OU Softball: Oklahoma's 'Mature' Freshmen Continue to Keep Their 'Cool' and Deliver on the Big Stage

Freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering were once again at the center of Oklahoma's success as the 2-seeded Sooners kicked off the NCAA Tournament last weekend.

NORMAN — Ella Parker watched Oklahoma and Florida State battle for the national title last year from home. 

“It was a dog fight,” the freshman said of her future teammates winning the program’s third-straight national title. “I saw Sooner softball being played. Just really exciting to watch it because just knowing that the next year I was going to be a part of that. 

“Really fun. Really, really talented teams, both sides, and it was a really good matchup.”

Now Parker will get to leave her mark on the 2024 rematch between the 2-seeded Sooners (52-6) and 15-seeded Seminoles (46-14) in Super Regional action at Love’s Field. 

And alongside fellow freshman Kasidi Pickering, OU’s new faces are well positioned to play key roles in this weekend’s NCAA Tournament contests. 

Parker and Pickering starred in the Big 12 Tournament, with Parker being named the weekend’s Most Outstanding Player, and the duo refused to slow down at Love’s Field as the postseason entered its next chapter. 

Parker combined to hit 5-for-11 across the three contests at the Norman Regional, driving in five runs and crossing the plate three times herself. Pickering took control of the opener against Cleveland State, hitting a pair of solo home runs, while also chipping in a sacrifice fly to score a run in each of the two bouts with Oregon. Overall, Pickering hit 3-for-6 and drew a pair of walks in her tournament debut. 

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How to Watch No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Florida State:

Game 1: Thursday, 6 p.m., ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Game 3 (if-necessary): Saturday, time TBD

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OU coach Patty Gasso knew what kind of talent she was bringing into the program. 

Back during the fall, she highlighted this freshman class as building blocks that will carry Oklahoma softball into the SEC. 

Gasso has been proven right time and time again this season.

“They're kind of cool about it,” Gasso said on Tuesday. “They're very mature. They're kind of quiet. They don't say a lot. They just do their job.”

Even as the stakes were raised and Parker and Pickering got their first real taste of the postseason, the Sooners’ two new faces looked unbothered on the big stage. 

“I really enjoy watching them from the third base coaching box,” Gasso said, “because I can see them kind of talking to themselves after a take. Pickering is very like, ‘Oh no. No. No. No. No. I didn’t like that.’ Or like, ‘oh, I should have had that.’ 

“They’re talking out loud and I’m reading their lips and I’m like as long as you know what you’re doing I’m just going to stay out of this. And Ella can do it. Ella can make faces… But it’s just kind of… settling them I think.”

Parker and OU associate head coach and hitting coach JT Gasso have worked throughout the season on breathing exercises to help her stay settled and grounded. But even her first NCAA Tournament experience against Cleveland State brought a new range of emotions. 

"It was a lot to take in,” Parker said on Tuesday. “It felt like a different atmosphere, and it was something I've never felt before. So it was not shocking, but just like different type of feeling I've never felt before. 

“But once we all settled in and the game settled in, it was like I was just back at home and really comfortable."

The stakes will be raised again this weekend. 

Two of the last three softball seasons have ended with Oklahoma and Florida State taking the field to play for a title. 

Come Thursday at 6 p.m., the teams will just be hoping to make it back to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. 

Each side is loaded with veteran experience who have been through a few wars against each other, but Parker and Pickering will be new variables thrown into one of the sport’s marquee matchups. 

Thankfully for Oklahoma, Parker and Pickering seem to thrive in the big moments. 

“I think it'll be pretty much the same type of feeling (as last weekend),” said Parker, “and I'll be able to find comfort once everything settles in."