After what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2025, Patty Gasso isn't backing down from any challenges in 2026.
The Sooners will again compete in the loaded Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic during the 2026 college softball season after a one-year hiatus. The tournament recently released a long list of participants, including Auburn, BYU, Duke, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Oregon State, Rutgers, San Diego State, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, Utah, Washington and more.
Sooners will play in 2026 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
The announced field included five teams that made the 2025 Women's College World Series in OU, Texas, Texas Tech, Oregon and UCLA. Texas beat Texas Tech in the championship series after the Red Raiders knocked out OU in the semifinals. The Sooners and Texas won't meet as SEC foes, but a rematch between OU and Tech seems like a likely matchup to set.
Another fun matchup would be OU taking on Nebraska, which has two former Sooners in Jordyn Bahl and Hannah Coor and nearly made the WCWS this past season.
The 2026 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic will be on Feb. 19-22 to start the new college softball season in Cathedral City, California. Last season, Gasso opted to start OU's season in California still, but not in the challenging tournament with a brand new roster she had to figure. In 2026, though, the Sooners' lineup will be loaded with returning talent and top transfer addition Sydney Berzon from LSU as their ace.
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