Sooners Make Short Trip to North Texas

Tuesday, March 3

Denton, Texas

6 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

North Texas

Audrey Lowry throwing a pitch against Southeastern Louisiana

Photo by: Peyton Martin/University of Oklahoma

Sooners Make Short Trip to North Texas

March 02, 2026 | Softball

Live Stats ESPN+ Listen

NORMAN — No. 5/6 Oklahoma breaks from weekend play for its first true road midweek game in Denton tomorrow at 6 p.m. as the Sooners take on North Texas.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ while Chris Plank will provide play-by-play for the radio broadcast on KEBC The Franchise 2 1560 AM.

The Sooners and Mean Green meet for the 34th time in a series that dates back to 1987. OU is 10-0 in Denton and won the last meeting against North Texas, 10-0, April 20, 2022 in Denton.

FIRST PITCH

• Oklahoma is 19-2 and ranked No. 5 in the latest ESPN.Com/USA Softball Poll. The Sooners have eight in a row, with OU's only losses coming at No. 17/18 Arizona and against Long Beach State at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

• OU is 4-1 against ranked teams this season, tallying two victories against No. 17/18 Arizona (21-3 and 5-4) as well as a win against No. 14/20 Duke and No. 23/RV Washington. Three of those four victories have been via run-rule as the Sooners have outscored ranked teams, 58-14, this season.

• The Sooners are coming off a historic home-opening weekend. Oklahoma set a program record for most runs scored in a home opener in a 32-0 win against Alabama State Thursday. It turned out to be the first chunk of a massive 116-run output over the 6-0 home weekend as the Sooners also set a program record with 21 runs in the third inning against Alabama State Feb. 28. That mark was also good for second in NCAA Division I history for runs in one frame. 15,723 fans took in a weekend that saw the Sooners hit 30 home runs.

A RECORD PACE

• Oklahoma has hit 86 home runs this season, good for the nation's highest mark and 26 more than the next closest team. OU is knocking at the door of 100 home runs, a mark that it didn't reach until the SEC Tournament last season. The Sooners would go on to finish that year with 121 home runs, good for fourth most in program history.

• OU's 86 home runs is more than it has had in any season through 21 games. Oklahoma's last five years have been marked by the largest power output of any stretch in program and arguably NCAA history, while also featuring the NCAA single season team record 161 home run season in 2021. That year the Sooners had 72 home runs through 21 games, the second-most all-time in a season up to this point.

• If the season were to conclude today OU would still finish 11th in its record book for home runs in a season single, just five short of being in the top 10.

OU Softball The Last Five Seasons - Homers Through 21 Games

2025: 46
2024: 35
2023: 35
2022: 50
2021: 72

OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT

• Oklahoma is slashing the national lead while pacing the country in 10 different offensive statistical categories this year. OU stands atop the country through 21 games in:

Batting average (.464)
Hits (282)
Home Runs (86)
Home Runs/Game (4.1)
On-Base Percentage (.558)
RBIs/Game (13.71)
RBIs (288)
Runs/Game (14)
Slugging Percentage (.962)
Runs (294)

EVERYBODY HITS

• OU's lineup has produced from every angle this season. All 14 Sooners that have had an at-bat this season have hit at least three home runs, while five Sooners have had a multi-home run game. Allyssa Parker, Ella Parker, Lexi McDaniel, Gabbie Garcia and Isabela Emerling are all in that group, while Emerling and Ella Parker have both hit three home runs in a single game.

• Each position player that's played has played in at least 16 of 21 games, while 13 of 14 players have greater than a .400 batting average and four have at least a .500 batting average.

FRESHMAN PHENOMS

• The Sooner freshman class has made serious noise, particularly with the bats. Lexi McDaniel leads the team with a .556 batting average and Kai Minor has a team-best 30 hits and seven stolen bases. In the power categories Allyssa Parker touts a massive 1.796 OPS, good for the team lead, and Kendall Wells' 15 home runs leads the Southeastern Conference.

• Lexi McDaniel, Kai Minor, Allyssa Parker, Kendall Wells and Berkley Zache are incoming freshmen that signed as part of the nation's top-ranked 2025 recruiting class. Freshman Jerrell "Ori" Mailo signed as part of the nation's top 2026 recruiting class, but joined the Sooners in January.

SOPHOMORE ARMS

• Sophomore pitching duo of lefty Audrey Lowry and righty Miali Guachino have combined for a 15-1 record, 67 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 72 innings of work. Lowry started the season going 8-0 in her first eight decisions, while Guachino picked up a pair of wins against (RV) San Diego State and No. 23 Washington at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Both hurlers have a sub-one WHIP.

NATIONAL NOD

• Kendall Wells was named D1Softball National Player of the Week as well as Softball America Freshman of the Week Feb. 24. The freshman homered in all but one game in Cathedral City, Calif., while launching two and driving in five against (RV) San Diego State. Her hot start to her OU career began in the season opener as she hit a game-winning two-run home run against (RV) Arizona State Feb. 5. Wells leads the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in home runs (15), good for second in the country.

SEC HONORS

• OU has earned SEC weekly honors in three of four weeks to start the season, with two of them being freshmen.

• Lexi McDaniel, a freshman out of St. Joseph, Mo., is the latest Sooner to earn SEC Freshman of the Week. The infielder hit four home runs and while going 10-for-13 with 11 runs, 12 RBI and a 1.769 slugging percentage this past week. She homered twice Feb. 28 and hit a grand slam to propel OU to a record-setting 21-run inning. She is leading the team with a .556 batting average.

• Freshman Kai Minor was named SEC Freshman of the Week as well, hitting .692 with seven runs, three doubles, one triple, two homers and nine RBI. She tripled and homered in the same game and scored in all five contests on the weekend. The speedy centerfielder is hitting .545 with a team-high 30 hits and seven stolen bases.

• Junior Kasidi Pickering was named SEC Player of the Week Monday, Feb. 16, the first such award in her career. She earned the honor after hitting .833 (10-for-12), with 13 runs, 11 RBIs, three home runs and six walks. Pickering is the lone Sooner to start all 20 games this season as she touts a team-best .640 on-base percentage and 33 runs thanks to a staggering 21 walks.

THE 2026 TEAM AT A GLANCE

• Oklahoma's offense returns a large percentage of its production from last year. The Sooners return 87.1% of their hits, 85.9% of their runs, 84.8% of their total bases, 83.6% of their RBIs and 82.6% of their 121 home runs. Additionally, the Sooners return four All-Americans on the offensive side (Ella Parker, Kasidi Pickering, Gabbie Garcia and Abby Dayton).

• The Sooners' 21-player roster features eight newcomers and 13 returners. Of those newcomers, two are transfers and six are true freshmen. Sydney Berzon (senior) and Miali Guachino (sophomore) join the OU pitching staff that is six pitchers deep.

• Lexi McDaniel, Kai Minor, Allyssa Parker, Kendall Wells and Berkley Zache are incoming freshmen that signed as part of the nation's top-ranked 2025 recruiting class. Freshman Jerrell "Ori" Mailo signed as part of the nation's top 2026 recruiting class, but joined the Sooners in January.

• Four Sooners were tabbed to the Preseason All-SEC Team (Gabbie Garcia, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering). OU was selected 2nd in the SEC Preseason Poll.