Sooners Add All-American Sanders

NORMAN — Oklahoma head softball coach Patty Gasso announced Monday the addition of All-American transfer Cydney Sanders from Arizona State.

Sanders, an NFCA First Team All-American and All-Pac 12 First Team honoree, started all 54 games for ASU as a freshman in 2022 and led the Sun Devils in home runs (21), RBIs (63), slugging (.952), walks (45) and total bases (139). Her 21 home runs broke an Arizona State single-season record and ranked 12th in the country while her slugging clip ranked third, on-base percentage was fifth and her .425 batting average ranked in the top 25 nationally.

"I think every coach in the country was picking up their phone when they saw Cydney's name in the portal," said Gasso. "She was a perfect fit for our needs with some of the power we lost from our outgoing senior class.

"She put up tremendous numbers her freshman season leading to her being named a first team All-American. She'll come into this program and easily pick up some of what we lost, but be able to make her own path. She's a great fit and we're very excited about her future as a Sooner."

The San Marcos, Calif., product was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was a Top-Three Finalist for the 2022 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year. Primarily starting at first base in her first-year campaign, Sanders held a .984 fielding percentage to go with 364 putouts and seven assists to just six errors.

"I chose Oklahoma to live out my dream of competing at the Women's College World Series," said Sanders. "I'm looking forward to playing at the highest level with the top players in softball."

Sanders will have three years of eligibility in Norman and joins fellow ASU transfer Alynah Torres and graduate transfer pitcher Alex Storako from Michigan in choosing the Sooners.

Oklahoma capped a record-breaking 2022 season with the program's sixth national title in early June, finishing the season 59-3.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors