Oklahoma Pair on NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 List

NORMAN — Oklahoma freshmen Kendall Wells and Kai Minor have been among the best players in college softball this season.

So it’s no surprise that the pair are both included on the NFCA Freshman of the Year top 10 list.

Wells is one home run away from tying the NCAA single-season home run record. She sits at 36 home runs entering the SEC Tournament.

Top-ranked Oklahoma (48-7) opens the tournament against Georgia at approximately 7 p.m. Thursday. The game will be braodcast on the SEC Network.

Wells is hitting .367 with 79 RBIs and 64 runs scored.

She broke the NCAA record for home runs by a freshman with her 31st home run April 11 at Texas, then broke Jocelyn Alo‘s program record with her 35th home run April 24 vs. Georgia.

Sooners coach Patty Gasso has also praised Wells’ defense at catcher.

“Her hustle is at another level,” Gasso said. “… If you watch the quickness that she picks up bunts, I mean, she is jumping out. She is making some phenomenal defensive plays, and I care as much about that as I do about the way she’s hitting the ball.”

Minor is hitting .438, best among OU’s regulars. She leads the team with 71 hits, and has 13 doubles, six triples and eight home runs. She’s also stolen 17 bases.

She’s also been a plus defender, with no errors and an assist in 56 chances in centerfield.

In last weekend’s series win at Texas A&M, Minor had an RBI triple to break a late tie in the Sooners’ 4-3 win to clinch a share of the SEC regular-season title and then hit a leadoff home run in the series finale to help them win the title outright.

Gasso has called her the team’s tone setter at the top of the order.

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Three finalists will be announced May 20, with the winner named May 26 ahead of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Four Sooners have won NFCA Freshman of the Year honors since the award was introduced in 2014.

Paige Parker was the first OU winner in 2015, followed by Jocelyn Alo in 2018, Tiare Jennings in 2021 and Jordy Bahl in 2022.

Florida’s Taylor Shumaker won the award last year.

Minor and Wells are the ninth and 10th Sooners to be on the top 10 list with the most recent being Ella Parker in 2024.