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OU softball with five in watch list for Player of the Year: Parker, Pickering, Agbayani, Landry, Dayton

Bob Przybyloby:Bob Przybylo•about 10 hours•

BPrzybylo

Sam Landry2
OU commitment Sam Landry. (From Landry's Instagram).

It’s just about that time for OU softball. The season begins in just over two weeks. And while OU seems to be considered No. 3 around the country, the talent has not dropped off.

Head coach Patty Gasso hit the transfer portal hard and checked off those boxes. And now we’re really getting an idea of just how OU might have done.

The Sooners have five of the 50 players named to the preseason Watch List for the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

Returning sophomores Kasidi Pickering and Ella Parker to go with transfer additions Ailana Agbayani, Abby Dayton and pitcher Sam Landry.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which is entering its 23rd season, recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the nation.

The Top 25 Finalists for the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday, April 30. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 Finalists will be revealed Wednesday, May 14, and the Top 3 will be released on Monday, May 19. The 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS).

They said it…

Stress of going for a fifth straight championship?

“I would definitely say coming in and trying to get a 5-peat is an amazing thing to be able to accomplish, but also realizing that the entire team, most of us, is going to be our first. So it’s kind of understanding that we are new, but being able to talk to all these past players, like having Tiare as one of our grad assistants, has just been a game changer. Being able to hear from these people that have played and succeeded in this game has really helped us and being able to grow our mental game. We kind of understand who we are as a team, and being able to take away the pressure, but also living in the pressure, I think that’s going to help us a lot.” – Dayton

Remember playing against OU with BYU?

“I would say that playing here was amazing just because I loved even though the fans weren’t cheering for me and they were against me, it was just so amazing playing in an environment where they love softball. Where everyone was so into the game. I mean at my old school we barely had anyone coming to the games so playing in front of like sold out stands, it was so amazing.” – Agbayani

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