The transfer portal came to a close on Monday, and Patty Gasso’s coaching staff appears to be done with their summer business. 

Oklahoma graduated three players after its season came to an end in the WCWS semifinals — first baseman Cydney Sanders and pitchers Sam Landry and Isabella Smith — meaning there will be plenty of familiar faces in the Love’s Field dugout next year. 

The Sooners did lose four players to the transfer portal in outfielders Hannah Coor and Maya Bland, infielder Kadey Lee McKay and catcher Corri Hicks, though only Coor consistently factored into Gasso’s starting lineup in 2025.

After signing the top-rated class in the country a year ago, Gasso repeated that trick, and five talented freshmen are set to join the program in the fall. 

Outfielder Kai Minor, who was rated as the best player in the entire recruiting class by Softball America, will join infielder Lexi McDaniel, catcher Kendall Wells and pitchers Allyssa Parker and Berkley Zache at Oklahoma next season. 

Pitcher Sophia Bordi, who redshirted last season but did not finish the year with the program, appears set to return to Norman and Gasso added a transfer pitcher in former LSU star Sydney Berzon. 

OU’s string of four-straight titles may have ended in 2025, but the Sooners are primed to again be in the hunt for a national title in 2026.

Two of the three spots in the OU outfield are straightforward to project. 

Kasidi Pickering, who started 61 games in 2025 and finished second on the team with a .392 batting average and 18 home runs, will hold down a spot. 

She’ll be flanked by Abigale Dayton, who also started 61 games, and hit .325 with three home runs, eight doubles, a triple and 19 RBIs.

The last spot could be up for grabs well into the season. 

By the time the SEC Tournament rolled around, freshman Sydney Barker was Gasso’s choice to get her bat into the lineup. 

At a minimum, Barker will be available to feature heavily in right fight. 

If Barker is able to replace Sanders at first base, however, that could open things up for Minor and potentially Tia Milloy to work themselves into the lineup in the outfield. 

Milloy appeared in 50 games as a freshman, though she only started 11, and she hit .259 with five home runs and a double in 54 at-bats.

Superstar Ella Parker is also back for her junior year, and while she primarily serves as OU’s designated player, she can also deputize in the outfield if needed. 

Much like the outfield, there should be only one spot up for grabs in Gasso’s infield. 

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas cemented herself as a reliable third baseman as a redshirt freshman, and the middle infield duo of Gabbie Garcia at shortstop and Ailana Agbayani at second was one of OU’s many strengths by the end of the year. 

That leaves the major battle at first, where Barker played a handful of times in relief of Sanders a year ago. 

McDaniel, the true freshman, could be given an opportunity during the fall to try and battle at the position, as could any other bat that Gasso might try to work into the lineup.

In all likelihood, it feels like a spot for Barker to call home after a strong close to her freshman campaign in Norman. 

Associate head coach and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha has slowly adopted a staff approach over the past decade, but 2026 could be her largest rotation to date. 

Berzon’s arrival gives the Sooners an ace to replace Landry, and she’s already proven to be effective in the SEC. 

She’s earned NFCA All-American honors twice before, and the change of scenery to work with Rocha has benefitted plenty of veteran transfers before. 

Kierston Deal, Paytn Monticelli and Audrey Lowery all return from the 2025 rotation as well, which gives the Sooners plenty of experience both as starting pitchers and out of the bullpen. 

Before Bordi reclassified, she was rated as the top pitcher in the 2025 class per Softball America.

With her officially moving into the 2024 class, Parker took over the top spot and Zache signed as the No. 5-ranked pitcher.

Berzon will lead the way, but Rocha has more viable options than ever before to piece together game plans all year. 

Behind the plate, Isabela Emerling returns a wealth of experience at catcher that she can pass on to Wells, who is the top-rated catcher in the country. 

Emerling played in 58 games, making 56 starts, and Wells should have more opportunities to work her way into the lineup early in 2026 unlike Hicks, who dealt with injuries during fall ball a year ago. 

Oklahoma didn’t have to do much work in the transfer portal, unlike Texas Tech, due to the talent retained and Gasso signing another group of freshmen with sky-high expectations. 

But the lack of noise in the portal won’t hamper the Sooners’ efforts to be in the hunt for another WCWS crown next June. 

With the offseason in full swing, head coach Trisha Ford and her staff are making all of the right moves as far as adding some dominant players to their roster. Ford just picked up Micaela Wark, the exclusive designated player from Oklahoma State, to add some extra power to Texas A&M’s offense.

The Aggies also landed Oklahoma State star infielder Tallen Edwards, who won the 2024 Gold Glove Award.

After redshirting her freshman year at Kansas, Wark headed down to Oklahoma State, where she played in 170 games with the Cowgirls as well as starting 157 of those. Before hitting the transfer portal, Wark put up impressive numbers in her three-year career at OSU with 29 home runs and 99 RBI.

In 2024 and 2025, Wark played primarily as the designated player, giving her team some ease when she stepped into the batter’s box. She ended the 2025 season with a batting average of .241 with 28 hits and going deep eight different times.

As far as what this means for the Aggies, it could mean a couple of different things. Last season, the designated player role was primarily graduate Mac Barbara before she fulfilled duties behind the plate, which is when it switched to incoming junior Mya Perez.

Perez played first base for the Aggies for the majority this season, but with a catcher injury sending Barbara behind the dish, Perez stepped in to the designated player role. With Wark primarily being a designated player for two seasons at OSU, Perez very much could go back to her early season role at first base.

With a senior coming into A&M, Wark will provide experience and expertise to a young Texas A&M team. With two seperate Women’s College World Series appearances in 2023 and 2024, Wark understands how to play under pressure.

With one remaining year of eligibility, Wark has decided to come back to her home state for the last season of her college softball career.

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Council passed a series of new agreements related to its $900 million new arena project, and the future home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Mayor David Holt celebrated a 115-page arena use license agreement, or lease, as the principal accomplishment. Council also passed a food and beverage agreement and a preferential rights agreement for the site of the current Paycom Center.

Under the preferential rights agreement, the Thunder would have first rights to redevelop the site after the new arena for up to five years after the new arena opens. There is no limitation for what the Thunder can build on the site, although a spokesperson confirmed demolition would be part of its plans.

“We’re excited at the opportunity to purchase and develop the current arena site,” the spokesperson said. “It will enable the Thunder to provide the vision for a sustainable and vibrant concept to enhance the area and seamlessly complement the new Paycom Center.”

Another developer could make an offer to the city, although the Thunder would be granted a chance to match.

Separately, the City Council voted down a facilities management agreement. Opposed council members cited a lack of assurances about employment for those working at the new arena, including the absence of a labor peace agreement previously endorsed by the council in 2023.