Four-time defending champ Oklahoma, top seed Texas A&M among the contenders in NCAA softball tourney

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma looked primed to have a bit of a drop-off this season. The four-time defending Women's College World Series champion Sooners lost the core of the group that had won those titles. Thanks to the transfer portal and an already deep roster, coach Patty Gasso's team is back in a familiar spot. Oklahoma enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 overall seed. The Sooners want more. Many key players are freshmen and transfers who haven't won a national title. Pitcher Sam Landry was honored as the Southeastern Conference's newcomer of the year. The transfer from Louisiana was the No. 1 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited draft. She's 19-4 with a 2.04 ERA. Two of the Sooners' most powerful hitters are freshmen. Gabbie Garcia has 16 homers and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas has 14. In the circle, freshman Audrey Lowry is gaining confidence. She's 6-0 with a 3.24 ERA. She threw three perfect innings in relief in an SEC semifinal win over Arkansas. "I don't think any of them have felt like they've arrived yet," Gasso said of her freshmen. "Their work ethic is quite different in a in a wonderful way of how you would want to see freshmen come in, and they just keep asking for more — coming in and hitting at night on their own, those types of things. And it shows." Oklahoma (45-7) opens regional play Friday against Boston University. Omaha and California also are in the regional and will play each other Friday. The Sooners have won in less spectacular fashion than in past years, but the results largely have been the same. In their first season in the SEC, the Sooners won the regular-season title and tied for the tournament title after the final against Texas A&M was canceled because of weather. Oklahoma's biggest stars on offense have been sophomores Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering, both holdovers from last year. Parker leads the Sooners with a .417 batting average. She has 11 homers and 44 RBIs and leads the team with 17 doubles. Pickering is hitting .404 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs. Oklahoma is the clear favorite to advance, but Gasso doesn't want to hear it. "I'm not listening to what naysayers might say or, 'Well, you've got the easiest (regional),'" she said. "When people say that, you just have to plug your ears." Angry Aggies Texas A&M is the No. 1 overall seed after falling just short of the Women's College World Series last year. The Aggies almost knocked off No. 1 seed Texas in a Super Regional in 2024. Texas A&M won the opener, then led Game 2 before the Longhorns rallied to win in extra innings. The Aggies trailed 6-2 in the decisive third game, then scored three runs in the seventh before losing 6-5. All three games in the super regional were decided by one run. Texas went on to be the national runner-up. Now, Texas A&M (45-9) is in Texas' position. Emiley Kennedy has a 21-4 record with a 2.68 ERA. Mya Perez leads the Aggies with a .447 batting average, 14 homers and 68 RBIs. Amari Harper is hitting .407 and Koko Wooley is hitting .393. KK Dement has 13 homers. SEC power Fourteen of the SEC's 15 teams made the tournament. Nine are seeded and hosting regionals — No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 South Carolina, No. 10 LSU and No. 15 Alabama. Ten of the past 12 national champions come from the current SEC, with Oklahoma having won six of those titles. Familiar face? Florida State, which won the national title in 2018 and was runner-up in 2021 and 2023, will try to return to the WCWS. The Seminoles (46-9), who lost to Oklahoma in a Super Regional last year, are the No. 5 seed and the highest-seeded team outside the SEC. Isa Torres, a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, is hitting .447 with eight homers and 44 RBIs. The Seminoles open play Friday against Robert Morris. Auburn and South Florida also are in their regional. New Big Ten The Big Ten is well-represented with the addition of ex-Pac-12 powers UCLA, Oregon and Washington. The newly expanded conference sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. No. 9 seed UCLA (49-10) hosts UC Santa Barbara on Friday. The Bruins have won a record 12 national titles. No. 16 seed Oregon (47-7), the Big Ten regular-season champion, will begin postseason play at home against Weber State on Friday. Washington (34-17) is in the Lubbock Regional with No. 12 seed Texas Tech. Five of the old Big Ten teams qualified. Michigan, the Big Ten Tournament champion, is in the Austin Regional with Texas. Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State and Northwestern also received bids. Indiana (33-18) leads the nation with a .368 team batting average. The Hoosiers are in the Fayetteville Regional with Arkansas. Hokie spoilers Virginia Tech could be a problem in the Tuscaloosa Regional. The Hokies (41-11) feature two players who were selected in the Athletes Unlimited draft. The Blaze took pitcher Emma Lemley at No. 3 and the Bandits chose utility player Cori McMillan at No. 4. McMillan is a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. She leads the nation with 30 homers and has 63 RBIs in one of the most prolific power-hitting seasons in Division I softball history. Michell Chatfield has 15 homers and Bre Peck has 14. Lemley has a 17-7 record and a 2.74 ERA with 180 strikeouts in 148 innings. The Hokies open Friday against Belmont. Alabama plays Jackson State in the other game on Friday.