Leading into the 2025 softball season, Sooners on SI is profiling Patty Gasso’s nine talented freshmen who are set to help OU in the program’s first trek through the Southeastern Conference.
NORMAN — Plenty of youth softball players across the Sooner State grow up dreaming of playing at Oklahoma.
In under a month, Kadey Lee McKay will turn those dreams into reality.
The Caddo, OK, product is one of Patty Gasso’s nine talented freshmen who will take the field for the Sooners this fall, something that’s been al lifetime in the making.
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“It’s been a dream of mine since I was tiny to come here and play softball,” McKay said last November. “It’s just dreams turning into reality for me and I just couldn’t be more blessed then getting this opportunity to even come out here to play.”
McKay was a central figure for the last four years for Caddo’s powerhouse, but with coaching running in her family, she knew pretty early on that she was going to have a shot to play big time college softball.
“I was probably 13-14 years old when me and my dad and my mom kind of realized — I felt a little more experienced, played a little bit more experienced than everyone I was playing with,” McKay said. “Then that was when we realized, ‘Hey, she might be something.’ I didn’t even play 16U travel ball. I straight up went from 14 to 18, so I was 14 playing with 18-19 year olds. That was probably one of the best things I could’ve done because that made me even more experienced and I learned so many more things playing with such older girls from my age.”
McKay quickly developed a great eye at the plate as a lefty. She flashed great bat control during Oklahoma’s scrimmages this fall, guiding the ball into gaps to get runners moving.
She’s also a reliable glove in the infield, another quality which drew Gasso to McKay.
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“She’s a gamer and she’s a power hitter,” Gasso said when McKay signed with the Sooners. “I’ve seen her thrive in the clutch moments; she’s not afraid of the big spotlights. You can feel her presence as a team leader, but she’s also the daughter of a coach and you can see those coaching qualities in the way she plays and thinks the game.
“I’m really excited about her future here. She may have flown under the radar on the recruiting stage, but I think she is a future All-American.”
Though McKay knew she could play at a high level early, it didn’t take any of the surprise off the first time she got a call from Gasso to potently play in Norman.
“(It was) kind of mind blowing for me, really,” McKay said. “I was like, ‘Is this really happening?’ It was kind of insane. I just knew from the start this is where I really wanted to play. I just continued to work towards that stuff and then realizing she was actually looking at me made me kind of work harder because this is everything I really wanted. It happened, so I’m here.”
Kadey Lee McKay was a key piece of Caddo’s softball dominance, as she helped bring home three fastpitch state titles. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
Signing with the Sooners will just be the start for McKay, however.
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Fresh off winning a fourth-straight national title, the program is in a year of massive transition.
Gasso saw 10 players who were more titan than senior graduate last year, which is part of the reason she has such a large freshman class.
She’s added more newcomers in the form of five transfers to pair with holdovers like Ella Parker, Kasidi Pickering, Cydney Sanders and Kierston Deal among others.
There will be plenty of opportunities to get into the lineup for all of Oklahoma’s new faces, and as they learn each other they’ll learn a new league as Gasso takes the program through the SEC for the first time.
McKay, like everyone else, worked on the entirety of her game this fall, but the biggest challenge may have been getting up to speed with associate head coach and hitting coach JT Gasso.
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While McKay said she loved working with Oklahoma’s hitting guru, she admitted it was much different than the work she was doing at Caddo that yielded fantastic results.
“The information that he gathers for us is insane,” she said. “I never would’ve thought of some of the stuff that he shows us and everything like that… A lot of technology that he uses. It’s very different for me because like she said, I never had a hitting coach or anything like that. Very different, but it’s really interesting to see how everything works.”
“… He’s a fun guy. I love him. He really expects a lot out of you. I think it just pushes us more and more every day in the cages and stuff. I’m really thankful having him by our side, especially on the hitting part of stuff.”
Oklahoma’s entire team will have to deal with the pressure of being a completely new group that carries the pressure of the four championship-winning teams that came before them.
And while Gasso has told the team to just be themselves, McKay will bring an extra chip on her shoulder to work at Love’s Field every day.
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Representing Caddo and her home state means a great deal to McKay, and it’s something she hopes she can do with pride and passion over the next four years.
“It’s crazy,” McKay said. “I’ll tell you, every time we had a fall ball game, I couldn’t tell you how many people came and watched. It’s funny, before we even started coach Gasso told me, ‘Your whole town is gonna be here watching you every chance they get.’ I said, ‘They sure are.’
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma is responding after citizens reported incidents of harassment from federal agents, according to tribal leadership.
In a statement from Gov. John R. Johnson, Johnson says amid the federal government’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, federal officers have “begun to approach, question and even detain Tribal Members in Oklahoma.”
Johnson’s statement says Tribal Members were accosted by officers using unconstitutional racial profiling techniques, and also says there is no reasonable basis, suspicion, or probable cause to restrict the liberties of Native Americans based on skin color, hair color, eye color or a lack of identification.
