No. 3 OU (1-0) came back to defeat Arizona State (0-1) 2-1 Thursday in its first game of the 2026 softball season.
Here are takeaways:
Kendall Wells plays hero
In the top of the sixth inning with one out, freshman Kendall Wells stepped up to the dish and mashed a home run deep out to left-center field to give the Sooners a 2-1 lead.
Wells was one of an elite 2025 recruiting cycle from the Sooners and has received high praise from junior utility player Ella Parker and head coach Patty Gasso coming into this season.
“Kendall Wells is a name you're going to remember from the first game,” Gasso said on Saturday. “She’s a solid catcher, pretty strong freshman and swings like some of the greats in the program.”
Parker believes Wells' raw power will be a boost to a Sooner team that was second in the country in home runs last year.
“She’s strong,” Parker said on Saturday. “She’s a tough person to get out; she competes with everything.”
The freshman finished the game 1 for 3 with her two-run homer and will look to build off an impressive debut.
Audrey Lowry shows pitching promise
OU’s starting pitcher spot was questionable heading into the 2026 season, and Gasso decided to call on sophomore Audrey Lowry to start.
Lowry delivered and posted only one earned run on one hit through 5.2 innings of work. Her only trouble came from Sun Devil senior center fielder Kaylee Pond’s solo home run in the third inning. Outside of that swing, Lowry looked composed and in control, limiting hard contact and working efficiently through the Arizona State lineup. She showed confidence in the strike zone and trusted the defense behind her.
Lowry follows a string of elite Sooner pitchers over the years, most recently AUSL No. 1 draft pick Sam Landry. Lowry will continue to try to carve out her role as the No. 1 in the rotation, as Landry’s departure leaves opportunities in the circle.
Sooners come back for victory
In the bottom of the third, Pond squared up Lowry’s 1-2 pitch for her first homer of the year to give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead, but the Wells-led comeback proved too much.
Wells’ clutch two-run homer in the sixth inning put OU up 2-1, a lead the Sooners never relinquished. Wells, redshirt sophomore infielder Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and senior outfielder Abby Dayton finished as the lone Sooner hitters on the night. Though they only mustered four hits, their timeliness secured them the win.
Next, OU will take on Arizona in a three-game series, beginning 5 p.m. Friday at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium on ESPN+
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.
