Midweek Finale Set for Tuesday Night

Tuesday, April 21

Love's Field

6 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

Arkansas - Pine Bluff

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Kai Minor swinging at a pitch during the game against Arkansas

Photo by: Nicole May/University of Oklahoma

April 20, 2026 | Softball

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No. 1 Oklahoma Softball Hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff

NORMAN — After a stretch of seven-straight games against ranked teams, No. 1 Oklahoma Softball breaks for conference play to take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday, April 21 at 6 p.m.

The game will be streamed on SEC Network+, with DJ Sanchez (play-by-play) and Destinee Martinez (analyst) on the call. Chris Plank will be on the radio broadcast, which will be carried on The Franchise (107.7 KRXO-FM) and The Franchise 2 (1560 KEBC-AM).

With the Sooners four home runs away from the NCAA single-season team home run record, fans will be able to enjoy a $4 beer and $4 hot dog deal.

FIRST PITCH

• OU is breaking up a season-long stretch of seven consecutive games against ranked teams, with six of those coming against top-ten programs. The Sooners have gone 4-3 in that stretch, while taking the series at No. 4 Texas and against No. 6 Arkansas.

• The Sooners were named the top team in the April 14 NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Top 25 Poll, OU's first time holding the top spot this season.

• Oklahoma is 42-6 and 15-3 in Southeastern Conference play, tied with Alabama for first place in the league.

• OU plays its final non-conference game of the regular season, which also serves as the final midweek game of the year. The Sooners are 4-1 in midweek contests this season.

• Oklahoma has won 30 games by run-rule, including eight in SEC play. OU has posted a double-digit scoring effort 26 times.

• OU has hit at least one homer in 45 of 48 games and had a streak of at least one home run in 20 consecutive contests between Feb. 21 and March 27.

• Kendall Wells set the SEC single-season home run record previously held by Bri Ellis (Arkansas), Bailey Hemphill (Alabama) and Mia Davidson (Mississippi State). She set it March 31 in just 37 games. Wells then set the NCAA freshman single-season home run record April 11 at Texas. She broke a three-way tie with former Sooners Jocelyn Alo (2018) and Lauren Chamberlain (2012) and Hawaii's Kelly Majam (2010). She needs one more home run to set the OU single-season home run record (tied with Alo at 34), and needs four to set the NCAA single-season home run record.

• Oklahoma has scored 523 runs in 48 games. The Sooners tallied 454 runs in 61 contests a year ago. The program record is 638, set in 2021 in 60 games.

• OU went on a 22-game winning streak earlier this season, marking the 10th instance in head coach Patty Gasso's career that the Sooners have had a winning streak of 20-plus games.

• The Sooner bats have five players that have reached or are nearing 20 home runs. Five have at least 16, with Gabbie Garcia sitting at 19 and Wells at 34.

• The OU outfield has consistently featured Abby Dayton in left field, Kai Minor in center and Ella Parker in right. The trio has combined for a 1.000 fielding percentage this year, with Ella Parker posting three outfield assists and Kai Minor another.

• Ella Parker reached 200-career hits Sunday. She became the third Sooner this year to reach that milestone this season (Abby Dayton and Ailana Agbayani reached it last month).

FLEXIN' FRESHMEN

• The Sooner freshmen Lexi McDaniel, Kai Minor, Allyssa Parker and Kendall Wells have combined for 59 home runs, 161 RBIs, 165 runs and a .410 batting average.

• Freshman centerfielder Kai Minor is not only leading OU with a .457 batting average, but she is leading all Division I freshmen in that category. She ranks third in the league in hits (64) and tied for second in stolen bases (17).

• Allyssa Parker is one of six Sooners with double-digit home runs, having hit 10 this season in just 61 at-bats. On March 7 she achieved the rare feat of tripling and spinning a complete game in the circle.

• Lexi McDaniel is on pace to become the third OU freshman with double-digit homers, posting nine to go with a .442 batting average in 77 at-bats. She also has three pinch-hit homers and a team-best seven pinch-hit RBIs. McDaniel was also named SEC Freshman and D1Softball Freshman of the Week.

• In the circle, freshman Berkley Zache has posted a 2.80 ERA across eight appearances. She hasn't allowed an earned run since her collegiate debut at No. 17/18 Arizona Feb. 7.

• All four freshmen position players played in last Wednesday's Bedlam game, with three of them starting (Kai Minor, Kendall Wells and Lexi McDaniel). Allyssa Parker also pitched and earned a hit in that game.

SCENE SETTERS

• OU is on a historic pace in a number of offensive categories this season. The Sooners are hitting .406, with OU's program record being .405 from the 2021 campaign. The Sooners slashed their way to program records that season, slugging .778 in 2021 while reaching base at a .490 clip. The Sooners are leading the country with an .833 slugging percentage and tout a .500 on-base percentage, good for second in the nation.

• OU and Arkansas-Pine Bluff play for the third time, with OU holding a 2-0 lead. The Sooners set a program single-game runs scored record with a 35-1 win against UAPB in 2014.

• The Sooners have hit more home runs than 43 teams in Division I have for total runs scored. OU set the NCAA single season runs record with 638 in 2021, doing so in 60 games. Oklahoma averaged 10.6 runs per game that season. The Sooners are averaging 10.8 runs per game through 48 contests this season, on pace for 599 runs in the regular season alone in 2026.

DAYTON 500

• Abby Dayton knocked off two milestones March 27, surpassing 200 career hits while reaching 200 career games. The veteran is turning in the best offensive year of her career as she is hitting .438 with an .802 slugging percentage.

• Traditionally an outfielder, Dayton slid in to play third base for the first time in her collegiate career and turned a double play in the win March 8 against Abilene Christian.

• Dayton is on pace to post one of the best seasons in OU history in the "toughest-to-strikeout" category. The lefty hitter has only struck out three times in 125 plate appearances (96 at-bats) this season. The program record is held by Sandy Ochoa in 1987 (only struck out once in 115 at-bats).

CIAO BELA

• Redshirt-senior Isabela Emerling has 17 home runs through 42 games played, four more than her total from all of last year. The Sooners are 24-1 in her OU career when she hits at least one home run in a game.

• Emerling hit a game-tying and momentum shifting grand slam against No. 6/8 Arkansas Friday, April 17. That grand slam marked the ninth of her career, tying her for third in NCAA history.

• March 24 she was named SEC Player of the Week. It's the second late-inning game-winning grand slam of her OU career after doing so in a nine-inning 11-6 win against San Diego State on the first day of the season in 2025. She also added a key game-tying home run in OU's 4-1 win against Oregon in the 2025 WCWS.

GIFT OF GAB

• Sophomore shortstop Gabbie Garcia ranks in the top 25 in the country in home runs (19, 16th) and RBIs (58, 20th). Garcia hits big and in bunches, pacing the Sooners with four games of 5+ RBIs. She is second on the team in multi-hit games with 18.

• In 105 career games she is hitting .376 with 120 hits, 99 runs, 116 RBIs, 39 home runs. The everyday shortstop helped OU set a single season double plays turned record (31) in 2025. She has made only seven errors in 291 chances, all of which have come at shortstop. She was named to the 2025 SEC All-Defensive Team and helped OU turn four double plays against Abilene Christian March 8, tied for the most by a team in NCAA Division I this season.

SOPHOMORE ARMS

• The Sooner sophomore pitching duo of Audrey Lowry and Miali Guachino both have double-digit wins, combining for a 31-3 record in the circle. Lowry leads the team in innings pitched (96.2), while Guachino leads OU with a .210 opponents' batting average and 82 strikeouts.