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“Just because a Native American may resemble, superficially, a migrant from Central or South America, that does not mean that federal officers have the right to approach,” Johnson’s statement says. “These prejudicial activities are being carried out by Immigration Customs and Enforcement, but our Members should expect either cooperation from state and local law enforcement agencies with ICE; and/or a complete adoption of these policies and procedures.”
Johnson’s statement also included recommendations for Tribal members who do encounter ICE or other law enforcement, including their rights under the U.S. Constitution, and also calling upon Tribal Members to contact Tribal leadership to report encounters with federal officers.
“This is an ongoing predicament for Indian Country, which will continue to evolve,” Johnson’s statement said. “If you or someone you know has been forced to interact with a federal officer and/or agent regarding your citizenship, immediately contact my office or the offices of any other Executive Committee Members.”
Griffin Media has reached out to ICE for comment, but has not yet received a response.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Thomas Haugh scored 21 points, Rueben Chinyelu had 19 points and 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season, and No. 19 Florida beat Oklahoma 96-79 on Tuesday night.
Boogie Fland added 15 points for Florida (12-5, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), which has won three straight since dropping its conference opener to Missouri.
The Gators dominated in the paint, outscoring the Sooners 60-22 behind the 6-foot-10 Chinyelu, who came in averaging 10.9 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Xzayvier Brown scored 24 points and Tae Davis and Kirill Elatontsev each had 17 for Oklahoma (11-6, 1-3), which has lost three straight since beating Mississippi to open conference play.
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Nijel Pack, who had 24 points in the Sooners’ loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, was limited to five points on 2-of-8 shooting. He picking up three fouls in the first half and played only 21 minutes.
The Sooners made only five of their first 19 shots (26%) but finished with 10 3-pointers in 16 attempts (63%).
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The defending national champion Gators beat ranked opponents Georgia and Tennessee last week after dropping briefly out of the AP Top 25. They led all but 14 seconds against Oklahoma.
Florida shot 54% from the field (38 of 71) but converted just 6 of 22 3-pointers (27%).
Oklahoma took a 7-6 lead on a four-point play by Brown. From there, Florida outscored the Sooners 40-17 for a 46-24 halftime lead.
The Gators extended their advantage to 72-45 midway through the second half on a 3-pointer by Urban Klavzar.
Up next
Florida: Visits No. 10 Vanderbilt on Saturday.
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Oklahoma: Hosts No. 18 Alabama on Saturday.
2026 NCAA football transfer portal: Tracking moves for Texas Tech, SMU, other area schools
Find updates for Baylor, North Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and SMU.
2026 transfer portal rankings: How high do classes of Texas, Texas Tech, A&M, others rank?
See where each transfer portal class ranks for local schools as transfer season rolls on.
Find more Oklahoma coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Oklahoma has served as a backdrop for some of the biggest names in Hollywood. The state has seen its fair share of talent from Sylvester Stallone to Martin Scorsese, but one accomplished filmmaker has roots right here in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma City filmmaker Mickey Reece has directed dozens of shorts and feature films, receiving acclaim at festivals across the world. River Lunsford of the Oklahoma Film Exchange says Reece hasn’t forgotten his origins in the heartland.
“He is always…pushing the artistic boundaries of what film can be,” Lunsford said. “Always staying true to that local filmmaker vision…never forgetting where he’s come from.”
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Lunsford said that Reece has received retrospectives in New York and Los Angeles, but never in his home state. The Oklahoma Film Exchange wanted to change that.
“A couple of us have either worked with Mickey or are really good friends with him,” Lunsford said. “He has a filmography of over 30 films, and this is the first time he’s ever had a retrospective in Oklahoma City. Just no one has seemingly given him the opportunity…so we’re really excited to be able to do that.”
Lunsford and the team at the Oklahoma Film Exchange aim to boost the city’s film community with regular screenings and discussions. When Reece showed up to a recent screening, they knew he would be an ideal choice for a retrospective.
“He came out to one of our screenings a couple weeks ago,” Lunsford said. “We always try to host or moderate post-screening discussions where people can share their thoughts. And he was certainly an active voice. Just him being in that space, like, interacting in the ways that we have set that space up to be, it’s perfect. It’s the perfect match.”
The Mickey Reece retrospective is a part of The Oklahoma Film Exchange’s ongoing fundraising campaign, “Keep Film on Film Row.” This project aims to preserve the iconic Film Row screening room (which has been renamed the Oklahoma Film Exchange).
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This space was established over a century ago to distribute film reels. The Oklahoma Film Exchange is the last film exchange left in the country.
Lunsford said events like the Mickey Reece retrospective help raise awareness about this important cultural cornerstone. “This is a serious project for us to keep this very important piece of history and art in the city operational, and keep it as it has been for 100 years,” Lunsford said. “(The fundraiser) is going to continue in perpetuity…until Film Row has been saved…and we can 100% guarantee its longevity.”
The retrospective will run from January 15 to 17 at the Oklahoma Film Exchange. Lunsford encouraged Oklahoma City residents to get out of the house and celebrate a local artist in person.
“I think there’s a little something for everybody in this retrospective,” Lunsford said. “This is a really big opportunity for us to celebrate this local filmmaker and build these roots in the community.”
