Sanders’ timely home run is just what the Sooners needed
At Oklahoma home games, the crowd often reacts audibly when Cydney Sanders swings and misses at a big pitch.
When she makes contact, there’s an expectation that the ball will clear the fence for a home run. However, for the past month and a half, an outfielder always seemed to be in the right spot to catch it.
Sanders hit 10 home runs in the first 24 games this season, including eight in an eight-game stretch. She led the team in home runs and had a batting average of .395.
Since then, her batting average has dropped to .263, and she entered the Women’s College World Series without a home run in her last 15 games.
“Everything before for me doesn’t really matter,” Sanders said Thursday. “It’s what’s going on right now.”
The Sooners remained confident in their power-hitting first baseman.
Sanders has started 50 of 56 games this season, ranking sixth on the team in starts. She’s committed only one defensive error and drawn the second-most walks on the team during a season where the Sooners have the second-highest walk rate in program history at 17.5%.
Opposing pitchers respect her skills, her coaches and teammates respect her abilities, and the fans clearly do too, reacting to every powerful swing and miss.
The ball just hadn’t been falling for her, until it finally did.
In the bottom of the fourth inning of their WCWS opener against Duke, with the Sooners leading 4-1, Sanders swung at a low pitch and sent it deep into left field for a home run. The ball traveled 237.6 feet, but the swing seemed effortless.
“The ball finally dropped today, so … that’s very exciting for me,” Sanders said after the game.
The two-run home run forced Duke to change pitchers and helped the Sooners secure a run-rule victory. Winning the opener not only eased the Sooners’ path to the championship series but also may have reawakened a key player in their lineup.
Sanders set Arizona State’s single-season home run record with 21 during her freshman year before transferring to Oklahoma. She experienced a similar slump early in her first season with the Sooners but rebounded with four home runs in the postseason, including a crucial one in their national championship win over Florida State.
She now has 13 home runs this season, the third-best on the team.
Regardless of whether Thursday’s home run leads to more in the tournament, pitchers will have to keep her in mind, which is advantageous for the Sooners at the bottom of their lineup.
Great Statement “It really doesn’t matter to me what you’ve done through the season,” OU head coach Patty Gasso said. “This is where everyone’s going to remember it … For Cyd Sanders, I am thrilled.”
Oklahoma continues its WCWS journey at 2 p.m. Saturday with a game against UCLA on ABC. The winner will advance to the semifinals, where they will have two chances to win one game and reach the championship series.
