Oklahoma favored to win third straight national championship

Oklahoma is in the midst of 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 national 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 pro ball, the Sooners are favored to win it all again. Oklahoma was the preseason No. 1 in the USA Today/ NFCA Division I Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.

Gasso doesn’t want to talk about winning another title 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.

Infielder 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. She entered this season with 179 career RBIs in just two seasons. 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.

Pitcher Jordy Bahl was the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Freshman of the Year last season. Veteran Nicole May and Alex Storako, a transfer from Michigan, are among those who will support Bahl.

Oklahoma is winning in the 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, a third-team NFCA All-American last season, transferred from Texas A&M.

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 a first-team NFCA All-American in 2018 and 2021 and a Softball America first-team AllAmerican during the shortened 2020 season. She helped the Bruins win a national title in 2019.