Oklahoma
Oklahoma softball completes four-peat national championship at the WCWS and it was the hardest yet
Not one, not two, not three …
Four.
And for the Sooners, the fourth was the hardest.
Division-I college softball had never seen a four-peat national champion. Not until Thursday night in Oklahoma City, when Oklahoma beat Texas 8-4 to sweep the championship series.
“People say, ‘Let’s go win one,’” Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. “You’re like, ‘OK.’ It’s not like that. It’s very difficult. Everything has to go right. The thing about them is they’re resilient. They have a lot of pride in that.
“With that, it’s hard for me to comprehend.”
It’s been a presidential term of dominance for the Sooners. The Fab Five of Rylie Boone, Kinzie Hansen, Nicole May, Tiare Jennings and Jayda Coleman have 20 rings between them. They won as freshmen, won as seniors, won as sophomore and juniors.
“This one was the hardest one that I’ve ever had to work for in my life,” Jennings said. “This team, the adversity that we went through, we did it and we overcame everything.”
“This team has fought and fought all season long,” Hansen said.
Added Boone: “This was the most grinding one.”
A four-peat.
It’s ridiculous, really. A feat without precedence on the softball diamond. Four seasons ending in dog piles and confetti angels, of the Sooners flipping bats and raising trophies.
“We expect ourselves here, which is crazy to expect yourself winning the national championship every year,” May said.
Four-peats have only happened on other fields of play. Among the notable ones this century: Penn State volleyball (2007-10), Connecticut women’s basketball (2013-16), Oklahoma men’s gymnastics (2015-18).
In Division I, only Stanford men’s gymnastics, with five straight, has a longer active streak of national championships. Twelve teams compete in Division I men’s gymnastics compared to softball’s 291.
“We knew it was historic,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said on the field after the game. “Of course we wanted to finish it off. I don’t know that I can truly verbalize how magnificent this is.”
May also struggled to describe it.
“Being a part of something that hasn’t been done before is pretty special, especially with this group,” May said. “I don’t think it’ll hit me, it never hits me for another couple weeks.”
Oklahoma softball joins Southern California beach volleyball and Virginia women’s swimming and diving in active four-peats.
Needless to stay, college softball is played on a much grander stage.
A championship record crowd of 12,324 packed Devon Park. Those who didn’t have a seat were lined up three and four deep on the concourse. Every pitch landed with a thud of anxious anticipation. Then the Sooners broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Sooner-heavy crowd was jubilant.
In the seventh inning, Boone told herself not to cry.
“Please don’t do that,” Boone said, “because if they hit a grand slam I’m kinda screwed.”
Gasso even toyed with Texas, at least it seemed, en route to winning her eight national title — tying former Arizona coach Mike Candrea for the most in softball history. Gasso and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha tinkered with their pitching rotation like never before.
The Sooners started Liberty transfer Karlie Keeney in the circle. The only move more surprising than that was who replaced her: Wisconsin transfer Paytn Monticelli. The Sooners used their No. 4 and 5 pitchers to open a national championship closeout game.
May followed, then Kierston Deal. Finally, it was Kelly Maxwell who entered as closer. Maxwell was named the WCWS Most Outstanding Player.
“It worked exactly how it was supposed to,” Gasso said. “To a T.”
It was a difficult year for Maxwell, ostracized for crossing Bedlam lines and transferring in after four years at Oklahoma State.
The rest of the Sooners concocted obstacles if necessary.
“Everybody hates us, no one wants us to win anymore, but that’s fine,” May said. “We just got a fourth, so it’s OK.”
The three-time defending champions convinced themselves that they were underdogs entering the series against No. 1-seeded Texas – a team they had split four games against during the regular season and Big 12 tournament..
“There were so many times that we could’ve been defeated … ‘Are they gonna do it, are they not?’ But we just fought,” Boone said. “There was a lot of failure, more than what at least this class is used to and this team is used to. The adversity, I think it helped us be able to stand here and say that we won a fourth one.”
The Sooners have been crowned champs in six of the last eight Women’s College World Series. In what used to be a West Coast-dominated sport, this century has belonged to Gasso’s Sooners.
Eight national championships. Four in four years.
“Just unreal,” said Jennings, still catching her breath. “We just did the impossible.”
What is the difference between tornado watch vs tornado warning?
Severe weather season is underway in Oklahoma. It’s important to understand these terms before an alert is issued.
