Sooners Update: OU sooners Coach Patty Gasso is facing a total roster overhaul after winning four consecutive national championships.

Sooners Update: OU sooners Coach Patty Gasso is facing a total roster overhaul after winning four consecutive national championships.

Oklahoma softball’s incredible run of six national championships in the past eight full seasons has been driven by an abundance of talent and consistent roster stability. The only exception was in 2019, when Oklahoma finished as national runners-up.

So, what’s the secret to this dominance? Effective coaching is a significant factor, but equally important is a robust recruiting system that consistently brings in top-tier talent, ensuring they not only join the team but also perform well on the field.

The Sooners have expertly blended fresh talent with experienced upperclassmen across multiple recruiting cycles, integrating high-performing high school recruits with top transfers from the portal. This strategy has yielded evident success on the field.

This year’s Oklahoma softball team had 10 seniors, five of whom had been key players for four seasons, contributing to four consecutive Women’s College World Series titles. These seniors—Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen, Rylie Boone, and Nicole May—achieved an impressive program-best record of 235-15, with a remarkable .940 winning percentage during their time at Oklahoma.

Additionally, Oklahoma is bidding farewell to several key players after this season, including pitchers Kelly Maxwell (a transfer from Oklahoma State and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2024 WCWS), Alyssa Brito from Oregon, Alynah Torres from Arizona State, and Karlie Keeney from Liberty, all of whom played crucial roles in Oklahoma’s 2024 championship season.

Overall, seven of the nine players in Oklahoma’s starting lineup for most of the season will be departing after this year.

Despite these significant roster changes, head coach Patty Gasso expressed optimism about the future following the Sooners’ WCWS championship victory, stating that “the future is very, very bright.” This confidence stems from the outstanding performance of two freshman All-Americans who were key contributors throughout the season and the promising outlook for Oklahoma to claim an eighth national championship next season, bolstered by another impressive recruiting class.

After two late-season home losses to Oklahoma State, the Sooners rallied to win 14 of their last 15 games. During this crucial stretch, designated player Ella Parker excelled with a .510 batting average, 18 RBI, and four home runs. Freshman Kasidi Pickering also shined, hitting .421 with 15 RBI, 10 runs, and six home runs during the same period.

Coach Gasso highlighted the exceptional performance of her “Killer P’s” throughout the season, particularly in the final stretch and during the WCWS. Sooners fans view this period as more of a reload than a rebuild, with Parker and Pickering poised to be central figures in the team’s ongoing success.

Under Coach Gasso’s leadership, Oklahoma has a strong track record of success in the transfer portal, effectively filling team needs with key transfers. One of the top targets this offseason is Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady, widely regarded as the best pitcher in college softball over the past two seasons. With a need for additional starting pitching, Oklahoma is keenly interested in recruiting Canady, who hails from Topeka, Kansas, and has two years of eligibility remaining.

Other notable players available in the transfer portal who could bolster Oklahoma’s roster include Alana Johnson, a powerful outfielder from Washington who hit .336 last season with a team-high 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. Oklahoma is also seeking a catcher, with Kailey Wycoff from Texas Tech standing out as an All-Big 12 selection who hit .406 in the 2024 season with seven home runs.

Additionally, Gasso is set to welcome another highly regarded recruiting class for the 2025 season.

The 2024 class comprises eight signees, all ranked in the top 25 of the Extra Innings Elite 100 rankings. This includes two players in the top five, four in the top ten, and six in the top fifteen nationally. Left-handed pitcher Audrey Lowry holds the No. 2 spot, middle infielder Sydney Barker ranks No. 4, catcher/first baseman Corri Hicks is No. 7, and middle infielder Gabbie Garcia from Chandler, Arizona, is ranked No. 8.

The remaining four members of Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting class include outfielder Chaney Helton at No. 11, middle infielder Kady McKay at No. 14, middle infielder Tia Milloy from Washington state at No. 18, and catcher/infielder Riley Zache from Michigan at No. 21.

This group of incoming freshmen for the 2024 school year is undoubtedly impressive and underscores why Oklahoma’s 2024 class was ranked as the top recruiting class in the Extra Innings rankings.

If the 2024 class performs as well on the field as they appear on paper, and the Sooners can secure a couple of the bigger prizes in the transfer portal, it’s easy to understand why Coach Gasso is so optimistic about the Sooners’ softball future.