Weekend Wrap: What We Learned From Oklahoma’s West Coast Swing

Last offseason, Oklahoma lost pitchers Kelly Maxwell, Nicole May and Karlie Keeney as well as incredible defensive players all across the field. 

And while the Sooners didn’t have to face the ’27 Yankees this past weekend, the pitching and defense was good enough for the team to lean on throughout the first month of the season while the offense really gets going. 

Freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia committed the only error of the weekend in Game 1, but she bounced back and had a nice weekend on the left side of the infield. 

Utah transfer Abby Dayton came up huge with a diving grab in center field on Sunday against Long Beach State that saved a run and prevented a loss. 

Kasidi Pickering came up firing multiple times in that same contest on Sunday from left field, and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and Cydney Sanders both made numerous nice plays in foul territory on the corners. 

All of that supporting a pitching staff that had a strong showing through the first six games. 

Campbell transfer Isabella Smith pitched 12 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just tow hits and one walk while fanning 14 batters. 

Kierston Deal bounced back from a start against CSUN where she allowed plenty of traffic on the bases by denying Long Beach State a single hit for six innings on Sunday. 

True freshman Audrey Lowry was excellent in pressure-filled innings against San Diego State, only allowing a single unearned run against the Aztecs as a result of the international tiebreak runner, and Sam Landry grew throughout the weekend after leading the staff with 15 innings pitched.

Gasso promised that the 2025 Sooners would have a different feel about them, but her infield continues to be well drilled, and things should only get better throughout the season. 

No Signs of a Slump

Ella Parker and Pickering are stepping into even bigger roles as sophomores, but both showed no signs of a second year dip. 

Parker finished the weekend 13-for-22 with eight RBIs, five doubles and a homer while also drawing five walks. 

Pickering went 7-for-20 with a pair of home runs, nine RBIs, a double, a triple and seven walks. 

There were other outstanding performers form the rans of the newcomers — notably Dayton and catcher Isabela Emerling — but an offense built around Parker and Pickering can carry the Sooners a long way. 

Notably, it was the clutch hitting from Parker and Pickering that helped ease the pressure on the rest of the team. 

Parker and Pickering combined in the fifth inning against CSUN to give OU its first lead of the day. The sophomore duo then combined for five RBIs against San Diego State to help Oklahoma erase the early three run lead, and while the offense struggled with runners in scoring position against Long Beach State, Parker and Pickering seemed to always be on the bases to give the Sooners a chance. 

Room to Grow

Gasso’s best lineup card is still a question, and she’ll have plenty of pieces who will continue to battle for playing time. 

Garcia and Sydney Barker appeared to share staring duties at shortstop depending on the matchup with the opposing pitcher early, though Garcia settled in at shortstop as the weekend wore on. 

Hannah Coor’s injury saw Ella Parker get time in the outfield to clear a spot for Tia Milloy in the lineup as the designated player as well. 

Garcia hit .167 in 18 plate appearances through the first six games, which was mirrored by Barker’s .167 average in four at-bats. 

Mostly every freshman who saw playing time showed off the power they possess. 

Milloy hit a pair of monstrous home runs and both Garcia and Barker each hit their first collegiate homers this past weekend. 

Continued experience and work with JT Gasso would give the impression that all the freshmen will continue to improve this year, and the transfers can improve as well. 

Ailana Agbayani went 3-for-15 through her first six games, but she hit .424 a year ago at BYU which leaves plenty of room for growth. 

“Real happy with the way some of these guys are swinging the bat,” Gasso said after OU beat Loyola Marymount on Saturday. “I see that we've had nine different Sooners hit home runs over the course of (the first) five games. 

“… So I'm loving what the defense is doing. Our pitching staff is doing great. Our offense just has some lulls at times and we've got to get that worked out.”

Oklahoma will be back in action this weekend in Waco, TX, where the Sooners will take on Baylor and Hofstra twice each in the Getterman Classic.