No program at Oklahoma is better prepared for the SEC than Patty Gasso’s dominant softball team. Gasso ended her final Big 12 season with a fourth consecutive national championship, celebrating the historic senior class’s last victory over the Texas Longhorns in the Championship Series in Oklahoma City.
The program boasts eight national titles, seven since 2013. OU faces significant changes this offseason with ten seniors graduating and three transferring. Gasso has recruited eight talented freshmen and filled four of five open spots from the transfer portal.
The 2024 opening of Love’s Field was a major success, and landing the 2024 USA Softball Player of the Year, NiJaree Canady, would be a perfect addition to Gasso’s new facility.
“I’m ready to start coaching again because I don’t have to coach this (veteran team),” Gasso said after the recent championship win. “They know it. They’ve got it. They coach each other. I’m really excited about what’s coming.”
Should the Sooners secure the former Stanford star, the strong SEC will find themselves competing with Gasso and Oklahoma, rather than the other way around. The SEC will indeed be tougher than the Big 12, with all SEC softball teams making the 2024 NCAA Tournament, making every conference series feel like a Super Regional.
Despite the SEC’s strength, it hasn’t dominated at the top like SEC baseball. No SEC team has reached the Championship Series at the Women’s College World Series since 2017 when Florida lost to OU. Oklahoma and Texas, both newcomers to the SEC, have competed for the national title twice in the last three years. Oklahoma State also ensures a major ranked series for the Sooners every year since 2021.
Moving to the SEC means trading games against Houston, Iowa State, and Texas Tech for tougher opponents like Ole Miss, Kentucky, and South Carolina. However, Oklahoma has thrived against SEC teams, with a 22-2 record over the past four years.
Road atmospheres will become more challenging, but the Sooners are accustomed to strong fan support nationwide. At home, Gasso expects the team to excel at Love’s Field as they grow more familiar with the venue.
Regardless of the starting pitcher next year, freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering boosted the team in 2024. Parker led the team with a .415 batting average, 13 home runs, and 62 RBIs, while Pickering had a .389 average, 12 home runs, and 51 RBIs.
Parker and Pickering will join returning starters Cydney Sanders, Hannah Coor, Kierston Deal, and Paytn Monticelli. The Sooners also added former Utah All-American Abby Dayton, BYU shortstop Ailana Agbayani, North Carolina catcher Isabela Emerling, and Campbell pitcher Isabella Smith to their star-studded freshman class for 2025.
Crucially, Gasso will return with her associate head coaches, Jennifer Rocha and JT Gasso, to lead the program into its competitive new era.
