Oklahoma

OU Softball: Oklahoma Shocked by BYU, in Danger of Dropping Second Consecutive Series

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2 years ago

April 12, 2024

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OU Softball: Oklahoma Shocked by BYU, in Danger of Dropping Second Consecutive Series

NORMAN — For the second straight weekend, Oklahoma heads into a rubber match needing a win to avoid a series defeat.

BYU lead most of Friday’s contest, and erased Tiare Jennings’ game-tying home run that came in the fourth inning.

The Cougars plated a pair in the sixth, and OU stranded two runners in the bottom half of the frame.

BYU then added a trio of runs in the top of the seventh.

Hailey Morrow lined out to Karlie Keeney, and as the OU pitcher fired to first to turn an inning-ending double play, she missed her target and overthrew Cydney Sanders.

Lexie Bennett scored from second, but the Cougars weren’t done.

Aleia Agbayani delivered with an RBI-double and Ailana Agbayani’s RBI-single put the Sooners in a 7-4 hole headed into the bottom of the seventh.

Patty Gasso’s team couldn’t overcome all the miscues.

Kinzie Hansen lead the seventh with a single and Alynah Torres added a one-out single, but Oklahoma couldn’t rally.

BYU closed out the contest to win 9-4 at Love’s Field, leveling the series ahead of Saturday’s finale.

Final Box Score

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The defeat dropped OU to 37-4 on the year and 14-3 in Big 12 play, and was the first home conference defeat since then-No. 15 Baylor beat the Sooners 4-3 on April 23, 2017 at Marita Hynes Field.

Oklahoma played from behind for most of the game after the Cougars (22–18, 5-12) got off to a fast start.

BYU shortstop Ailana Agbayani opened the contest with a double, and then Nicole May’s wild pitch moved Agbayani to third.

Maddie Bejarno’s sacrifice fly gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead two batters into the game.

Oklahoma couldn’t cash in on a pair of walks in the bottom half of the inning, allowed the Cougars to add to their advantage.

Keila Kamoku homered in the second inning and Lily Owens’ sacrifice fly in the third inning tacked on two more runs for the Cougars before OU steadied.

Rylie Boone’s single and walks drawn by Alyssa Brito and Ella Parker loaded the bases for Hansen with two outs.

The Sooner catcher connected with the ball off the end of her bat and it slowly rolled down the third base line, but the ball died and stayed fair.

Boone raced home, and everyone reached safely.

Kasidi Pickering then walked, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

Avery Hodge flew out to left field to end the third, and Kierston Deal entered the game for May in the fourth.

A pair of doubles from Hailey Morrow and Ailana Agbayani extended BYU’s lead to 4-2, but a nice piece of clutch hitting from Jennings leveled the game.

The OU shortstop smashed a two-out, two-strike delivery to tie the game 4-4.

But the Cougars didn’t wilt.

With runners on first and third, BYU coach Gordon Eakin called for Maddie Udall to steal second base.

Hansen threw to record the out, but Hodge cut it off and fired back to Hansen as Lauren Flanders dashed to steal home.

Flanders’ hand snuck under Hansen’s glove, putting the Cougars back up 5-4.

Morrow’s single then scored Flanders from second to push the BYU advantage back to two runs.

Oklahoma had a great opportunity to respond in the sixth.

Boone singled and then advanced to second on a wild pitch, and Jennings’ walk put a pair aboard with one out.

Brito was unable to play hero, as she popped out into foul territory and then Parker flew out to left field, leaving plenty of work to do even before the disastrous seventh inning.

The Sooners committed two errors on the night and were outhit 11-8 in the game. Oklahoma did combine to draw 10 walks throughout the game, but stranded eight batters as a team as OU hit 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

BYU’s 11 hits were the most allowed by Oklahoma’s coaching staff since June 8, 2021 against Florida State in the Women’s College World Series Championship Series.

Both teams will return for the series finale at on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Love’s Field, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys play in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Published

6 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys play in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-0) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (6-3)

Oklahoma City; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Sooners are 6-3 in non-conference play. Oklahoma is 1-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Cowboys are 9-0 in non-conference play. Oklahoma State ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 16.9 assists per game led by Jaylen Curry averaging 5.1.

Oklahoma averages 84.7 points, 8.3 more per game than the 76.4 Oklahoma State gives up. Oklahoma State scores 16.3 more points per game (91.3) than Oklahoma gives up to opponents (75.0).

TOP PERFORMERS: Nijel Pack is scoring 17.2 points per game with 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Sooners. Tae Davis is averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 53.3%.

Vyctorius Miller is averaging 15.9 points for the Cowboys. Parsa Fallah is averaging 14.6 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Football Schedule Revealed

Published

18 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Football Schedule Revealed

The Oklahoma Sooners are trying to finish the 2025 college football season with a championship run that begins with a first-round playoff matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Dec. 19 in Norman. After a 10-2 season, the Sooners found out during the SEC schedule reveal when they’ll play their 2026 opponents.

New to the SEC schedule this year is a nine-game conference slate. Also, Oklahoma will begin at least a four-year stretch with permanent rivals Texas, Missouri, and Ole Miss.

The Sooners open the season with nonconference matchups against UTEP, Michigan, and New Mexico. Michigan will be breaking in a new head coach after the surprising dismissal of Sherrone Moore.

