Oklahoma is going to have another strong group in the outfield during the 2026 NCAA softball season. Just like the catchers and infielders, the outer diamond has been home to heavy hitters who have been a factor in the program’s Women’s College World Series dominance throughout the past five years.
Junior Kasidi Pickering, senior Abby Dayton and sophomore Chaney Helton returned from the 2025 WCWS semifinal team and will be joined by freshman Kai Minor. With the depth of the roster allowing for different lineup arrangements, the positions won’t be limited to those players as sophomore Sydney Barker is also an option.
2026 OU softball outfield preview
Pickering had a phenomenal sophomore year that earned her a multitude of preseason accolades, including a No. 10 ranking in the 2026 Top 100 Players, the No. 2 player in the Preseason Outfield Rankings and Preseason First-Team All-American by Softball America. The 2024 WCWS champion also landed on the Preseason All-SEC Team and USA Softball’s Top 50 Watch List for Collegiate Player of the Year. Last season, she batted a .392 average with 58 runs, 67 hits, 57 RBIs and 18 homers.
Dayton enters her final season as a Sooner since transferring from Utah before her junior year. During the WCWS semifinals against Texas Tech last season, she hit a home run off of Nijaree Canady to tie the score. Dayton’s stats in 2025 included a .325 batting average, 51 runs, 51 hits, 19 RBIs and three home runs, and her performance in the fall scrimmages was solid with 10 scored runs.
Helton was mostly a pinch runner in her freshman debut, where she scored 18 runs, though she stepped up to the plate for five at-bats. After Maya Bland and Cori Hicks left the team, Gasso might find more opportunities for Helton to swing, even if she doesn’t get a chance to start.
Minor is beginning her college career as the top-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting class, according to Softball America, which also mentioned her and three other Sooners on its 2026 Freshman Watch List. She has already shown her glove’s ability to quickly throw out batters during the fall, where Minor also scored six runs and swung seven hits while at the dish.