Sooner softball adds former BYU shortstop Ailana Agbayani from transfer portal
By Chip Rouse
The Sooners haven't only been busy making news in the football recruiting market of late, they've also been an aggressive participant in the softball transfer portal.
Oklahoma loses six starting position players and three starting pitchers off of its 2024 national championship roster. Head coach Patty Gasso has filled two of those vacated positions this offseason via the transfer portal, and she added a third on Tuesday with the commitment of former BYU shortstop Ailana Agbayani.
Agbayani is the third transfer commitment for the Sooners within the past week, with two of them coming from teams in the Big 12. She joins former North Carolina catcher Isabela Emerling and outfielder Abby Dayton, a Utah transfer. BYU joined the Big 12 a year ago, and Utah becomes a new member of the Big 12 on July 1, the same day Oklahoma officially leaves the Big 12 and becomes a new member of the SEC.
And its a good bet Gasso isn't done replenishing the Sooners 2025 roster needs through the transfer portal.
A native of the Hawaiian Islands, Agbayani led BYU this past season with a .424 batting average along with nine doubles, two triples and five home runs. She is also a threat on the base paths with 12 successful steals in 15 attempts in 2024.
In addition to playing in the infield. Agbayani also threw 23.0 innings in the pitching circle, posting a 5.78 ERA.
Agbayani will most likely replace four-time All-American Tiare Jennings at shortstop next season. Jennings graduated this spring, but she will be sticking around for at least another year as a graduate assistant on Gasso's staff.
Agbayani helped BYU to one of just three wins by opposing teams this past season at the Sooners' all-new Love's Field. She went four for five at the plate with two doubles and two RBI in a 9-4 BYU win.
The BYU transfer has two years of eligibility remaining. She comes from a very athletic family. Her BYU teammate and older sister, Aleia, finished out her career at BYU in 2024 after transferring from the University of California. Her father, Benny Agbayani, is a former Major League Baseball player, and her mother, Neila, played softball at Hawaii.