It's as if Oklahoma freshman Allyssa Parker has an overwhelming amount of options for head coach Patty Gasso to even know what to do with, but time is running out.
Parker is a do-it-all player for the Sooners who can excel in the circle, out in the field and with a bat in her hands in the lineup. With the postseason here, though, Gasso admitted ahead of the SEC Softball Tournament this week that the Sooners quickly need to figure out how best to utilize Parker and get her on the field so she's ready when needed throughout this postseason and beyond.
Patty Gasso admits Allyssa Parker needs more time with the postseason here
"You've gotta give opportunity," Gasso said. "Allyssa Parker is sitting in the bullpen waiting to be a closer and never needing closing. We're needing to get her in games. We need to get her swinging in games. We gotta figure out where that is. She’s been working at third, she’s been working at first, but she’s been working mostly in the bullpen.
"That's the hard part of it. But she is really starting to trend well with (pitching) Coach (Jennifer) Rocha, so we're feeling good."
Parker, a righty, signed with the Sooners as the No. 1 pitcher in the 2025 class out of in-state Pocola High School. It was known early, though, that Parker has the talent to contribute more than just in the circle.
She's been everywhere for OU this season while hitting .339 with 62 at-bats and posting a 3.37 ERA in 18 appearances. Her plate appearances have dwindled the deeper the season has went, though. As a pitcher, Parker has a 5-1 record with a save while making seven starts, which includes two complete games.
Gasso believes Parker can make the biggest impact for the Sooners as their closer. The only problem is that those opportunities are rare when on a team that's 48-7 and routinely notches run-rule victories.
With OU up 6-0 entering the sixth inning and Gasso needing to get Parker action, Parker pitched 1.1 innings in Game 3 against Texas A&M last weekend. She struggled, though, and gave up four runs before being replaced by sophomore Audrey Lowry, who closed things down.
Moments like that gives fans reason to want less of Parker and more of veterans like Lowry, Sydney Berzon and Miali Guachino, but Gasso knows the Sooners will soon need Parker in situations like that when things matter the most, even if it just means eating innings to be better prepared for the next game.
Read more: Oklahoma’s SEC Softball Tournament path doesn’t include a single gimme
A championship in the SEC Softball Tournament would mean three wins in a row against tough competition with no option to settle a game. Needing innings with little rest will then only increase the deeper the Sooners get in the NCAA tournament, especially at the Women's College World Series. That's what bit the Sooners last year when they relied too heavily on ace Sam Landry, so with pieces like Parker, Gasso hoped a deeper staff would get OU back to the championship series.
It now has to be baptism by fire, but with Gasso finally settling on how to utilize Parker, she'll be needed for the Sooners to begin a new title streak.
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