Oklahoma softball lands transfer commitment from Utah outfielder Abby Dayton

Utah outfielder Abby Dayton will transfer to play for Patty Gasso at Oklahoma in 2025, Softball America‘s Brady Vernon reported Sunday. She played two seasons for the Utes and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Dayton was named first team All-Pac-12 this past season after leading the conference with a .444 batting average. She was also named a third team All-American and finished top 10 in the league in hits (72). That included a pair of home runs and six triples.

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Oklahoma loses two starters in the outfield from last season’s national title team with both Jayda Coleman and Rylie Boone graduating. Dayton played center field in 2024 to record 74 outs and should enter the starting lineup alongside returning outfielder Kasidi Pickering.

Dayton also already has a connection to the Gasso family as she played her freshman season at Utah under Patty Gasso’s son, DJ, who was then a hitting coach for the Utes. She batted .368 that year with 43 hits across 47 games.

Prior to her college career, Dayton was ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect in the 2022 class coming out of Norco High School in Riverside, California.

Abby Dayton is the second player to transfer in to Oklahoma this offseason, joining former North Carolina catcher Isabela Emerling. The Sooners are coming off of their fourth straight national title and moves on from a senior class that posted a 235-15 record throughout their careers.

Oklahoma gets transfer commit from Isabela Emerling

North Carolina transfer catcher/infielder Isabela Emerling committed to Oklahoma Friday, she announced via social media. She’s coming off a standout season with the Tar Heels, hitting 14 home runs.

Emerling was largely a starter during her three seasons at UNC, but put up her best numbers this past season as a redshirt sophomore. She had a .323 batting average to go with her 14 home runs and 53 RBI.

With Kinzie Hansen now out of eligibility after helping OU to a four-peat, Patty Gasso appears to have her replacement behind the plate. Emerling can also play the infield after playing some first base while in Chapel Hill.

Emerling didn’t play during her freshman season in 2022 due to an injury, but preserved her redshirt and will have two years of eligibility remaining. She arrived at North Carolina as a highly touted recruit, coming in as a Top-10 prospect, according to FloSoftball.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.