Oklahoma
Weekend Wrap: What We Learned From Oklahoma’s West Coast Swing
Oklahoma wasn’t faced with the stout schedules of past opening weekends, but the Sooners still got tested in a number of their contests to get rolling in 2025.
Patty Gasso’s squad battled a solid San Diego State team through nine innings on Thursday, and then endured a marathon against Long Beach State where OU eventually prevailed after 11 innings on Sunday.
Breaking in nine freshman and five transfers was always going to be a process, but the No. 2-ranked Sooners showed plenty of grit to turn sometimes imperfect performances into wins.
“I’ve been putting them through a lot,” Gasso said on Thursday. “This trip has already been a lot — a lot on your legs, for sure. They handled it well and I’m really proud of that. So it’s been a good first weekend.
“I didn’t even really honestly know what to expect. But they fight, they work and I know we can go forward with something like that.”
Last offseason, Oklahoma lost pitchers Kelly Maxwell, Nicole May and Karlie Keeney as well as incredible defensive players all across the field.
And while the Sooners didn’t have to face the ’27 Yankees this past weekend, the pitching and defense was good enough for the team to lean on throughout the first month of the season while the offense really gets going.
Freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia committed the only error of the weekend in Game 1, but she bounced back and had a nice weekend on the left side of the infield.
Utah transfer Abby Dayton came up huge with a diving grab in center field on Sunday against Long Beach State that saved a run and prevented a loss.
Kasidi Pickering came up firing multiple times in that same contest on Sunday from left field, and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and Cydney Sanders both made numerous nice plays in foul territory on the corners.
All of that supporting a pitching staff that had a strong showing through the first six games.
Campbell transfer Isabella Smith pitched 12 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just tow hits and one walk while fanning 14 batters.
Kierston Deal bounced back from a start against CSUN where she allowed plenty of traffic on the bases by denying Long Beach State a single hit for six innings on Sunday.
True freshman Audrey Lowry was excellent in pressure-filled innings against San Diego State, only allowing a single unearned run against the Aztecs as a result of the international tiebreak runner, and Sam Landry grew throughout the weekend after leading the staff with 15 innings pitched.
Gasso promised that the 2025 Sooners would have a different feel about them, but her infield continues to be well drilled, and things should only get better throughout the season.
Ella Parker and Pickering are stepping into even bigger roles as sophomores, but both showed no signs of a second year dip.
Parker finished the weekend 13-for-22 with eight RBIs, five doubles and a homer while also drawing five walks.
Pickering went 7-for-20 with a pair of home runs, nine RBIs, a double, a triple and seven walks.
There were other outstanding performers form the rans of the newcomers — notably Dayton and catcher Isabela Emerling — but an offense built around Parker and Pickering can carry the Sooners a long way.
Notably, it was the clutch hitting from Parker and Pickering that helped ease the pressure on the rest of the team.
Parker and Pickering combined in the fifth inning against CSUN to give OU its first lead of the day. The sophomore duo then combined for five RBIs against San Diego State to help Oklahoma erase the early three run lead, and while the offense struggled with runners in scoring position against Long Beach State, Parker and Pickering seemed to always be on the bases to give the Sooners a chance.
Gasso’s best lineup card is still a question, and she’ll have plenty of pieces who will continue to battle for playing time.
Garcia and Sydney Barker appeared to share staring duties at shortstop depending on the matchup with the opposing pitcher early, though Garcia settled in at shortstop as the weekend wore on.
Hannah Coor’s injury saw Ella Parker get time in the outfield to clear a spot for Tia Milloy in the lineup as the designated player as well.
Garcia hit .167 in 18 plate appearances through the first six games, which was mirrored by Barker’s .167 average in four at-bats.
Mostly every freshman who saw playing time showed off the power they possess.
Milloy hit a pair of monstrous home runs and both Garcia and Barker each hit their first collegiate homers this past weekend.
Continued experience and work with JT Gasso would give the impression that all the freshmen will continue to improve this year, and the transfers can improve as well.
Ailana Agbayani went 3-for-15 through her first six games, but she hit .424 a year ago at BYU which leaves plenty of room for growth.
“Real happy with the way some of these guys are swinging the bat,” Gasso said after OU beat Loyola Marymount on Saturday. “I see that we’ve had nine different Sooners hit home runs over the course of (the first) five games.
“… So I’m loving what the defense is doing. Our pitching staff is doing great. Our offense just has some lulls at times and we’ve got to get that worked out.”
Oklahoma will be back in action this weekend in Waco, TX, where the Sooners will take on Baylor and Hofstra twice each in the Getterman Classic.
