Oklahoma's most unique hitter, Haley Lee, ready for WCWS moment

Haley Lee is not like most of the softball players you’ll see at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City this week and next.

The Texas A&M transfer has a unique personality that’s different from her Oklahoma teammates. She’s unafraid to express herself in a boisterous way, whether it’s through her Harley Davidson, her Greek Mythology-themed tattoo sleeve, or her unmistakable voice impressions in the dugout.

“When I saw she was in the portal, I didn’t know her, but I was trying to kind of judge her,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said Wednesday. “I hadn’t seen a lot of girls with a lot of tattoos and so forth, right? I heard that she drives a motorcycle. I’m like, okay, this could be a major problem. I don’t know if this is going to fit.”

It fit well though for Lee and the No. 1 Sooners, which will make their seventh-straight appearance at the WCWS on Thursday against No. 9 Stanford in the first round. Lee has become one of the best hitters in the country, with a .399 batting average, 14 home runs, and a career-high 51 RBIs. She’s been one of OU’s most reliable hitters and has been on fire lately, hitting a grand slam against Clemson in Super Regionals.

But for Lee, while her senior season has been great, this week in Oklahoma City is the reason she came to Norman. And she’s ready for her WCWS moment.

“Watching it from afar growing up, it’s like a dream come true. You take away the 8-year-old’s dream and make it a reality,” Lee said. “Just getting to take this path and getting to experience it with such great players and great teammates. They’ve really made the journey the most fun it could have been. I’m very excited to be here. I was watching just the media videos that everybody was getting to do earlier and just kind of taking it in. It’s really been a blessing to be here today and to be here with these girls. So I’m excited, and I’m very excited to be here.”

From Kingwood, Texas, Lee was a standout at Texas A&M. She started 189 games for the Aggies and quickly became one of the top home run hitters in the country. At A&M, she hit 47 home runs in four years. Add her 14 this season and she’s ninth in the country in active career home run leaders.

“When we faced Haley at Texas A&M, it was a nightmare,” Gasso said. “There’s certain hitters that when they come up, and I’m like, oh, no, no way. And I know (Jen) Rocha was feeling the same way. That was Haley.”

Lee, though, didn’t enter the transfer portal until the last day of the spring sports deadline – June 30, 2022. And once she was in the portal, Gasso said she knew she had to reach out.

“When I got on the phone, it was just a sweet voice and a wonderful conversation,” Gasso said. “She came in on a visit. It was Grace (Lyons) and I. We were like the only ones in town. And she came on campus with her mother and her grandmother. And sitting with her, I just – this is going to be weird, but kind of fell in love with her personality.”

For Lee, once she visited OU’s campus in early July, she knew Oklahoma was where she wanted to be. And a large part of that was Gasso detailing the type of role she would have for Oklahoma and that she’d have an opportunity to play in the WCWS — something she was unable to do at Texas A&M.

“When I was looking to transfer I really looked at my ultimate goal. What I really wanted to accomplish in my last year,” Lee told SoonerScoop.com. “Getting to talk with coach Gasso, we got to talk about what it’s going to take to get us here. I knew they were a great team. And I knew they already had some strong players and everything coming into this year. I knew she was going to push me to be that extra piece to help the team go this far.”

And she’s done exactly that at the plate, helping replace the NCAA’s all-time home run leader Jocelyn Alo. Lee (14), senior Kinzie Hansen (12), junior Jayda Coleman (16), junior Tiare Jennings (16), and sophomore Alyssa Brito (17) have combined for 75 home runs. Alo had 34 alone in both 2021 and 2022.

But beyond her ability at the plate, Lee has also added a different and entertaining personality to the Oklahoma dugout. Her voice impressions during games have become a favorite of Gasso’s – though she won’t reveal her best ones. Her motorcycle – gifted to her by her grandmother – can be seen on the streets of Norman on a nice day. And while her tattoos of Greek mythology’s Medusa and Perseus have “no meaning to them” they are, in some ways, a perfect representation of her bold attitude.

Maybe, after what she hopes to be a dream of a week in Oklahoma City, she’ll add a new tattoo.

“Depending on how this weekend goes,” Lee said. “We’ll see.”