Following last year’s run to the NAIA National Championship game, Oklahoma Wesleyan had the tough task of replacing not one, but two All-Americans. Now one year later, the Eagles have a better record and are back in the national title conversation.

“To be where we’re at right now is just honestly halfway a miracle that we’re in a great situation like we are,” says head coach Donnie Bostwick.

That situation…a number five national ranking, and a 23-3 record.

“People talk about a lot of little things that separate you and stuff. We just keep talking God, keep talking hard work, and it keeps paying off,” says Bostwick.

The Eagles feature a roster that is 15 players deep, has the 20th best scoring defense in the country, while averaging more than 81 points per game.

“We just ask guys to sacrifice a little bit of playing time to play harder,” adds Bostwick. “Possessions are more valuable than time on the clock, so make your possessions more valuable. And over a period of time, we’ve been able to win a lot of close games.”

With Saturday’s 36-point win over York on Senior Day, the Eagles clinched their 5th straight KCAC title, and more importantly, punched their ticket to the national tournament for the 19th straight year.

“It’s just so motivating to keep the streak and keep the culture alive here. I think it runs for everybody. Everybody wants to keep it going, and obviously it’s just another notch to the belt, but we’re not done, we’re not done yet,” says redshirt junior forward Nick Bene.

The ultimate goal is to add another national championship banner to the wall, and the extra motivation comes from last year’s runner-up finish.

“We want the red one, we want the big one. We want to get the natty this year. It definitely pushes us every day. Some days you don’t want to go to practice, or you’re tired, or you’re hurting, or you might have a little bit of injuries, but pushing through that injury, or that pain, or that tiredness so we can host that for all the seniors,” says junior guard Yashi McKenzie.

Current NAIA national tournament projections have the Eagles as a one-seed and hosting a regional in Bartlesville. Head coach Donnie Bostwick doesn’t want his team looking that far ahead, but he likes having those goals in front of his team.

“Destiny’s in our own hands. Last year, we had to go all the way to Iowa. They didn’t give us much love with Lietzke going down mid-season. That was our path. God had a great plan; it made our story even greater, I think. But I’d love to play our regional here and have our legs a little more under us so maybe we can even finish the job this year and go all the way.”

With just two games remaining in the regular season, Oklahoma Wesleyan is using the same mentality that led to last year’s success: focus on faith, not wins and losses.

“They felt that. They continue that same focus on him. You don’t focus on losing, you don’t focus on winning, you just focus on him. Losing makes you have fear; winning gives you too much pride. So we just focus on each other, and joy, and a lot of other things. You win the little battles, you win the big battles usually,” says Bostwick.

No. 4 Oklahoma hit two grand slams in one inning during a 34-0 softball rout of Texas-El Paso that came within one run of tying the Sooners’ record for runs in a game.

The Sooners (8-1), who had 25 hits in the game, wasted no time in the first inning as the first eight batters reached base en route to an 8-0 lead. In the third inning, Tia Milloy and Gabbie Garcia each hit grand slams as Oklahoma added 12 more runs.

Oklahoma, which has blasted 38 home runs in its nine games this season, then tacked on 14 runs more in their final time at-bat as the game was called after five innings.

“This was a very productive trip for us,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso told the El Paso Times after the Sooners won five games over three days during tournaments in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. “We got to use a lot of pitchers in the process, get a lot of players in the field more. There were a lot of opportunities this weekend and everybody made the most of it.”

For UTEP, which had beat Idaho State earlier Sunday, there were no ill feelings.

“They’ve done a lot for women’s sports,” UTEP outfielder Halle Hogan said. “We’re going to take what we learned from them and use it to our advantage.”

Allyssa Parker had two home runs for the Sooners, and Kasidi Pickering tied a school record with three doubles. Milloy, Garcia and Parker each had six RBIs.

Audrey Lowry improved to 6-0, giving up just three hits in three innings. Sydney Berzon and Berkley Zache each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.

Oklahoma’s school record of 35 runs was set against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2014.