The 2025 Oklahoma softball team was not on a par with the great Sooner teams of the past decade, a period that produced six national championships, as well as a national runner-up. Let's face it, it's pretty hard to top that.
Head coach Patty Gasso acknowledged as much before the 2025 college softball season had even started. With 14 newcomers and having to replace six starting position players along with a pair of starting pitchers, the longtime Sooner head coach well understood that this was not going to be the same dominant Oklahoma softball team of recent years.
Despite all of that, this year's young Sooner squad went out and won 52 games, won the regular-season championship in the super-tough SEC and was co-champion of the SEC Tournament, and went 7-2 in NCAA postseason play, advancing to the Women's College World Series, where the Sooners finished two wins shy of making it to the championship series.
That's a pretty incredible showing from a team with as much roster turnover as Oklahoma had going into the 2025 season, and a solid foundation and expectation level to build on for the 2026 edition of Sooner softball.
The Sooners lose three players to graduation in All-American pitcher Sam Landry, first baseman Cydney Sanders and pitcher Isabella Smith, and four to the transfer portal with OF Hannah Coor, OF Maya Bland, INF Kadey Lee McCay and C Cori Hicks. Since Oklahoma's season ended, the Sooners have added LSU transfer Sydney Berzon to the 2026 roster.
Largely because of what they've got returning for next season, the Sooners have not been as active in the transfer portal. As has been the case for most of the past decade, Oklahoma also has the nation's top-ranked recruiting class coming in, a couple of whom (OF Kai Minor and C Kendall Wells) could become immediate starters.
In addition, RHP Sophia Bordi, who redshirted this past season and left the team late to deal with a personal matter, is expected back for the 2026 season. A two-time New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year, Bordi was rated the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class nationally.
Projecting what the OU softball starting lineup will look like in 2026
Here is what the Oklahoma starting lineup will likely look like to start the 2026 season:
Three of the four infielders return for the Sooners in 2026. Redshirt freshman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and freshman Gabbie Garcia firmly established themselves at third base and shortstop, respectively. The left-side duo combined for 35 home runs and 106 runs batted in, and between them accounted for just nine errors all season. BYU transfer Ailana Agbayani will return for her senior season at second base.
Sydney Barker, who hit .349 with eight home runs and became a key offensive contributor late in the season as a freshman, is the probable replacement for Cydney Sanders at first base. Barker can also play in the outfield, though.
The outfield spots will consist of Kasidi Pickering, the team's second-leading hitter in 2025 (.392 average with 18 home runs and 58 RBI, in left, former Utah transfer and 2023 Pac-12 batting champion Abigale Dayton set in centerfield, and Tia Milloy and incoming freshman Kai Minor will battle it out as the starter in right field. Barker could end up in right if it doesn't work out for her at first base.
Isabela Emerling returns as the starting catcher next season, although the Sooner are really high on incoming freshman Kendall Wells as the catcher for the future. One thing Emerling definitely needs to improve on is her ability to throw out base stealers.
The primary starters on the OU pitching staff will be LSU transfer Berzon, along with Kiersten Deal, Audrey Lowry and Bordi. Berzon and Bordi throw from the right side, while Deal and Lowry are southpaws.
Texas Tech, Oklahoma and 2025 national champion Texas will likely be the top three teams in college softball heading into the 2026 campaign, and I would expect the Sooners to make another strong run next season toward what would be a ninth national championship.
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