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Oklahoma Lands Commitment from North Carolina Left-Hander

Previously committed to South Carolina, the Sooners get one of the top left-handed high school pitchers in the nation.

John E. Hoover

Oklahoma Lands Commitment from North Carolina Left-Hander
Oklahoma Lands Commitment from North Carolina Left-Hander /

Oklahoma softball coach Patty Gasso picked up a 2022 verbal commitment on Thursday when left-handed pitcher Kierston Deal announced her pledge to the Sooners via Twitter.

Deal, from East Fortsyth High School in Kernersville, NC, had previously been committed to play at South Carolina.

In 136 1/3 innings as a high school junior last year, Deal led the state with 292 strikeouts while posting a 0.72 earned run average as her team finished state runner-up.

WATCH: KIERSTON DEAL INTERVIEW

Kierston Deal
Kierston Deal / Extra Inning Softball

Deal also led her tea in batting (.444) and slugging (.825) and hit nine home runs with 28 RBIs in just 21 games. She earned first-team All-State honors as a junior and was a 2021 Extra Inning Softball All-American.

"She is mature well beyond her years," coach Josh Fisher told Extra Inning Softball. "She understands the game and counts to an opposing batter, pitch locations, hitters, etc. Kierston has completely bought into and understands exactly what we as coaches believe in. KD enjoys discussing her innings, by breaking them down in detail, learning opposing hitters, etc. She utilizes her knowledge and understanding of the game, which only helps her success, even more.” 

OU is coming off a 56-4 season in 2021 and its fifth national title — all since 2000 under Gasso. The Sooners already have commitments from shortstop Avery Hodge and left-handed pitcher Savannah Guerin in the 2022 class, as well as transfers Alyssa Brito and Hope Trautwein.

Published
John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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