The No. 2 seed Oklahoma Sooners are set for a first round home regional featuring Boston University, Omaha, and University of California, Berkeley. The Sooners capped off a dominant regular season by being named co-champions in the SEC Tournament with Texas A&M, which currently sit as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A big question heading into the year was how such a young Oklahoma team, which includes 12 underclassmen, nine freshmen, and three sophomores, would hold up throughout the season.
That question was answered as the Sooners finished the regular season with a 28-0 nonconference record and a 17-7 record in SEC play. With multiple underclassmen playing crucial roles throughout the year, their talent and abilities proved to be beyond their years.
“I forget that they’re freshmen and I forget they have not had this big moment,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “Gabby Garcia is playing like she’s a junior. I mean, nothing is fazing her.”
Freshman utility player Sydney Barker is another underclassman who has made a big impact as of late, including a two-home-run game against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament that helped the Sooners get to the championship. The experience of the SEC Tournament served as a good growing opportunity for those inexperienced underclassmen heading into the postseason.
“The SEC Tournament really did resemble a real World Series feel, so it was just so cool to be on that stage,” Barker said. “It's probably one of the very few games we’ve played with not a majority of OU fans, so it was definitely different, but it was awesome.”
The experience of playing in the SEC, as well as guidance from upperclassmen, led to significant growth in skill and confidence throughout the season. Freshman pitcher Audrey Lowry credited senior pitcher Sam Landry as an important role model that she has learned from and looked up to during her freshman season.
“Her drive daily, especially watching her on the weekends when I couldn’t play or when I was playing, she just works so hard, and it’s really inspiring to me and to the other girls on this team,” Lowry said.
With a first-round matchup against Boston University set for Friday, the four-time defending national champions will look to start their journey to Oklahoma City with the help of a red-hot freshman and sophomore class, as well as an experienced upperclassmen group.
This story was edited by Parker Coyne.
