OU softball head coach Patty Gasso has the No. 1 Sooners (46-6, 18-3 SEC) prepared for the upcoming SEC tournament in Lexington. Ahead of the tournament, Gasso gave updates on how the team is progressing, emphasizing health, pitching depth and maintaining a competitive edge heading into postseason play. 

Here are key takeaways:

Sooners still 'hungry' despite top ranking

Despite being ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation, the Sooners are not content with just that.

Gasso emphasized how important it is for OU to maintain a mindset centered on growth rather than results. The longtime head coach even asked the team if they felt they had peaked following their series sweep against Georgia.

“Absolutely not,” Gasso said the team told her. “They’re still very hungry for what’s going on right now.”

OU defeated Georgia in all three of its games last weekend, marking the Sooners’ fourth SEC series sweep of the season. With the SEC tournament around the corner, Gasso expressed confidence in her team’s readiness, pointing to the experience OU has gained in high-pressure environments throughout the year.

“I feel like we’re pretty prepared,” Gasso said. “We played in Texas’ environment. We played in our own environment. So there’s not much else we can do right now.”

The SEC tournament will begin May 5 in Lexington, Kentucky, with the Sooners vying for the No. 1 seed. Last season, OU and Texas A&M were named co-champions after inclement weather forced the championship game to be canceled. 

Wells nears NCAA all-time record

Freshman catcher Kendall Wells has vaulted her historic freshman pace into a historic national pace, with her 36th home run of the season Saturday against Georgia.

The home run puts her just one shy of tying the NCAA single-season record, which has stood for 31 years. The mark was set by shortstop Laura Espinoza of the Arizona Wildcats, who hit 37 home runs in 1995. Wells will look to set the record in nearly 20 games fewer than Espinoza, who needed 72 games to reach the mark.

Wells has already etched her name into the record books, setting the OU single-season home run record by surpassing Sooner legend Jocelyn Alo’s mark of 34. She also broke the NCAA freshman single-season record with 31 home runs, previously held by Alo, former Sooner Lauren Chamberlain and Kelly Majam of Hawaii.

Gasso has been impressed with the way Wells has handled herself through the process of setting different records.

“Kendall is just so natural,” Gasso said. “She's a young person managing a lot of attention right now, which is not the easiest (to do)...but there's just no denying what she's doing right now.”

The freshman will have one series left in the regular season to accomplish the feat, with a three-game set against Texas A&M Aggies to close out the year.

Parker becoming reliable third option in Sooners pitching staff

Another freshman who has turned heads as of late is two-way player Allyssa Parker. Parker, who began the season moving between multiple positions while working to find consistency in the circle, has done just that. Through 17 appearances, Parker owns a 2.81 ERA with a 5-1 record across 42.1 innings.

She has also made an impact at the plate, posting a .339 batting average, a .527 on-base percentage and a 1.462 on base plus slugging percentage through 62 at-bats.

Gasso has been pleased enough with Parker’s development in the circle to consider her a reliable option behind ace sophomore Audrey Lowry and sophomore Miali Guanchino.

“She’s like our surprise attack in all kinds of ways,” Gasso said. “Whether it’s at the plate or on the mound, I feel that she feels much more comfortable and confident, being able to work with Coach Rocha.”

With the postseason around the corner, the emerging freshman will look to contribute in any way possible as the Sooners look to get back to the Women’s College World Series.

Next, OU will face No. 12 Texas A&M in their final series of the weekend starting 8 p.m. Thursday at Davis Diamond Field on SEC network.

This article was edited by Josh Franklin.

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