Patty Gasso is already linking freshman Kendall Wells to Oklahoma legends

Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso can name drop some of the best college softball players to ever grace a diamond when she mentions former players, and one day, if not now, freshman catcher Kendall Wells is destined to be one of those names.

Wells hasn't emerged just as one of the best freshmen in the country through three weeks of the season, but maybe the best college softball player regardless of class after just 15 career games and 48 at-bats.

Kendall Wells emerging as one of the best hitters in college softball as freshman

“Offensively, I’ve seen Jocelyn Alo, I’ve seen Lauren Chamberlain. This is something new," Gasso said during Tuesday's press conference. "This is different. It is some of the most elite power I’ve ever seen from a young player. And she came in like that. It's not like we had to build her into that. She came in like that."

There were obviously high expectations for Wells coming in after signing with the Sooners as the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2025 class, according to Softball America. The hype was built even higher when Wells hit a home run in five straight games at Love's Field during OU's fall scrimmages. Then, in Wells' college debut while already batting in the 3 hole, she smacked a game-winning two-run homer to propel her new team to a 2-1 win over Arizona State in the season opener.

So no matter how high that hype got, it still wasn't enough.

The Sooners are launching home runs at a historic pace while averaging 3.73 a game and leading all of college softball with 56 through 15 games. UCLA, which has played one more game than OU, is second with 44.

Wells leads the best home-run hitting team in the country with 10 of her own. That total also leads the SEC and is tied for third in the nation, as Wells is the only freshman in the top 20 of the category. Wells also has a .354 average with 17 hits, 21 RBI, 18 runs and a 1.021 slugging percentage.

Wells' numbers got a massive boost this past weekend during the Sooners' trip to Cathedral City, California, for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. As the Sooners went 5-1 at the event, Wells homered in all but one of the six games with six long balls and 13 RBI. She hit two out in one game against San Diego State. Following that showing, Wells was named Softball America Freshman of the Week and D1Softball National Player of the Week.

That's what led Gasso to already mention Wells with the likes of Alo and Chamberlain. Alo was a two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and broke Chamberlain's NCAA record for most home runs in a career with 122.

Including Alo, Chamberlain and Tiare Jennings, Gasso has coached three of the top 4 NCAA career home-run hitters. Yet, Wells is already standing out.