Oklahoma Sooners-Bowling Green Falcons softball

Freshman pitcher Audrey Lowry, OU softball associate head coach Jennifer Rocha and redshirt junior catcher Isabela Emerling during the game against Bowling Green on Feb. 24.

 Annie Davenport/OU Daily

OU head coach Patty Gasso announced associate head coach Jennifer Rocha did not travel with the team for the team’s season-opening weekend due to health concerns. 

Rocha, who played at OU from 1996-98, has been the team's associate head coach and pitching coach since 2019, helping lead the team to four consecutive national titles in 2021-24. Gasso announced that Rocha will be away from the team for an undetermined period of time.

Gasso said the program has named Karlie Keeney interim coach. Keeney, a pitcher on the 2024 OU national-championship team, served as the program’s student assistant pitching coach last season. She also posted a 6-1 record with a 1.82 ERA across 61.2 innings in 2024.

The No. 3 Sooners will start their season against Arizona State at 7:15 p.m. tonight on ESPN+. 

This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.

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