Oklahoma doesn't lose many softball games. In the past 10 seasons (excluding the 2020 pandemic season), the Sooners have lost just 66 times in 571 games. That's a winning percentage of .910.
This is the only year in the last decade that the Sooners have not had a presence in the Women's College World Series. Ironically, this season was also the only time in the last 10 that Oklahoma has posted double-digit losses. The last time Patty Gasso's group lost as many as 10 games in a season was in 2014, when the Sooners finished 51-13.
OU's 10th loss of the 2026 season -- a 6-0 Super Regional loss to Mississippi State -- was the knockout punch that sent the Sooners home this season instead of making what has become the annual trek up Interstate 35 to nearby Oklahoma City and the WCWS.
Sooners' young core leaves reason for optimism after no WCWS appearance
While missing out on the WCWS this season will clearly sting for a while, it could also prove to be a great omen for the future for this young Sooner team. Fans tend to overlook the fact that this year's Oklahoma team fielded a roster of 21 players that 14 of whom were freshmen and sophomores. And the Sooners' two best players this season were catcher Kendall Wells and center fielder Kai Minor, both true freshmen.
Four OU freshmen -- Wells, Minor, Lexi McDaniel and Allyssa Parker -- accounted for 72 of the Sooners' 187 home runs and 193 of the team's 615 total runs. Their combined 72 home runs is more than 156 NCAA Division I teams. This speaks to the Sooners' continuing ability to attract and sign top talent and signals plenty of great things to come.
The Sooners, before transfer exits, lose three senior starters in first baseman Isabela Emerling, second baseman Ailana Agbayani and outfielder Abby Dayton, but they return at least two-thirds of their run production, which ranked No. 3 nationally this season, averaging nearly 10 runs per game, and as many as five starters with 20 or more home runs.
Four Oklahoma starters -- Wells, Minor, Ella Parker and Gabbie Garcia -- were honored as NFCA All-Americans for the 2026 season, and all have one or more years of eligibility remaining.
Also returning for 2027 is third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, who was hitting .462 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 19 games this season before suffering a torn ACL and missing the rest of the season. She was a key contributor the year before, contributing 15 home runs and driving in 48, along with a .339 batting average.
While the Oklahoma offensive production and power should remain strong again next season and for the immediate future, the one liability that ended up exposing the Sooners in the critical final stages of the season was the pitching staff and the lack of a true ace. Sophomore Audrey Lowry won 22 games and Ole Miss transfer Miali Guachino logged 15 wins, but neither was the true lockdown ace that has been a vital part of Oklahoma's national championship formula.
The perils that the Sooners experienced in their quick exit from the SEC Tournament despite being the tournament's top seed and again in the Super Regional series with Mississippi State are cases in point of why and how this season fell short of expectations, even with having one of the most potent offensive lineups in the country.
Pitching will be a clear focus as Gasso and her staff look to fill important needs and strengthen the depth and experience of the roster with transfer portal additions this offseason. But while turning to the portal for roster replenishment and other improvement, you also have to be mindful of the other lane on the portal highway: players departing the program.
To date, three Sooners -- the Zache sisters, sophomore catcher/infielder Riley and pitcher Berkley, and sophomore utility Tia Milloy -- have announced intentions to enter the transfer portal, and there could be more before the window closes. There have been worries that sophomore shortstop Garcia and junior outfielder/designated player Kasidi Pickering could be considering leaving.
Along with the expected portal additions, Oklahoma will also welcome its second consecutive No. 1 recruiting class. Infielder Ori Mailo was rated the No. 4 overall player in the class and outfielder Payton Westra was rated the No. 2 player overall. To bolster the pitching depth, the Sooners will add a pair of top-6 pitching prospects in right-hander EK Smith and Keegan Baker, a local product out of Edmond, Oklahoma, as well as Malaya Majam-Finch, rated the No. 18 pitcher in the class.
As the chorus line to a popular Kelly Clarkson song suggests, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," and the lessons learned and experiences gained by this young Oklahoma Sooner softball team come back stronger, more seasoned and hungrier than ever next season.
Something else to consider when looking ahead to next year: The last time Oklahoma failed to make the Women's College World Series, in 2015, the Sooners returned a year later to win the first of two consecutive national championships.
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