Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso seeks 5th straight national title with new-look squad

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Patty Gasso has lost most of the key pieces that helped her coach Oklahoma to an unprecedented four straight national titles. Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, Rylie Boone and Nicole May are gone. To make matters more difficult, the Sooners are making their debut in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference this season. Gasso, recently named the USA women's national coach through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, believes her new-look team can compete. She likes the challenge ahead as she seeks her ninth national title overall. "Our product that you're going to see is not going to be perfected, but it's going to be good, and it's going to fight," she said. "That's one thing I know is these guys are not going to quit, and I felt that from the start. So they're hard working, they're focused." Ella Parker, Kasidi Pickering and Cydney Sanders are the top returnees. Parker and Pickering were on the World Series All-Tournament team as freshmen last season and are preseason all-SEC selections. Parker, a utility player, was a third-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American and was the Big 12 Tournament's most outstanding player. Pickering, an outfielder, had 12 homers and 51 RBIs last season and Sanders, an infielder, had 15 homers and 50 RBIs. Abigale Dayton and Ailana Agbayani are key transfers for the Sooners. Dayton was a third-team NFCA All-American for Utah last season. Agbayani was an All-Big 12 pick for BYU who hit .424 a year ago. Gasso said they are among the newcomers who will bring drive to a program that has made winning seem routine. "All of our incoming transfer athletes came here for a reason," Gasso said. "And I know what that reason is and I don't even need to ask them. They want to get trained hard and they want to win a championship. And having them here, you can feel their energy." Oklahoma will again have to deal with Texas. The Longhorns and Sooners were longtime rivals in the Big 12, and they have played for two of the past three national championships. Last season, Texas was the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Oklahoma beat the Longhorns in the best-of-three championship series for the national title. Now, they will bring their rivalry to the SEC, where the coaches have picked Texas as the conference favorite. Reese Atwood was a Top 3 finalist for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year last season. The Longhorns have five preseason All-SEC players, including veteran Mia Scott. Florida has been picked second in the SEC. The Gators have a star combination in pitcher Keagan Rothrock and catcher Jocelyn Erickson. The Gators reached the national semifinals last year. Other SEC teams poised to make a title run include Tennessee, Texas A&M and LSU. All reached super regionals last season. With Oklahoma and Texas now in the SEC, Oklahoma State is positioned to step in as the Big 12's dominant program. The Cowgirls have made five straight World Series trips and are the league favorite for the first time. Oklahoma State placed a conference-best six players on the preseason All-Big 12 team: pitchers RyLee Crandall and Ruby Meylan, outfielders Megan Delgadillo and Claire Timm, utility player Tallen Edwards and infielder Karli Godwin. Duke looks primed to return to the World Series. The Blue Devils made their first-ever appearance last season under coach Marissa Young, and the ACC's coaches have picked the Blue Devils to win the conference title. Infielder Aminah Vega, outfielder D'Auna Jennings and pitcher Cassidy Curd are preseason all-conference picks. UCLA joins the Big Ten after reaching the World Series last year and has the talent to make a run. Megan Grant, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery all were on the Big Ten's Players to Watch list. Nebraska and Texas Tech have dominant pitchers who could beat any team on a given day. NiJaree Canady, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year last season, transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech and immediately makes the Red Raiders dangerous. Tech was picked to finish second in the Big 12. Jordyn Bahl makes Nebraska a threat. She transferred from Oklahoma after being named Most Outstanding Player at the Women's College World Series in 2023. She tore her left ACL in her first Nebraska game last season, but now she's ready to go.