OU Softball: Oklahoma's Build Toward 2025 Starts When the Fall Slate Opens on Wednesday

Patty Gasso will break in plenty of new faces when OU's fall schedule begins with the Battle Series at Love's Field.

Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso gestures to fans as she walks on the field before Game 2 of the NCAA softball Women's College World Series Championship Series game between the Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and Texas Longhorns at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The fall slate for the four-time defending national champions starts on Wednesday night. 

Patty Gasso, fresh off being forever enshrined in bronze outside of Love’s Field, will have plenty fo new faces to break in as she prepares to take her program into the SEC. 

Oklahoma’s legendary senior class moved on after the Sooners closed the Women’s College World Series with a fourth-straight dog pile last June, but Gasso is happy to take on the challenge of bringing a new team together. 

“I am excited because I get to coach again,” Gasso said after her statue dedication last month. “And no offense to our last year's team, they were all so good. All I did was kind of manage. I didn't really need to coach. This year we're going to be coaching and they're just really, they're prideful young athletes. They're so proud to be here. And they really want to kind of pick up the torch and continue to carry it.”

The 2025 OU softball team will start to take shape on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. with a scrimmage at Love’s Field. 

The Returners 

Oklahoma designated player Ella Parker celebrates beside Texas infielder Viviana Martinez after driving in two runs in the sixth inning of Game 2 of the NCAA softball Women's College World Series Championship Series game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns at Devon Park. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Eight players off Oklahoma’s 2024 roster return this year. 

Everyday regulars like Cydney Sanders, Ella Parker, Kasidi Pickering and Kierston Deal will lead the way alongside Hannah Coor, Maya Bland, Paytn Monticelli and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, who are all looking to carve out an even larger role in 2025. 

Sanders, Parker and Pickering will be the cornerstones of Gasso’s offense as all three have delivered clutch hits on the biggest stage in the WCWS. 

Deal will anchor Jennifer Rocha’s pitching staff as the arm that has experienced the stress of postseason runs. 

Kelly Maxwell and Nicole May graduated out, leaving a leadership vacuum in the bullpen that Deal will fill. 

Coor and Bland were used in varying degrees last year as pinch hitters late and defensive replacements in the outfield. 

Monticelli was primarily used as a relief pitcher last year, but another year of development with Rocha could yield more opportunities for the fiery pitcher.

McEnroe-Marinas redshirted in 2024 due to an injury she sustained before the season, and she’ll finally be able to contribute on the field in 2025. 

The Transfers 

Oklahoma transfer Abigale Dayton. / Abby Dayton via Instagram

Oklahoma added five transfers to pair with a talented freshman class. 

The Sooners will get immediate outfield help in former Utah star Abigale Dayton. 

A NFCA Third Team All-American selection a year ago, Dayton led the Pac 12 with a .444 regular season bating average and an on-base percentage of .510. She also hit 10 doubles, six triples and two home runs.

OU also landed former BYU shortstop Ailana Agbayani. Last year, she hit .424, drawing 30 walks and stealing 12 bases while also hitting five home runs. 

Kinzie Hansen’s spot behind the plate will be filled by North Carolina transfer Isabela Emerling. 

She hit .323, hammering 14 home runs and totaling 53 RBIs while finishing 2024 with a 1.103 OPS and a .685 slugging percentage. 

Rocha also bolstered her pitching staff with a pair of veteran pitchers in Isabella Smith and Sam Landry. 

Smith transferred to Oklahoma from Campbell where she pitched 2-6 innings last year, striking out 238 batters and allowing just 69 walks while posting a 2.01 ERA. 

Landry arrived from Louisiana where she struck out 165 batters in 194 innings and ended the 2024 season with a 2.08 ERA.

The Freshmen 

Patty Gasso will have eight true freshmen to work with in 2025. / Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Gasso’s freshman class is one of the most talented collections of prospects to arrive in Norman. 

Headlined by Tia Milloy, eight true freshman will battle for playing time in 2025. 

Oklahoma high school product Kadey Lee McKay, Gabbie Garcia and Sydney Barker could all compete for time in the infield alongside Milloy. 

The Sooners also added a pair of catchers in Riley Zache and Corri Hicks, and Chaney Helton could be in the mix in Gasso’s outfield. 

Audrey Lowry will have a chance to learn from OU’s veteran pitching staff in the bullpen, rounding out Gasso’s talented class. 

All eight freshmen will get their first taste of Oklahoma softball Wednesday night when they battle their teammates in front of  a packed house at Love’s Field.