The most-anticipated college tennis match ever in Tucson was a hot ticket, so much so they had to print out more just to accommodate all the people who wanted to watch Arizona try and make history on Saturday afternoon.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma high school slowpitch softball: Top storylines, players to watch in 2026 season
The 2026 Oklahoma high school slowpitch softball season is upon us.
Programs with rich histories — such as Dale, Mustang and Washington — return to the field eager to add more hardware to their collection. Meanwhile, other teams like Deer Creek, Guthrie and McLoud continue to chase unfinished business and secure a first-state slowpitch title.
With the 2026 high school slowpitch season underway, here are a few notable storylines and 10 OKC-area players to watch:
Order book on Oklahoma HS basketball at ‘The Big House’
Top storylines
Mustang aiming to win second softball title of 2025-26 season. Lacy Darity and the Broncos were finally able to get over the hump last fall. After nearly a decade of competing deep into the postseason, Mustang won its first state fastpitch title since 2017. A thrilling 17-12 loss to Choctaw in the 6A slowpitch state title game last spring fueled the Broncos entering the fall. The Broncos have talent loaded through the roster and have opened the season undefeated at 6-0 while defeating teams by 10.5 runs on average. Stars such as Alexis Kierstead, Rylann Beeson and River Mount continue to shine this spring.
Washington looking to win third straight state softball title. There’s another team looking to add to its dominant championship streak. Fresh off of slowpitch and fastpitch titles in 2025, Washington continues to be one of the top softball programs statewide. Tylor Lampkins’ Warriors have opened the season 7-0 while shutting out its last five opponents in Class 5A. They’re chasing the program’s 15th state slowpitch title, powered by a star trio of Julie Hoehner, Emersyn Massey and Ava Salcedo, with Kelby Beller in the circle.
Can Dale pull off a repeat? 19th-year coach Andy Powell is no stranger to success. His Dale Pirates have dominated both 2A in fastpitch and 4A in slowpitch for the last five seasons. Dale has opened the season 5-0 and recently shutout Little Axe 23-0 in the opening week of the season. The team has one of the best batting lineups in Oklahoma. With stars such as Kinley Patten, Kinsley Hill, Teague Muncy and Heartly Snyder still on the roster, there’s a strong chance that Dale will be back competing in the state tournament in Shawnee this May.
Players to watch in the Oklahoma high school slowpitch season
Kandace Burnett, Jr., Southmoore: The Sabercats are fresh off a state tournament appearance a year ago and have made noise so far in 2026. They’ve jumped out to an 5-2 start thanks to Burnett’s efforts, who recently signed with Iowa State.
Payton Carrillo, Sr., Choctaw: The Yellowjackets have been one of the best teams in Class 6A since Carrillo arrived. She led Choctaw to its first-ever slowpitch state title in May after batting .736 at the plate with 35 home runs and 92 RBIs on 67 hits last season.
Boo Herber, Sr., Dale: A transfer from Carney, the South Carolina signee has been one of the best pitchers across the state and led Dale to a state tournament appearance in the fall.
Julie Hoehner, Sr., Washington: Hoehner has been one of the best hitters in the OKC-metro dating back to her junior season, helping spark a seven-game win streak for Washington to open the season.
Payton Jackson, Sr., Pryor: Jackson played an integral role as the lead-off hitter for Pryor in the fall and is back for me this spring. She hit .466 on the year with 46 runs scored, 27 RBIs and 18 stolen bases during the fastpitch season.
Alexis Kierstead, Sr., Mustang: Kierstead has guided the Broncos to the state tournament in each of her seasons at Mustang, yet again headlining their efforts at the plate.
Ryn McCormick, Jr., Guthrie: McCormick continues to shine for the Bluejays after leading the program back to the state tournament in the fall. She recently batted .333 a week ago with nine hits, six RBIs and three stolen bases.
Reese Poage, Sr., Mustang: The OSU softball signee spearheaded the Broncos’ efforts in the fall en route to a stat title and is one of the top batters in Class 6A again.
