OKLAHOMA CITY — In its first attempt for a five-peat, the Oklahoma offense struggled to do much against Tennessee ace and two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year Karlyn Pickens.
The thousands of OU fans and historic alumni were living and dying by every pitch, screaming at the home plate umpire on close calls and providing energy on rallies that ultimately didn’t end up with runs scored.
Until the seventh inning.
With Tennessee leading 3-1 and three outs away from a victory, junior infielder Ailana Agbayani drew a leadoff walk and sophomore outfielder Kasidi Pickering lined a single with two outs to set the stage for Ella Parker.
Parker had homered off Pickens in the first inning off a 76-mph pitch but was unable to get something going her next two at-bats.
80 mph off the bat 🥵🥵🥵@ellaparkerrr_ | 📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/8ffsvzvIKG
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 29, 2025
Parker thought about going after the first pitch but took it for strike one. Pickens threw her a changeup in the middle of the plate on 0-1 and Parker sent it 236 feet to dead center for a walk-off three-run home run.
“The girls work so hard, much harder than anyone could ever imagine,” Ella’s dad, Keith, told OU Daily. “Knowing what she’s dealt with to get to this point and the pressure of the situation, it was amazing to see the result of all her hard work.”
Chills, Sooner Nation. Chills ✨🪄 pic.twitter.com/00ymuhY9EE
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 29, 2025
“I looked up at (Jocelyn Alo) before that last at-bat,” Parker said after the game. “And I was like ‘we got this, we got this.’”
“I just remember rounding the bases with my team’s arms wide open and starting to get really teary-eyed and really emotional,” Parker said. “It was just really cool to have them with us the whole time.”
After a leadoff single in the second inning by freshman infielder Sydney Barker, the next OU hit didn’t come until the sixth inning where freshman infielder Gabbie Garcia hit a single that deflected off Pickens.
Prior to the Pickering single in the seventh, OU had gone 0-for-13 with runners on base and had put up just three hits in 23 at-bats.
“It’s speechless when you’re down there and when you’re a team that is struggling to get on base,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “... The one thing we noticed is watching people leave the game.
“It was in the seventh inning and I kind of shared that with the team. Not that it had anything to do with anything, but people thought we were done.”
2025 has been a difficult season for Parker, health wise.
When she’s not at the plate, you can find her in a walking boot throughout the game, only to take it back off when it’s time to hit.
She hasn’t let the pain in her foot affect her game, as she was named an NFCA All-American for the second straight year, and leads the team with a .418 batting average.
“Right now, she feels nothing,” Gasso said. “But when we get back to the hotel, she’s going to be hurting extremely and she’s been really handling it like no one I’ve seen.”
Parker’s walk-off home run wrote yet another chapter in OU softball fighting back from the dead and somehow pulling through.
The program has seen its fair share of historical and magical moments the past four seasons – and throughout Gasso’s tenure. It has caused more popularity and rise of the sport and the Women’s College World Series and has caused teams to spend millions on their roster to try and take down the Sooners.
“We just needed to stay in the game as long as we could and give ourselves a chance,” Gasso said. “... As long as we have one swing left, we have life.”
Parker and the Sooners (51-7) get to have a day off Friday before heading back to Devon Park on Saturday to face Texas (52-11) in a rematch of the 2024 WCWS Finals at 2 p.m. Saturday on ABC.
This story was edited by Parker Coyne.