After weekend storms brought possible tornado damage to McAlester, Cimmaron and other communities in Oklahoma, the state could face another bout of severe storms tonight that could result in large hail, damaging winds, and potentially tornadoes.
According to the National Weather Service, the risk of storms should start Sunday afternoon around 1 p.m. and continue into Monday morning, with much of the state expecting some level of severe weather through the day.
The potential for tornadoes is low, but softball-size hail could develop, and winds could top 80 mph.
Severe weather is expected to develop in the northwestern portions of the state between 3-7 p.m., reach Oklahoma City between 5-9 p.m., and cross southeast between 8-11 p.m. Sunday.
On Monday and Tuesday, much of the state should get a break from severe weather, with sunny and warm conditions. Chances of thunderstorms return Wednesday and into next weekend.
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What to do when there’s a tornado watch
Be prepared — tornadoes are possible in and around the area mentioned in the watch. Be ready to act quickly.
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What to do when there’s a tornado warning
Take action now. A warning means someone saw a tornado or one was indicated by weather radar. Under a tornado warning, there’s imminent danger to life and property. Everyone should move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid windows.
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The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) is preparing to take control of the state’s last privately operated prison next month, marking a major shift in how the state manages its incarcerated population.
DOC officials announced Saturday that the agency will assume operational control of the Lawton Correctional Facility on July 25. The facility was recently purchased by the state for $312 million, a move state lawmakers say saves taxpayer dollars compared to the estimated $1.5 billion it would take to build a new prison from scratch.
“This is a ‘how do we fix a problem’ situation,” said Rep. Trey Caldwell. “Are correctional officers in the state of Oklahoma safe? How do we make sure that we are being humane in the treatment of the people that we do have incarcerated?”
>> Oklahoma lawmakers propose $312 million to buy last private prison
According to Director Steve Harp, all current employees at the Lawton facility will be offered jobs with DOC, pending successful background checks.
The transition is part of a broader effort to bring Oklahoma’s prison system under direct state oversight, improve safety conditions for staff and inmates, and ensure consistent standards across all facilities.
The Lawton Correctional Facility has housed state inmates under private management for years. Once the DOC takes over in late July, all state correctional facilities will be publicly run.
Before Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer takes the field for the first time in Norman, he’ll rub shoulders with the Mannings.
Mateer will be one of 27 counselors at the 2025 Manning Passing Academy, the clinic announced in an Instagram post. Counselors at the camp are current college football quarterbacks, and others may be announced in the near future.
The Manning Passing Academy is held annually on the campus of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA. This year’s clinic, from June 26 to June 29, is the 29th edition of it.
The Manning family — Archie, Peyton, Eli and Cooper — all help lead the camp, alongside current college football players, who serve as counselors.
Mateer is one of nine quarterbacks from the SEC who will be counselors at the 2025 clinic.
Other SEC signal callers include Arch Manning (Texas), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Lanorris Sellers (South Carolina), Blake Shapen (Mississippi State), Gunner Stockton (Georgia), Taylen Green (Arkansas), Austin Simmons (Ole Miss) and Ty Simpson (Alabama). Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli and grandson of Archie.
Three counselors — Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Kevin Jennings (SMU) — were starting quarterbacks for teams that reached the College Football Playoff last season.
This is the second year in a row that OU will be represented at the Manning Passing Academy, as Jackson Arnold was a counselor in 2024.
Arnold was the Sooners’ leading passer last season, finishing the year with 1,421 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. He transferred to Auburn after the 2024 campaign, and he is expected to be the Tigers’ starting quarterback in 2025.
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Mateer enters his first season in Norman with lofty expectations.
In 2024 — his first season as Washington State’s starter — Mateer threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions, completing 64.6 percent of passes.
Mateer, a Texas native, transferred to Oklahoma in December alongside new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who also came to Oklahoma from Washington State. With Arbuckle and Mateer leading the offense, the Cougars finished 12th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 36.8 points per game.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, struggled offensively in 2024, particularly in the passing game. The Sooners finished No. 119 in passing offense out of 134 teams that play NCAA Division I FBS football, averaging 175.8 passing yards.
247Sports ranked Mateer as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2025 transfer portal and the No. 3 quarterback, behind Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee to UCLA) and Carson Beck (Georgia to Miami).
Attendees at the Manning Passing Academy must be incoming eighth graders at the youngest, or rising high school seniors at the oldest.
According to the camp’s website, it “embraces the basic fundamentals of football while catering to the offensive skill positions” of quarterback, wide receiver, tight end and running back.
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