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
Iowa State wrestling’s first commitment of the Brent Metcalf era will be a transfer portal addition.
The Cyclones added Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson, who announced his commitment on April 18 via Instagram. Thompson is a one-time NCAA qualifier at the 2024 NCAA Championships, doing so as a true freshman. He redshirted in 2024-25, but competed in open tournaments at 184 pounds and was 9-0. He did not wrestle a match in 2025-26 and will have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Out of high school, Thompson was ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler and No. 1 at 182 pounds in the 2023 recruiting class by Flowrestling. He also won Powerade and Ironman titles, two of the more prestigious high school tournaments in the nation. Assuming Thompson returns to 184 pounds where he last wrestled, he should fill in nicely as a potential replacement for Isaac Dean after his graduation.
Thompson is Iowa State’s first transfer portal addition after several departures, including Anthony Echemendia and Christian Castillo, who also entered the portal.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners liked their wide receiver room a year ago. They want 2026 to be even better.
Isaiah Sategna’s return helps that desire. Earning experienced pass catchers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone via the transfer portal gives you added play makers. But after the Sooners Spring Game on Saturday, an unlikely hero emerged.
When Jahsiear Rogers flipped from Penn State to Oklahoma last December, he drew the usual excitement that comes with a new commitment. But few expected him to climb the depth chart this quickly, even with the injuries that hit Emmett Jones’ room.
Rogers did just that and more on Saturday. He led all pass catchers with five receptions for 70 yards in Oklahoma’s annual Red/White game.
“I knew it was time to showcase,” Rogers said after the game. “It was amazing to see the fans and get used to the OU way. I’m a playmaker. They really want to put the ball in playmakers hands. I pretty much knew I had to lead the white team.”
Rogers got the ball rolling early. On the second offensive play for the white team, backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer rolled to his right wide, then stopped and looked towards the middle of the field where he saw Rogers running open. Newbauer connected with Rogers for a 39-yard gain.
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With Rogers on the white team, he is running against (most of) Oklahoma’s starting defense. As fate would have it, on that 39-yard reception, Rogers beat his favorite teammate to compete against — Reggie Powers.
“He is just a leader, good guy,” Rogers said of Powers. “Me and him go after it every day in practice. Reggie is strong. When I come at him, I have to really come at him.”
Rogers’ big play over Powers was the second-longest catch of the spring game — Sategna’s 50-yard reception that appeared to be a touchdown before coaches pulled it back to set up a red-zone rep. The other four catches weren’t flashy, but they were important in their own way, and Rogers looked like he belonged on the field.
“I love it. As long as I can get the ball, I can be me. I love it,” Rogers said. “When I am on the field, I am ready to go. I am ready to be a playmaker.”
The season is still months away, and Rogers hasn’t earned a spot high on the depth chart yet. A strong spring and an encouraging Red/White Game can only lead to early playing time if he carries that momentum into summer and fall camp.
More experienced players will return from injury and receivers who’ve been in the program for a few years will have an extra leg-up.
But Rogers is taking everything in stride and leaving no stone unturned in his development.
“Just learning from the older guys,” Rogers said. “Manny Choice, Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris, Mackenzie Alleyne. Really all of them. We lean on each other, learn from each other. That is kind of how our room is.”
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The Oklahoma baseball team is back in the mix and trending upward.
After a rough few weeks in Southeastern Conference play, the 14th-ranked Sooners have won three of their last four games to get to .500 at just beyond the halfway point of the league slate. Friday’s 9-6 win over Missouri allowed Oklahoma to move to 8-8, tied with three other teams for eighth in the standings.
Friday’s win wasn’t truly that close, even. OU took a 9-3 lead into the ninth before Mizzou made it somewhat interesting with three runs in the frame. Two of them came with two outs, though, and Mason Bixby induced a groundout with the bases empty to hold on.
The large edge came via a home run-happy night. The Sooners popped four over the wall at Kimrey Family Stadium, including three in a four-run seventh inning that gave OU a four-run lead.
Jason Walk, who hit one of the four homers, had the best day at the plate. He went 2 for 5 with the shot, three RBIs and a run. Camden Johnson, who also homered, went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two runs, and Dasan Harris went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Trey Gambill hit the Sooners’ other jack.
Oklahoma jumped out to a four-run lead in the second behind four hits and a walk. Missouri helped the Sooners out with an error that resulted in a bases-loaded situation and three unearned runs registered to Tigers starter Josh McDevitt.
The runs were more than enough for Oklahoma’s LJ Mercurius, who pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Game 2 in the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and the finale will be played Sunday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
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