The Oklahoma softball team has a new look and a new conference this season, but opponents beware: this team is still going to be pretty darn good. The reason why? Patty Gasso.
Oklahoma opens the 2025 season this coming weekend with six games over four days in Southern California. The Sooners will start off in San Diego with a doubleheader on Thursday against Cal State-Northridge and San Diego State.
The scene moves to Fullerton, California, on Friday for two more games against California Baptist and Cal State-Fullerton. Then single games on Saturday and Sunday in the Los Angeles area against Loyola Marymount and Long Beach State, respectively.
Long Beach State is Gasso's alma mater, where she played two seasons. Gasso is originally from the Los Angeles area. After her playing career, she coached four seasons at Long Beach City College.
The Sooners are coming off of an unprecedented fourth consecutive national championship and sixth in the last eight seasons the Women's College World Series has been played. If that doesn't represent a sports dynasty, nothing does.
The last four seasons, Oklahoma has compiled an overall record of 235-15 for an almost unheard of winning percentage of .940. After saying goodbye to a legendary senior class that never saw an OU softball season end without a national championship trophy, the Sooners have reloaded with an outstanding group of transfers and another highly ranked recruiting class.
Overall, Oklahoma lost 10 seniors and three transfers from last year's national championship team.
Of greater concern, though, are five players who are gone from last season's starting lineup, four of which -- catcher Kinzie Hansen, outfielders Jayda Coleman and Rylie Boone and infielder Tiare Jennings -- played on each of Oklahoma's four consecutive national championship teams.
In addition, the Sooners lose starting pitchers Kelly Maxwell, the most outstanding player in last season's Women's College World Series, and Nicole May.
While many players have come and gone in Oklahoma softball over the past three decades, the one thing that has remained constant throughout with coach Patty Gasso, who begins her 31st season as coach of the Sooners.
Gasso is the fourth winningest coach in college softball history with 1,458 career wins, and she has taken Oklahoma to the NCAA Tournament every season she has been at OU and won eight national championships.
First baseman Cydney Sanders and the Sooners' two outstanding freshmen from last season, outfielder Kasidi Pickering and designated player Ella Parker, return.
Parker led the team in hitting with a .415 average, along with 13 home runs and 62 runs batted in, last season. Pickering hit .389 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs, and Sanders provided more power to the Sooner lineup, slugging 15 home runs and driving in 50 runs.
North Carolina transfer Isabella Emerling will replace Kinzie Hansen behind the plate. Like Hansen before her, Emerling possesses both a power bat (14 home runs and 53 RBIs last season) and is strong defensively.
Transfer Ailana Agbayani was the starting shortstop at BYU last season. She could be inserted at either shortstop or second base.
Agbayani has a career .424 batting average and was the fourth-best hitter in the Big 12 a year ago.
Freshman Gabby Garcia, a highly regarded recruit best known for her defensive skills, might also win the starting role at shortstop. If that happens, Agbayani likely would move over to second.
The other corner on the infield is expected to go to redshirt freshman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, who missed all of last season with an injury. She was ranked as the No. 6 player nationally in the class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball.
Two of the outfield positions will be filled by Pickering and Utah transfer Abigale Dayton, who led the Pac-12 last season with a .431 batting average.
Sophomore Maya Bland, who hit .333 last season and tied for second on the team with eight stolen bases, mostly as a pinch runner, redshirt junior Hannah Coor and in-state freshman Chaney Helton will battle it out for the final outfield spot.
Sophomore Kiersten Deal, who was 14-1 in 15 starts last season for the Sooners with a 1.97 ERA, will be joined in the starting rotation by Louisiana transfer Sam Landry, who was impressive in 2024 fall ball at OU.
The left-hander was 24-10 as a junior at Louisiana last season and credited with 10 complete games and six shutouts. Also watch for top-10 recruit Audrey Lowry, a left-handed pitcher who was a two-time Max Preps High School All-American and 2024 Indiana Gatorade Softball Player of the year.
"I'm really excited about what this is going to look like," said Gasso during the team's Media Day on Saturday. "It's not going to be your traditional look that you've seen in the last four years, but it still has all the championship mindset, mentality, grind, grit that is coming after."
Given the significant roster attrition, Oklahoma will begin the season as the No. 3 team behind No. 1 Texas and Florida in the NCAA Preseason College Softball Top 25 rankings. It's been several years since the Sooners were ranked lower than No. 1 to start a season.
Three Oklahoma Sooners -- Ella Parker, Kasidi Pickering and Abigale Dayton -- were named last week to the 2025 Preseason All-SEC Team.
This year's Oklahoma softball team may feature an all-new cast and might not be as highly regarded as in year's past, but you can be assured that the Sooners' championship reputation will precede them.