Once a player enters the transfer portal to leave Patty Gasso's softball program at Oklahoma, there's only downgrading, but Maya Bland hasn't figured that out yet.
Bland, an outfielder, entered the portal on June 4, then on Tuesday night announced via Instagram that she will transfer to SEC rival Texas A&M. And she seemingly took a shot at her old team on the way out.
"Didn’t leave the red behind, just upgraded it," Bland wrote in her post.
Maya Bland announces transfer to Texas A&M
The Sooners and Aggies went at it this past season without ever actually playing. After not meeting during the regular season, both teams made the finals of the SEC Softball Tournament, but after a horrible decision by commissioner Greg Sankey, the championship game was canceled because of weather and the two teams were deemed co-champions.
Although OU earned the SEC's automatic bid as regular-season conference champion, the selection committee snubbed the Sooners and gave Texas A&M the No. 1 overall seed while OU was No. 2. However, the Aggies proved to be the worst top seed in history and was eliminated by unseeded Liberty in regionals while the Sooners swept their way to the Women's College World Series.
After OU's championship streak finally ended in the WCWS semifinals, Bland and three other OU players eventually entered the transfer portal, but none made major contributions last season, including Bland.
Bland appeared in 39 games and started seven times in 2025. She hit .250 with three home runs and 10 RBI. In 2024 as a freshman, Bland was primarily used as a pinch runner.
If Bland stayed at OU for next season, she would have likely again been coming off the bench and needing to compete to crack the starting lineup. However, at a less talented program like Texas A&M, she will have an opportunity for more playing time.
No one could blame Bland for going somewhere else to get more playing time, but to take a shot at a college softball dynasty where you could barely see the field seems out of touch with reality.
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