Former Oklahoma catcher Sophia Nugent transferring to Tennessee

Former Oklahoma catcher Sophia Nugent has chosen a transfer destination in the SEC, joining the Tennessee softball program after a resurgent year. Nugent announced her decision on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

Nugent spent two seasons at Oklahoma and played in 73 games, making 19 starts as Oklahoma won two national titles in her two years there (as part of a three-peat). Nugent will have two years of eligibility remaining to play for Tennessee.

“So excited to be a Lady Vol!!” Nugent said in her tweet announcing her commitment.

@Vol_Softball So excited to be a Lady Vol!! pic.twitter.com/4N0Pup1By7

— Sophia Nugent (@SophiaN2021) June 21, 2023

Tennessee also announced the commitment on Wednesday and provided some quotes via head coach Karen Weekly.

“We recruited Sophia when she was in high school and knew then what a great fit she was for our program,” Weekly said. “Her character, work ethic and team-first attitude are the attributes we look for in the process. I couldn’t be more thrilled for the opportunity to coach her and watch her finish her college career in the Orange and White.”

Nugent was one of the top prospects in the 2021 signing class coming out of high school. Per the Tennessee release, she was ranked as the No. 3 player in the class of 2021 by Extra Inning Softball and Softball America and the No. 1 catcher in the class by Extra Innings.

Tennessee and Oklahoma are familiar programs, facing off in the WCWS

When the two squads got together, it was the Sooners coming out on top. Weekly didn’t believe Tennessee played up to their standards against Oklahoma in the first matchup.

The Lady Vols leader knew the Sooners represented a tremendous challenge, but she never expected to get run-ruled by Patty Gasso’s squad at the Women’s College World Series. Speaking with the media after the game, Weekly explained how she felt going into the game, and why she was so disappointed afterwards.

“I felt very good about my team coming into this game. I felt like we were prepared. I felt like mentally we were where we needed to be,” explained the Lady Vols leader. “I think Kiki spoke to it. Once we got down three, we were fine. Once we got down five, then I think there was a little bit of, you know, just lack of energy. That’s hard to do. I mean, my gosh, these athletes, that’s the hardest thing in sports I think is to keep your energy, your intensity, your focus at the level you want it to be at when you get punched pretty hard.