NORMAN — Patty Gasso made it clear before the softball season that this Oklahoma pitching staff would be different.
Rather than mostly relying on one ace, as the Sooners did with Paige Parker the last four years and Keilani Ricketts four years before that, Gasso planned to piece together a rotation with six options.
That strategy hasn’t changed 10 games into the season, but junior right-hander Mariah Lopez has shown ace-like attributes that could cement her case as a true No. 1 option.
Stuck behind the Paiges — Parker and Lowary — in her first two seasons, Lopez has earned back-to-back Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors to begin the 2019 campaign.