What Oklahoma brings to table ahead of upcoming series against South Carolina softball

Had South Carolina and Oklahoma faced off last season, it would’ve been seen as a “David vs. Goliath”-like contest. One year later, though, it is a highly-anticipated matchup between two of the sport’s top programs at the moment.

Both the Gamecocks and the Sooners will open SEC play with a three-game series this weekend. All three contests will be in Norman, Oklahoma, at Love’s Field, a 4,200-seat venue that is the largest on-campus softball stadium in the country.

Before the series begins, here’s what Oklahoma brings to the table.

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How they got here

The Sooners head into this contest with a perfect 19-0 record. Oklahoma and South Carolina are the two remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I softball.

Like the Gamecocks, the Sooners began their non-conference slate of games with multiple regular season tournaments. Oklahoma kicked off the campaign in California, where it played against six unique opponents in three different cities – San Diego, Fullerton, and Los Angeles – and emerged victorious against all of them.

The following week, the Sooners had a dominant display at the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas, where they played two games each against Baylor and Hofstra. All four contests resulted in run-rule victories for Oklahoma, which outscored opponents by a combined score of 36-4.

This stretch of dominance continued at the Norman Tournament and the Oklahoma Omni Classic, both of which the Sooners hosted at Love’s Field over the past two weekends. Out of the nine games Oklahoma played in those tournaments, eight resulted in run-rule wins.

Last time out

The Gamecocks and the Sooners have met nine times before the latter joined the SEC this past year. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 5-4.

The two teams’ first seven meetings came on neutral turf, but their most recent games were contested in Norman as part of the 2018 OG&E Invitational. South Carolina lost both games by 4-2 and 5-1 scores, respectively.

The Gamecocks dug themselves into an early hole in game one against the Sooners, allowing four runs in the first. Nicole Pendley did all the damage for Oklahoma with a two-out grand slam. South Carolina attempted to claw back into the game with a solo home run by Alyssa VanDerveer in the second inning and an RBI single by Kenzie Maguire in the fifth, but it was not enough to spearhead a comeback.

VanDerveer followed suit with another solo home run in to give the Gamecocks an early 1-0 advantage in game two. After that blast, South Carolina did not muster at hit until the seventh inning. Oklahoma, meanwhile, grabbed the lead with a five-running third inning and did not let it go.

Where they sit in the rankings

There are four major polls in NCAA softball – D1Softball, Softball America, ESPN.com/USA Softball, and NFCA Coaches. The Sooners rank near the top in all of them.

After hovering around the top four for the entire 2024 season, Oklahoma moved up into the No. 1 spot in D1Softball’s rankings on Feb. 25. That’s where they remained in the outlet’s most recent poll.

The Sooners are also considered the No. 1 team in the country according to the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Oklahoma received 16 of 25 possible first-place votes and earned 610 points, which was seven more than No. 2 Texas.

Both the Softball America and NFCA Coaches polls list the Longhorns as the No. 1 team in the country. The Sooners are not far behind, though, as they are ranked No. 2. Per the NFCA Coaches poll, which also includes point and first-place vote totals, Oklahoma received 740 points and five first-place votes.

Players to watch

Ella Parker (Sophomore, utility player) – Parker started her college softball career strong with a Softball America Freshman All-America-caliber season in 2024. Across 58 games, she hit .415 and contributed 13 home runs, 62 RBIs, 15 doubles and 60 runs scored. Parker has since followed that up with a stellar sophomore campaign, as she sits behind only South Carolina’s Quincee Lilio on the SEC’s batting average leaderboard (.574). She has already hit 12 doubles and generated a 1.019 slugging percentage through 19 games this year.

Isabella Smith (Redshirt senior, pitcher) – Smith has adjusted well to life in the SEC following an offseason transfer from Campbell, as she leads the conference in earned run average amongst pitchers who have thrown at least 15 innings (0.27). She boasts a 5-0 record and has allowed just 12 hits across 25.2 innings pitched. The reigning Colonial Athletic Association Pitcher of the Year has accumulated 26 punchouts and held opposing hitters to a .140 batting average during that time frame.

Kasidi Pickering (Sophomore, outfielder) – A preseason All-SEC selection alongside Parker, Pickering has showcased her power on many occasions throughout the season. She leads all Sooners in home runs (seven) and RBIs (27), and she ranks second in OPS (1.461). Pickering also made the Softball America Freshman All-America team last year.

Series details

South Carolina’s full schedule for the weekend series is below:

• Game 1: Friday, March 7 (7:30 p.m.)
• Game 2: Saturday, March 8 (3 p.m.)
• Game 3: Sunday, March 9 (2:30 p.m.)

The first two contests will stream on SEC Network+, while the series finale will broadcast on television on SEC Network.

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