Patty Gasso Fulfills Her Mother’s Dream — Turns Childhood Home into $5.9M Women’s Shelter in Torrance
A powerful act of kindness from college softball’s most decorated coach
Patty Gasso, the legendary head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners softball team, has honored her late mother’s lifelong dream by transforming her childhood home in Torrance, California, into a $5.9 million women’s shelter. Known for building a collegiate softball dynasty in Norman, Gasso is now making just as powerful an impact off the field.
The project, named Janet’s Hope House after Gasso’s mother, Janet Froehlich, will serve women and children in crisis — offering housing, counseling, and job training services. Gasso said the shelter is the realization of a promise she made years ago to her mother, a single parent who raised her with resilience, compassion, and unwavering faith.
“This house holds so many memories, and now it will hold hope for others,” Gasso said. “My mother always dreamed of creating a safe place for women. This is her legacy.”
Gasso, who has led the Sooners to multiple national championships and is a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Famer, has long spoken about her mother’s influence on her coaching philosophy and commitment to leadership.
The shelter is set to open later this year, marking a new chapter in Gasso’s storied life — one defined not only by wins on the diamond, but by life-changing contributions off it.
