The Oklahoma Sooners softball team just got a depressing first-time reality check in the Patty Gasso era
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The Oklahoma Sooners softball team just got a depressing first-time reality check in the Patty Gasso era originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Oklahoma Sooners softball team won't be able to retain all of Patty Gasso’s difference-makers with the transfer portal set to open in a few weeks. Announcements on future intentions have already begun, and some have rocked the Sooners hard.
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Sooner Scoop’s Bob Przybylo believes the times have changed in Norman amid a competitive NIL/rev-share era. Przybylo relayed the grim reality for the country’s pre-eminent softball power, adjusting to the changes, but also called for urgency to the legendary 63-year-old head coach.
Per Przybylo, “OU has the No. 1-ranked recruiting class, according to Softball America. But this does feel like it might be the first year where the Sooners won’t just retain everybody who could and should return … Is it pitching? Another bat? Time for head coach Patty Gasso and crew to put together the pieces for 2027.”
Gasso, the highest-paid head coach in college softball and Team USA’s head coach for the upcoming LA28 Games, is still at the top of her game, but 2026 was a relative down year. The team's loss in the Norman Super Regional to the Mississippi State Bulldogs was a disappointing shock to the system. Ipso facto, freshman pitcher Berkley Zache, sophomore catcher/infielder Riley Zache, and utilitywoman Tia Milloy have all departed the program already.
OU is not going to let Gasso’s dynasty die. She won’t let that happen, either. While the program missed its first College World Series since 2015, it’s also important to note that Gasso’s Sooners won the next two national championships.
History and common sense tell us that Oklahoma softball isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Oklahoma softball will never cede ground to football, other sports
Gasso has made the softball program an indelible part of Oklahoma’s culture. As schools cut funding from non-revenue sports, you will never see that happen in the Sooner State. Of course, Oklahoma softball happens to be a multi-million dollar revenue giant. It really just means more on the diamond at Love’s Field.
You’d think that the multi-million dollar rosters would detract from the football program, but the 2027 class is No. 1 and soaring under GM Jim Nagy. There’s a smooth cohesion between the two programs, which are in great shape in 2026 despite recent postseason failures.
As long as those two programs put a good product on the field, the rest of the Sooners' athletic programs will simply have to find their own Gasso and build up enough momentum to snag a piece of the pie.