Oklahoma will go on the road for their first conference game, taking on the defending SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 26. That marks the first time the Sooners will play in Athens for the first time in the history of the program. The Bulldogs own the only win in the series, which came in the infamous 2017 Rose Bowl. If the Sooners were to play the Dawgs in the 2025 College Football Playoff, it would come in the national championship game.

After the trip to Georgia, Oklahoma will have its only bye week of the season before facing the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown on Oct. 10 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The Sooners will return home to play the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 17. Kentucky will have a first-time head coach in Will Stein, leading the Wildcats to Norman for the first time since 1980.

Then, Oklahoma will go to Starkville to take on former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Oct. 24 before closing the month welcoming another former assistant in Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks on Oct. 31.

Then begins the month that will decide the Sooners’ College Football Playoff fates. They’ll open November with a road trip to the Swamp to take on the Florida Gators on Nov. 7. The last time the Sooners took on the Gators, Oklahoma earned a 55-20 win in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.

The Sooners will then return home on Nov. 14 to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in Norman for the second year in a row. Oklahoma lost a heartbreaker to the Rebels at the end of October, but that gave way to a magical November run that catapulted the Sooners into the College Football Playoff.

After the Rebels come to town, the Sooners will welcome the Texas A&M Aggies on Nov. 21. Texas A&M hasn’t been to Norman since a 41-25 win by Oklahoma. Landry Jones threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and Blake Bell ran for two scores out of the Belldozer package.

The Sooners will then close the season on the road against the Missouri Tigers. The former Big 8 and Big 12 foes have split their two contests as members of the SEC, each team winning at home. Oklahoma owns a decisive 68-25-5 record over the Tigers dating back to 1902.

There will be big expectations for the Sooners coming off of a 10-2 season and a College Football Playoff berth. They’ll bring back a lot of talent from this year’s roster, but 2026 will provide new challenges.

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Schedule

Sept. 5 vs. UT-El Paso Miners in Norman, Okla.
Sept. 12 at Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Sept. 19 vs. New Mexico Lobos in Norman, Okla.
Sept. 26 at Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia
Oct. 3 BYE WEEK
Oct. 10 vs. Texas Longhorns in Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas
Oct. 17 vs. Kentucky Wildcats in Norman, Okla.
Oct. 24 at Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
Oct. 31 vs. South Carolina Gamecocks in Norman, Okla.
Nov. 7 at Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
Nov. 14 vs. Ole Miss Rebels in Norman, Okla.
Nov. 21 vs. Texas A&M Aggies in Norman, Okla.
Nov. 28 at Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

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Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell on CFP, Groza Award: ‘This Is What Eighth-Grade Me Dreamed Of’

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell on CFP, Groza Award: ‘This Is What Eighth-Grade Me Dreamed Of’

NORMAN — To say that Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell has become a legitimate weapon for the College Football Playoff-bound Sooners would be putting it lightly.

The Sooners’ dynamite placekicker has already wrapped up First Team All-SEC honors and Special Teams Player of the Year in the conference.

Now, Sandell hopes to check a few more boxes off his wish list as early as Friday.

“It’s what me in eighth grade dreamed of in high school,” Sandell said on Wednesday when asked about the season he’s had. “These are all things you think about when you’re lying in bed, like, this is really happening. This is something that you work for, and it’s just such a blessing.”

Sandell is 23-of-24 on field goals this season — hitting 23 in a row since he missed his first kick of the season against Michigan. Not only is this consistency a school record at OU, but it’s a single-season record in the SEC as well.

Sandell has had a busy week already. He’s been jetting around the country doing community events for the Lou Groza Award — the coveted trophy that goes the the nation’s best kicker every season. He will find out Friday night if he will take the award home during the Home Depot College Football Awards show (ESPN, 6 p.m.).

Should Sandell win, he will become the first Sooner kicker to win the award.

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“That’d be great, but it’s not in my hands,” Sandell said. “That’s not what I set out to win this season; it’s just to win games and make kicks, and that’s just a byproduct of our work. If that happens, that’s great.”

Sandell is up for the award against Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa and Georgia Tech’s Aidan Birr. Each kicker has their résumé that demands respect, yet it appears that Sandell is the favorite to win.

The University of Texas-San Antonio transfer did it in big moments in ballyhooed environments. Sandell’s four field goals, where he made three 50-plus yarders — 55, 51 and 55 — was a Neyland Stadium record So was the distance. Oklahoma’s “Red November” run, in large part, was aided by Sandell’s big leg.

“My swing is my swing,” Sandell said. “I’m not going to try to be somebody I’m not or swing like I’m not. I’m not going to swing out of my shoes. I’m going to give myself the best opportunity to make the kick as possible, and if it goes in, great. If it’s not, then it is what it is.”

“Another guy that’s a team guy, hasn’t flinched,” said head coach Brent Venables. “He’s been Boomer Sooner since the moment he signed his contract. And then he’s been just a stud when it comes to leading and just being a really good teammate.”

Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Humble he may be, but the Groza Award would be a cherry on top for any college kicker. Still, Sandell’s main focus is on Oklahoma’s rematch with Alabama on Dec. 19.

And yet, Oklahoma’s placekicker is not short on confidence — in himself, or his team.

“For us, it’s not about who we play,” Sandell said. “If we play our brand of football, we can compete with anybody in the country.”

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