Sooners have talent to extend title reign
The University of Oklahoma is enjoying one of the most dominant runs ever in women’s college softball.
Under coach Patty Gasso, the Sooners have won five of the past nine NCAA Division I championships. They could add another rare accolade this season by becoming the first program since UCLA from 1988 to 1990 to win three consecutive titles.
Even with NCAA career home runs leader Jocelyn Alo having moved on to play professionally, the Sooners are favored to win it all again. Oklahoma was the preseason No. 1 in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.
Gasso doesn’t want to talk about winning another national championship yet.
“We don’t talk about winning three,” she said. “Those are words that we’re not really talking about around here because it’s premature. It’s really about the process. It’s the journey. It’s all of that, all the work we put in.”
It’s easy to see why Oklahoma is considered the team to beat.
Sooners star Tiare Jennings may be the nation’s best player. She dominated at last year’s Women’s College World Series, setting records with 15 RBIs and five home runs in the tournament, and she entered this season with 179 career RBIs in just two seasons. Fellow infielder Grace Lyons and utility player Jayda Coleman are dynamic defensive players who can hit, and Kinzie Hansen is among the nation’s top catchers.
Right-handed pitcher Jordy Bahl was the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s freshman of the year last season. Veteran Nicole May and Michigan transfer Alex Storako are among those who will support Bahl in the circle.
Yes, Oklahoma is winning in the NCAA transfer portal, too. Cydney Sanders, last year’s Pac-12 freshman of the year at Arizona State, had 21 home runs and 63 RBIs for the Sun Devils. Haley Lee, an NFCA AllAmerica third-team pick last season, transferred from Texas A&M of the Southeastern Conference.
Pac-12 power UCLA, which beat the Sooners for the title in 2019 and reached the semifinals last season, is ready to challenge. Pitcher Megan Faraimo is one of the nation’s best, and the Bruins have the bats to back her up.
UCLA star Aaliyah Jordan was granted a seventh year by the NCAA after her 2022 season was cut short due to a torn left ACL. The outfielder was an NFCA All-America first-team pick in 2018 and 2021 and a Softball America All-America first-team pick during the 2020 season that was shortened by the coronavirus pandemic. She helped the Bruins win a national title in 2019.
Maya Brady, a utility player, was an NFCA AllAmerica first-team selection in 2021. The niece of NFL great Tom Brady, she hit two home runs in a WCWS win over Oklahoma last season. UCLA also should benefit from transfers, having added Arizona’s Janelle Meono and Sharlize Palacios and Oregon’s Rachel Cid and Brooke Yanez.
Oklahoma State has been knocking on the door. The Cowgirls beat Oklahoma to win the Big 12 tournament last season and reached the WCWS semifinals. The Cowgirls have made three straight trips to the WCWS as one of the final eight teams in the NCAA bracket.
NFCA All-America pitcher Kelly Maxwell leads Oklahoma State, and she has plenty of help. Alabama transfer Lexi Kilfoyl had 13 starts and a 2.36 ERA for the Crimson Tide last season, while freshman Kyra Aycock was one of the nation’s top pitching recruits.
Freshman infielder Tallen Edwards skipped her senior high school season at Oklahoma’s Southmoore to enroll and is already a starter for the Cowgirls. She was named the No. 3 overall prospect in Extra Innings Softball’s 2023 Extra Elite 100.
Chyenne Factor, a senior who has already graduated, and junior Katelynn Carwile return to anchor the outfield. Infielder Rachel Becker is at Oklahoma State after being an All-America third-team pick as a shortstop at Purdue last season.
Atlantic Coast Conference member Florida State should also be in the mix. Pitcher Kathryn Sandercock and utility player Mack Leonard led a team that finished second in the WCWS in 2021 and was the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament last year.
Texas reached the championship series last season and could be a factor again, with infielder Mia Scott and pitcher Estelle Czech leading the charge. The Longhorns and the Sooners are both nearing the end of their time in the Big 12, with the schools’ athletic teams moving on to the SEC in July 2024; their first softball season in the new league will be in 2025.
The SEC usually is in the mix of postseason contenders, and it should be again. Alabama features veteran pitcher Montana Fouts and outfielder Faith Hensley, while a tough Florida squad is anchored by infielders Charla Echols and Skylar Wallace and outfielder Kendra Falby. Arkansas could challenge with slugger Hannah Gammill, infielder Kristina Foreman and pitcher Chenise Delce leading the way.