Sooners conquer Texas for top 2028 pitcher Sophia Schlader in Red River Rivalry recruiting battle

To beat Texas on the softball diamond, Oklahoma has to also win on the recruiting trail, and Patty Gasso just won a massive battle.

Sophia Schlader, the top pitcher in the 2028 class, announced her commitment to the Sooners on Wednesday during a ceremony at her high school. She had narrowed her decision between OU and Texas.

This was basically a head-to-head Red River Rivalry recruiting battle down the stretch. Schlader visited Oklahoma two weeks ago, along with a group of other top 2028 targets of Gasso’s.

Then, after visiting Norman, Schlader was in Austin this past weekend when the Longhorns upset No. 1 Ohio State on the football field. That was Texas’ last and best effort to secure Schlader before she decided, but it still wasn’t good enough.

It was unknown who had won Schlader over ahead of her announcement until Gasso, just before Schlader’s ceremony, not only posted her classic “Go Boomer,” but also included a video. That made Sooner Nation aware that something massive was coming.

Patty Gasso has Oklahoma's future in great hands after landing Sophia Schlader

Schlader really could have ended up anywhere coming from Waukee Northwest High School in Iowa, where there’s no dominant college softball program anywhere close.

According to Softball America, Schlader is the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2028 class as a five-star recruit. She’s the No. 1 pitcher, but she’s also good enough to play infield in college as the top two-way player in the class.

Schlader could give OU fans flashbacks to Keilani Ricketts while blowing fastballs past hitters, then helping her own cause with home runs at the plate. Last season, she had a 29-0 record and .70 ERA, while also batting .464 with 18 homers.

Hopefully, the Sooners have their ace issue figured out long before Schlader gets to campus, but she could get OU back to the days of consistently having a shutdown arm in the circle.

The Sooners had a dominant pitcher to pair with a potent lineup during their best days. They lacked a true ace last season, though, which resulted in OU missing the Women’s College World Series for the first time in nine years.

The sky isn’t falling at Love’s Field, though, and these recent recruiting classes show Gasso’s dynasty is far from crumbling.

OU’s 2027 class is currently ranked second in college softball behind LSU. It could be argued that the Sooners’ group is actually better since there are only three of them and still ranked that high, while LSU above and Oregon below both have six pledges.

Schlader is the second 2028 commitment the Sooners have picked up during this month. The first was BP Saenz, a top-50 national prospect from nearby Moore High School. There should be even more on the way soon, with Gasso recently hosting a lot of visitors from the class.

Gasso is securing some massive victories here in September, so she also can on the field for many Junes to come.

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