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OU Softball: How New Faces Stole the Show in Oklahoma's Perfect Opening Weekend

A pair of freshmen made waves at the plate while Patty Gasso's new arms on the pitching staff dominated stiff competition at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

Ryan Chapman

OU Softball: How New Faces Stole the Show in Oklahoma's Perfect Opening Weekend
OU Softball: How New Faces Stole the Show in Oklahoma's Perfect Opening Weekend /

Oklahoma’s newcomers wasted little time getting into the center of the action in Puerto Vallarta.

The No. 1-ranked Sooners’ perfect 4-0 weekend in Mexico was littered with key contributions from OU debutants.

True freshman Kasidi Pickering stole the show on opening day, announcing herself to the softball world with a grand slam in her first at-bat against Utah Valley.

She added another RBI in the run rule victory, and followed it up with a 2-for-2 performance at the plate against then-No. 11 Duke, adding another RBI.

For the weekend, the freshman went 5-for-11 with seven RBIs and two walks, thrusting herself into the mix for more starting time out in right field.

Her freshman counterpart, Ella Parker, enjoyed a strong opening weekend as well.

Primarily slotting in as OU’s designated player, Parker displayed plenty of patience and plate discipline. She drew four walks in the four games, ending the weekend 3-for-9.

Parker’s bases-loaded walk against Long Beach State on Saturday was her only RBI of the weekend, but she scored three times in the season opener against Utah Valley thanks to her constant presence on the base paths.

Perhaps no Sooner batter had a more impactful set of pinch-hitting opportunities than Riley Ludlam, however.

The Furman transfer got three at-bats off the bench, and she delivered an RBI for Patty Gasso on each occasion.

First, she hammered a ball for a sacrifice fly that plated Jayda Coleman in the bottom of the third inning against Utah Valley.

But the highlight of the weekend came in a top-10 battle against Washington.

Down 3-2 to the Huskies in the sixth inning, Gasso brought Ludlam in as her Sooners were running out of outs to mount a comeback.

Cydney Sanders’ walk, paired with Alynah Torres’ deep fly out, put pinch runner Maya Bland on second base with one out for the transfer catcher.

If Ludlam felt any pressure in the moment, she didn’t show it.

Instead of swinging out of her shoes, she steadied and poked a ball into shallow center field, allowing Bland to round third base and easily score to tie the contest.

Oklahoma went on to extend its historic wining streak with Rylie Boone’s RBI single that plated Pickering and completed the dramatic comeback.

The new weapons in the lineup weren’t the only roster additions that made an impact.

OU’s new-look pitching staff was bolstered by transfers Kelly Maxwell, Karlie Keeney and Paytn Monticelli as well.

Maxwell made her debut on Thursday against Duke, and looked every bit of the ace that won so many big games at Oklahoma State.

She pitched five shutout innings against the Blue Devils, throwing two strikeouts while allowing only one walk. After Duke pushed its leadoff runner over to second base in the top of the second inning, Maxwell rallied to retire 11 consecutive batters before handing the ball over to Keeney to close the contest.

The Liberty transfer allowed just two hits and a walk in the final two innings, dealing a strikeout of her own to silence Duke.

Both played major roles against Washington as well, but it was Monticelli who fired up Oklahoma.

After retiring all three batters she faced in the opener against Utah Valley, Monticelli entered the Washington contest in the bottom of the fifth inning with OU still trailing.

She quickly induced a pair of fly balls to record the first two outs against Washington before striking out the final batter of the fifth inning and firing up the dugout with a pair of roars heading into the sixth.

Wisconsin transfer Paytn Monticelli ignited Oklahoma's dugout with a massive strikeout to close the fifth inning against Washington on Friday night.  :: SARAH PHIPPS / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

Monticelli was withdrawn in the sixth inning after a leadoff walk, but she returned to close out Long Beach State on Saturday without any drama.

Keeney took the ball from Monticelli against Washington, and after she recorded an out and allowed a hit, Gasso turned back to Maxwell.

The transfer left hander shut the game down.

She struck out a pair of batters in 2 2/3 innings of work, working out of a jam by making a good defensive play to Hansen at the plate for the second out of the sixth to keep the game tied.

Then Keeney closed the weekend on a high for Gasso, pitching 4 1/3 innings in relief of Kierston Deal against Long Beach State. She sat down all 13 batters she faced, adding another pair of strikeouts to her weekend tally.

This weekend, the Sooners will play another five games, offering plenty of opportunity for the new faces to continue to build on their strong start.

Oklahoma will head McNeese State’s Cowgirl Challenge in Lake Charles, LA, taking on Central Arkansas and McNeese State on Friday, Lamar and McNeese State on Saturday and closing the weekend with one final contest against Central Arkansas on Sunday. All five games will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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