

After watching the Warriors play at the best level — and win — watching them in Tuesday's game felt incongruous with that legacy. This felt amongst the soldiers – the capital W version of this lore.

Seeing them lose so badly only made the purpose more clear.

But the reality is that great champions rarely find yourself at the highest. So a lot of the perfect last long gone the expiration date of their excellence. It's hard to stop. As Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after Tuesday's loss, there's nothing just like the highlights of elite sport – anyone who's experienced them gets hooked.

That's why Muhammad Ali's last fight was a loss to Trevor Berbick. Or why Michael Jordan played for the Wizards. Babe Ruth hit .181 for the Boston Braves at age 40.

Given the sad departures of major stars, perhaps the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento was the suitable place for this ending.

And the loss to the Kings definitely felt like the top.

Reactionary? Perhaps.

But what else would you call Tuesday?

Curry tried to single-handedly lead the Warriors to victory, just as he did in the identical constructing last April when he scored 50 points in Game 7 of those teams' first-round playoff series. Against a gradual food plan of double and triple teams, he didn't come close. Keon Ellis (I'll wait a moment so you possibly can look him up) had the perfect point guard of all time in prison. And with Curry's legs drained from the regular season of dragging this team, he had no likelihood of repeating last yr's heroics. He scored 22 points and had six turnovers.

Green attempted a yeoman push defensively, but was often the one Warrior defending. One against five is a foul ratio. While his early offensive impulses were intended to be a catalyst for the remaining of the team, his teammates never elevated their plays.

And then there's Thompson, who had found his best game in years heading into this postseason. He delivered what might be the worst performance of his profession, going 0 of 10 from the ground on Tuesday last game as a warrior.

You really don't need a comprehensive column on the state of the Warriors — you only need Thompson's box rating line from Tuesday. It says all of it.

Curry, Green and Thompson made the Warriors – of all things – arguably the best skilled basketball team ever assembled.

But Golden State is way from the excellence it once shone. Age has played its part. This also applies to failures within the front office. This pathetic performance can have been shocking, however it was neither surprising nor sudden. This team, the costliest in NBA history, had to provide every part to get into the play-in tournament. This team only had 4 wins against the six Western Conference playoff teams this season.

How could the Warriors front office return to that path of success in an offseason?

How could they get this automotive back on the road with Curry, Green, Thompson and Andrew Wiggins (4 of 11 from the ground on Tuesday) when at the very least two of those tires are completely deflated and the opposite two could explode at any time? Moment?

This team has covered some tough miles through the years. This team has held 4 title banners, but six runs to the NBA Finals will do some damage.

And while the toll was obvious long before Tuesday, it’s now inescapable and undeniable.

There will likely be loads of time – many years, even – to have fun this team's increasingly distant successes. The greatness of this Warriors core is indelible and this ending will eventually be forgotten.

But now, within the long offseason ahead, big, profound changes are needed – from each a financial and basketball perspective.

Is this organization content to sell nostalgia at a premium price and win barely enough to remain relevant for at the very least one game after the regular season? That’s what “Running It Back” would tell us.

Or do the Warriors care about winning titles, rattling it? If that's actually true, the perfect moves is likely to be probably the most extreme – to maneuver forward, this team may need to take a step back and even consider the once unthinkable.

Yes, every part is on the table for the Warriors this offseason.

And that's since the Warriors brought so little in 2023-24.