Ava Salcedo, Jr., Washington: Salcedo is off to a strong junior season and helped guide Washington to a Class 3A state fastpitch title in the fall.
Braylee Spence, Jr., Lone Grove: Spence stands as one of the best pitchers in the state after guiding Lone Grove to its fourth state championship in five years in the fall. This spring will mark Lone Grove’s first slowpitch season in program history.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
Earlier this year, Sooners On SI broke down Oklahoma’s opponents in 2026. With spring football in the rearview window, how do the Sooners’ foes look heading into the summer following their March/April practices? We continue with the Ole MIss Rebels.
As Oklahoma journeys deeper into November, the talent level keeps rising.
While Oklahoma worked to secure a pivotal player’s return for one final season, Ole Miss had already pulled off one of the offseason’s most impactful moves — locking in an extra year of eligibility for quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
Exit Lane Kiffin, enter Pete Golding. Well, that already happened before the College Football Playoff, but now the country waits to see if Golding will be able to continue his impressive run as a head coach into an offseason.
How did spring treat the Rebels? Even if Ole Miss appears strong on paper. OU does get the benefit of hosting the Rebels for a second straight season once November arrives.
The Injury Front
Good news and bad news for Ole Miss during spring ball: The good is that no players will be dealing with injuries deep into the summer.
The bad news was that an “injury bug” plagued the offensive line, causing the defensive-minded coach to scale back on full-contact drills and practice during the spring to avoid further injury.
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While injuries weren’t a large concern for Ole Miss this spring, they have to deal with replacing top-end talent — mostly on defense. Talents like edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, who transferred to LSU to follow Kiffin.
Ole Miss Strength
Chambliss ranks among the best quarterbacks in the country, and the way he rises to the occasion in Ole Miss’ biggest games makes the Rebels dangerous every time he takes the field.
Even without Kiffin, Ole Miss was busy during the transfer portal in trying to replenish a great deal of skill talent that either exited the program or graduated.
Post-Spring Oklahoma Opponent Breakdowns
With Kewan Lacy in the backfield and tight ends Dae’Quan Wright and Luke Hasz, the Rebels’ offense will no doubt be one of the tougher units Oklahoma will face.
If Golding is able to maintain his impressive control of the program he showcased during last season’s College Football Playoff, the offense should still be one of the best in the country.
The Final Verdict
Ole Miss has had Oklahoma’s number in the Sooners’ first two years in the SEC. Could a fortitous schedule factor — a second game in Norman in back-to-back years — finally get Oklahoma over the Rebels?
No matter the feelings prior to the game, Ole Miss may be one of the tougher games on the schedule for OU — including the first six-week crucible. Chambliss has proven to be that good, and despite the defensive departures, Ole Miss has proven to reload talent quickly.
Depending on Oklahoma’s record at the time of the game, their match with the Rebels could prove to pivotal for either team’s playoff chances. Last season for OU, this was the road game against Alabama.
OU will have the talent to combat Ole Miss, but the Rebels will have a sure-fire Heisman contender under center.
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And after more than three hours, the Wildcats finally broke through.
Arizona rallied from down 3-1 to beat Oklahoma 4-3 in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Sweet 16 at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. The 8th-seeded Wildcats (24-4) will face top-seeded Wake Forest, the defending NCAA champions, in the quarterfinals Thursday in Athens, Ga.
Arizona had lost in its previous four Sweet 16 appearances, including three in a row, but this was the first time it got to host.
But with temperatures nearing triple digits, the UA found itself in a position where it needed to win every remaining singles match. No. 9 Oklahoma (20-7) had taken the doubles point and won in straight sets at No. 2 and No. 4 singles, with Arizona’s lone win to that point by sophomore Glib Sekachov (6-2, 6-2) at No. 5 singles.
“We got down 3-1 and I think the guys just said, you know what? This is destiny,” UA coach Clancy Shields said. “It’s supposed to happen this year. We’ve been to the Sweet 16, but we haven’t gotten any further. You saw how the guys buckled down to make it.”
