Throughout Oklahoma's dynasty-esque championship era with six national championships over the past decade, Sooner softball has been blessed with some of the best of the best players in college softball.
That translates into a lot of recruiting equity and a brand attraction that veteran OU head coach Patty Gasso has been able to turn into a steady stream of top recruiting classes and, ultimately, a championship dynasty. That isn't possible, not over a sustained period, unless she is able to refresh OU's roster with exceptional talent on a continual basis, and then, importantly, retain those players.
Gasso's incoming 2026 freshman class was ranked No. 1 by Softball America. That same source has included five Sooners in its annual top-100 ranking of the best players in college softball heading into the 2026 season. This year's ranking not only featured five Oklahoma players in the top 100, but three among the top 15.
Sooners well-represented on Softball America's 2026 Top 100 list
In her two seasons at Oklahoma, Ella Parker, a 2025 First-Team All-American, has become one of the best and most consistent hitters in college softball. She has a career batting average of .415 with 28 home runs and 115 RBIs. Hitting out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup, she sets up the hitters after her with a .516 on-base percentage.
Like Parker, Kasidi Pickering was a 2025 First-Team All-American and will be a junior this season. After an outstanding freshman season, during which she, along with Parker, helped lead the Sooners to their record-setting fourth consecutive national championship, Pickering's sophomore year was even better. She hit .392, along with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs.
Gabbie Garcia got off to a slow start last season as a freshman, but once she got going, she was virtually unstoppable. The season was a month old before she hit her first home run, then she hit one in five straight games and six out of seven. Garcia ended the season with a .357 batting average, 20 home runs and 58 RBIs. She is expected to be a prime contributor again in 2026.
Nelly McEnroe-Marinas hit .339 as a redshirt freshman with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs. She also was an outstanding defensive third baseman, committing just five errors in 90 fielding chances, and was named to the 2025 NFCA All-Freshman Top 25.
Sydney Berzon transferred to Oklahoma this offseason from LSU and fills a critical spot in the starting rotation after three outstanding seasons in the same role for LSU. While at LSU, Berzon compiled a record of 52-25 and a combined earned run average of 2.02. She recorded 416 strikeouts in 486.1 innings. In 2024, she was named to the All-SEC First-Team, and last season was an All-SEC Second-Team selection.