All Sooners

Softball: Oklahoma Lands 5-Star 2026 Pitcher

The Sooners land Ella Kate Smith, one of the top prospects in Texas and in the nation.

Bryce McKinnis

X/eksoftball2026

Four-time defending national champion Oklahoma softball secured its fourth 2026 commit Tuesday night.

Five-star right-handed pitcher Ella Kate “EK” Smith pledged to the Sooners on her personal X account. Perfect Game ranked the Katy High School (TX) product the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2026 class in September.

“I am extremely blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Oklahoma,” Smith wrote in the post. “Lastly, I want to thank the OU staff for giving me this amazing opportunity. BOOMER SOONER!!”

Smith is the third pitcher in the class to commit to Oklahoma. Keegan Baker, a 4-star prospect from nearby Edmond Memorial High School and the state’s No. 1 pitcher, committed on Oct. 4. Another 4-star pitcher, Malaya Majam-Finch from Fullerton High School (CA), committed on Sept. 16.

Smith was instrumental in the Lady Tigers’ 39-3-1 overall record, perfect district record and UIL regional final appearance last season. Her contributions landed her on the Houston Chronicle's All-Greater Houston first team in July.

Smith visited Norman for the Patty Gasso Softball Camp in April.

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Bryce McKinnis
BRYCE MCKINNIS

Bryce is a contributor for AllSooners and has been featured in several publications, including the Associated Press, the Tulsa World and the Norman Transcript. A Tishomingo native, Bryce’s sports writing career began at 17 years old when he filed his first story for the Daily Ardmoreite. As a student at the University of Central Oklahoma, he worked on several award-winning projects, including The Vista’s coverage of the 2021 UCO cheer hazing scandal. After graduating in 2021, Bryce took his first job covering University of Tulsa and Oral Roberts University sports for the Tulsa World before accepting a role as managing editor of VYPE Magazine in 2022. - UCO Mass Communications/Sports Feature (2019) - UCO Mass Communications/Investigative Reporting (2021) - UCO College of Liberal Arts/Academic presentation, presidential politics and ideology (2021) - OBEA/Multimedia reporting (2021) - Beat Writer, The Tulsa World (2021-2022) - Managing Editor, VYPE Magazine (2022-2023)

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