Arizona began to turn a corner when it won first-set tiebreakers in two of three matches, including senior Jay Friend 8-6 at No. 1 singles after being down a break to Oklahoma’s Luis Alvarez. Junior Sasha Rozin started the comeback at No. 3 singles, winning 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4).
Friend lost his second set 7-5, and freshman Alejandro Arcilo did the same 6-4 at No. 6 singles after winning the first 6-4. Arcilo then fell down a break before going on a tear, winning the last three games to take the third set 6-4 and even the match at 3.
After a brief celebration, the entire UA team—and the crowd of 500-plus—migrated around Court 1 for the deciding set between Friends and Alvarez.
“He’s been in that situation so many times, and he looked cool as a cucumber, and I think everybody knew when it came down to his court … we might as well start booking tickets,” Shields said. “He’s not gonna lose that match.”
Friend made quick work of his opponent, winning 6-0 and finishing with an ace.
“I just entered a flow state that I’ve never been in before,” said Friend, the winningest singles player in school history. “The guys kept telling me it’s never going to come down to you because I play too fast, but it did. And I’ve been in this position before, and the last time I lost 7-6 in the third so obviously I was fighting those demons a little bit, but the guys did their job, and that took so much pressure off me, and then 6-0 in the third set to clinch. That’s crazy.”
The remainder of the NCAA Tournament will be held at the Dan Magill Tennis Center in Athens, with quarterfinals Thursday, semifinals on May 16 and the championship May 17. At No. 8, Arizona has the second-lowest seed remaining behind No. 10 Baylor.
“Now we’re really dangerous,” Shields said. “This is a team that has accomplished their main goal, and now they’re hunting for something else, and they’re playing free, and we’re gonna play free down there in Athens. I think our team’s gonna have the most fun, and they’re playing with the least amount of pressure. And that’s a dangerous squad. And I think our team also knows how good we are.”
Oklahoma’s early exit at the SEC Tournament opened the door for UCLA to take the lead in the home run race.
Kendall Wells, who was named the SEC Freshman of the Year on Friday for her outstanding 2026 season, went 0-for-3 with a walk in Thursday’s defeat to Georgia, meaning she enters the NCAA Tournament sitting on 36 home runs.
She’s no longer chasing former Arizona star Laura Espinoza, however.
UCLA slugger Megan Grant hit home runs on Friday and Saturday to equal and surpass the record set by Espinoza in 1995.
Grant broke the record in the top of the third inning in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game. She hammered the 0-2 delivery from former OU pitcher Jordy Frahm for home run No. 38.
The solo shot put the Bruins up 2-0, but Frahm and the Cornhuskers roared back to win the game 7-2.
Wells still has the entire NCAA Tournament to chase down and pass Grant. Her next home run will tie Espinoza’s mark of 37 long balls.
It wouldn’t be the first time things have shifted in this massive 2026 home run race, either.
OU was the first team to catch and surpass the 161 home runs hit by the 2021 Sooners.
UCLA’s run at the Big Ten Tournament flipped the race.
The Bruins homered four times against Penn State on Thursday and four times on Friday against Wisconsin before Grant’s record-breaking blast on Saturday.
As a result, UCLA will enter the NCAA Tournament having hit 182 home runs to Oklahoma’s 174 home runs, and the Sooners have played one additional game.
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Both teams a virtually guaranteed to be hosting regionals when the full NCAA Tournament field is revealed on Sunday evening.
Despite the loss to Georgia, Oklahoma is in strong position to earn a top four seed in the tournament. Patty Gasso’s team enters the tournament 48-8 overall, including a 20-4 mark in SEC play during the regular season, which clinched the program’s second-straight regular season crown.
Should the Sooners advance out of the first weekend of the tournament, they are also projected to host a Super Regional at Love’s Field.
UCLA finished the weekend 47-8 overall following their run at the Big Ten Tournament, and the Bruins went 20-4 in league play during the regular season.
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air on ESPN2 on Sunday at 6 p.m.
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