Jayda Coleman celebrates walks as much as walk-offs. Alyssa Brito dances the Soto Shuffle. Rylie Boone pounds her chest and basks in the “BOOOOOONEs.”

If you subscribe to the unwritten rules of the game, OU softball is not for you. They don’t show up their opponent, but they’re unabashedly showy — slamming bats, stomping on bases and screaming “LET’S GOOOOOOO!!!!” three trillion times per game.

The Sooners won their fourth consecutive national championship Thursday by doing it their way. A let-the-kids-play style that initially clashed with their old-school coach, Patty Gasso.

“When I first saw these guys throw the bat down after a walk, I’m like, ‘What are you doing? Don’t do that,’” Gasso said. “‘You’re showing up the umpire or you’re going to hit somebody.’ But we do it. They do it at practice. I’ve learned to allow them to be who they are.

“The old coach of me would not allow any of this.”

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That right there is not what has made Gasso a great coach, but what will continue to make her a great coach. She’s quick to adapt and eager to understand. She’s evolved with the times in ways some coaching curmudgeons could never.

Gasso has every right to be rigid. She’s won eight national championships, tying former Arizona coach Mike Candrea for the most all time. She has more than 1,500 career victories, her winning percentage north of 80%. And still she’s willing to change.

Having just completed a historic four-peat in her 30th year as head coach, it might seem like an opportune time for Gasso, 63, to step away. But sorry to the rest of college softball, because Gasso sure doesn’t sound like she’s contemplating retirement.

“I’m ready to start coaching again, because I don’t have to coach this,” said Gasso, gesturing toward the chairs where her star seniors had just sat. “They know it. They’ve got it. They coach each other. I’m really excited about what’s coming.

“I love what has happened with our freshmen. Oh, my goodness. I did not anticipate that. The future is very, very bright.”

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And it will remain so for as long as Gasso coaches.

She’s the Nick Saban of college softball. Or maybe Saban was the Gasso of college football.

National championships: Gasso 8, Saban 7.

Gasso is the greatest coach in OU history, regardless of sport.

Gasso and the Sooners have won six of the last eight softball titles — sorcery trending toward Wizard of Westwood levels. John Wooden led UCLA men’s basketball to 10 national championships in a 12-year stretch.

It’s crazy to think the Sooners could five-peat or six-peat, but it’s crazier to think they can’t.

Could Gasso catch Geno Auriemma? The UConn women’s basketball coach, still coaching at age 70, has 11 national championships. Seems a stretch, but the Huskies are no longer the dominant force in women’s college basketball as the Sooners are in softball.

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Gasso is now even with Pat Summit, the legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach, with eight national championships.

If Gasso wins another national title, she’ll pass Candrea for the most in Division-I softball history. With her eighth, Gasso passed former UCLA coach Sharron Backus.

Among active softball coaches, Gasso is in a class of her own.

Just when it seemed like Kenny Gajewski and Oklahoma State or Mike White and Texas might leapfrog Gasso’s Sooners, OU reminded us all that they run the sport until proven otherwise.

And they’re not afraid to be brash about it.

“This generation, they've taught me a lot about coaching,” Gasso said. “They taught me how to accept who they are and how it looks … I just allowed them to be them.”

She’s let the kids play.

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Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball coach Patty Gasso isn't retiring soon after 8th WCWS title