Sooner sluggers return home, unleashing national-leading power and a historic freshman class eager to ignite Love's Field
NORMAN, Okla. - No. 5/6 Oklahoma softball is gearing up for an exciting home-opening weekend at Love's Field, as the Sooners host Alabama State, Sam Houston State, and Southeastern Louisiana from Thursday, February 26 through Sunday, March 1, 2026.
After starting the season 13-2 with a strong but eventful run through non-conference play—including a 5-1 showing at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic—the team returns to Norman eager to unleash their potent offense in front of the home crowd.
The weekend kicks off Thursday, February 26 at 6 p.m. CT against Alabama State, broadcast on SEC Network+ with radio simulcast on KRXO 104.5 AM. The Sooners will face Alabama State three times overall, Sam Houston State twice (Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m., with Friday's second game against Alabama State at 5:30 p.m.), and wrap up with Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Additional games include Saturday's 5:30 p.m. matchup with Alabama State. All contests stream on SEC Network+, with radio coverage alternating between KRXO 104.5 AM (Thursday and Sunday) and KEBC 1560 AM (The Franchise 2) for Friday and Saturday games.
This marks the third season at Love's Field, which officially opened in early 2024. Last year, the Sooners dominated at home with a 27-2 record, building to an overall 51-6 mark there since then. Oklahoma crushed Tulsa 8-0 in the 2025 home opener and boasts an impressive streak of 31 consecutive home-opener victories under head coach Patty Gasso—a run that spans her entire tenure.
The Sooners enter the weekend on a historic offensive tear. Through 15 games, OU leads the nation in home runs (56), on-base percentage (.525), RBIs per game (11.6), total RBIs (174), runs per game (11.87), total runs (178), and slugging percentage (.877). Remarkably, 176 of those 178 runs came in RBI situations, showcasing clutch production.
Every player with an at-bat this season has at least one home run, and six have five or more. The team has already out-homered its record-setting 2021 pace by six through the same number of games.
A major story is the explosive freshman class from the nation's top-ranked 2025 recruiting group. Catcher Kendall Wells, a Bogart, Ga., native, has been unstoppable, leading the SEC in home runs (10, third nationally) while hitting .354 with a 1.021 slugging percentage, 18 runs, and 21 RBIs.
She earned D1Softball National Player of the Week and Softball America Freshman of the Week honors on February 24 after homering in nearly every game at the Mary Nutter Classic, including a two-homer, five-RBI performance against (RV) San Diego State. Wells launched the season with a game-winning two-run homer versus (RV) Arizona State on February 5 and accounts for 10 of OU's 56 long balls.
Fellow freshmen are shining too: Kai Minor tops the team with a .561 batting average, Lexi McDaniel hits .435, and Allyssa Parker leads in slugging at 1.200. This group—along with Berkley Zache and others—has injected serious firepower, with freshmen contributing heavily to the power surge.
On the mound, sophomore arms Audrey Lowry (8-0 start) and Miali Guachino (key wins over ranked foes) combine for a 12-1 record, 55 strikeouts, and just 13 walks in 59 innings. Transfers like senior Sydney Berzon (from LSU) and Guachino (from Ole Miss) bolster a deep six-pitcher staff.
The lineup returns massive production from 2025's 52-9 squad, which reached the WCWS semifinals, claimed SEC titles, and earned multiple All-America nods (including first-team honors for Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering). Returners include 87.1% of hits, 85.9% of runs, and four offensive All-Americans (Parker, Pickering, Gabbie Garcia, Abby Dayton).
Standouts like juniors Pickering and Parker form one of the nation's deadliest left-handed duos, with career totals of 58 homers and a .405 average.
Fall ball attendance soared again, setting records and building hype for 2026, following last year's nation-leading 107,813 fans and 3,717 average.
After this homestand, OU heads to North Texas on March 3. For now, expect fireworks at Love's Field as the Sooners aim to extend their home dominance and showcase why they're perennial contenders.