Patty Gasso's Sooner softball squad a magnet for future elite talent

Success breeds success, and there is no better example of that time-worn expression than the Oklahoma softball program,

Under head coach Patty Gasso, the Sooners have won eight national championships, including the each of the last four and seven in the past 12 seasons. Oklahoma's eight national titles is tied with Arizona for the second most all-time, and the Sooners became the only team to do so in four consecutive years when they defeated archrival and top-ranked Texas in the 2024 Women's College World Series.

The 2024 Sooner starting lineup was deep with four-year seniors who had been to the college softball summit for four straight years. That group is now gone, and although plenty of talent still remains on the Oklahoma roster, the 2025 season will provide an intriguing test of how well Gasso and the Sooners are able to reload and reignite the success that has made them the most dominant team in college softball this century.

This won't be the first time this century OU has turned over a squad, but the Sooner team of the last four years compiled a remarkable combined record of 236 wins and just 15 losses. and the core of that team was there for the full ride along with a complementary mixture of other high-producing contributors.

Outstanding pitching is another major factor in Oklahoma's ongoing success. Through a mixture of superb recruiting and selective use of the transfer portal, the Sooners have been blessed with some of the best pitching staffs in Division I softball, and that has made a huge difference in their championship run.

This is a new year for OU softball, however, and their are a number of new faces on the Sooner roster as they begin the team's fall exhibition schedule. And while this year's Sooner team is in the process of coming together, Gasso and her staff is also looking to the future on the recruiting trail.

The 2024-25 Sooner softball roster includes eight freshmen additions (four middle infielders, two catchers, an outfielder and a left-handed pitcher) and five new players (infielder, outfielder, catcher and two pitchers) from the transfer portal. The OU 2024 recruiting class was not as highly ranked as OU classes of the recent past, but it still ranked seventh nationally, according to On3, and 12th by Perfect Game.

Although the 2024 recruiting cycle is now well behind Gasso and the Sooner softball squad, the program is off and running for 2025 with six commitments so far in a class that is ranked No. 1 nationally by On3. The Sooners' 2025 class includes five five-star prospects and one four-star so far, including the nation's top overall prospect, five-star outfielder, Kai Minor from Irvine, California.

Oklahoma's 2025 class also includes three others who rank in the top-five nationally, according to On3: No. 2 Allyssa Parker, a pitcher; No. 3 Lexi McDaniel, an infielder; and No. 5 Kendall Wells, a catcher. And it doesn't stop there. Five-star pitcher Sophia Bordi ranks 12th overall nationally, and four-star pitcher Berkley Zache, the sister of Oklahoma freshman catcher Riley Zache, ranks 14th nationally.

Gasso and her team are also actively recruiting for the 2026 class. Just this week, the Sooners earned the commitment of one of the top players in the 2026 class nationally. Five-star prospect Ki'ele Ho-Ching, the No. 3 player overall and the second-ranked infielder committed to Oklahoma.

Also committed in OU's 2026 class are pitcher Malaya Majam Finch, the niece of former All-American and professional softball star Jennie Finch; infielder Ori Mailo, who hails from the same Hawaiian hometown of Dillon Gabriel; and outfielder Payton Westra. All are rated as four stars.

All things considered, it appears the Oklahoma softball dynasty has no plans of slowing down or giving in to anybody anytime soon.