Sooners Lead League in All-SEC Accolades, Wells Named Freshman of the Year

NORMAN — The Southeastern Conference (SEC) announced its all-league softball honors Friday, with seven Sooners combining to grab 10 different awards to lead all teams in SEC.

Kendall Wells, Gabbie Garcia, Kai Minor, Ella Parker, Abby Dayton, Isabela Emerling and Audrey Lowry combined to haul in the awards for Oklahoma. Wells headlined the selections as a first team honoree while also bringing in the first SEC Freshman of the Year honor for the Sooners in their two-year tenure in the league. Five of OU's seven honorees are first time all-conference honorees, with four being underclassmen.

Garcia, Parker and Minor joined Wells on the first team, while Dayton, Emerling and Lowry took home second team recognition. On the exclusive all-defensive team was Garcia at shortstop and Parker in right field. The all-defense team featured one player for each position. There were 25 first team picks and 26 second team selections between the SEC's 15 teams.

The Sooners were tied for the most all-league honorees across the first and second teams, although the ten combined laurels is good for the most in the conference.

OKLAHOMA'S ALL-SEC HONORS

Freshman of the Year - Kendall Wells
First Team - Gabbie Garcia, Kai Minor, Ella Parker, Kendall Wells
Second Team - Abby Dayton, Isabela Emerling, Audrey Lowry
All-Defense Team - Gabbie Garcia, Ella Parker

ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM

Wells takes home the 11th conference freshman of the year honor in program history and the first since 2022. The catcher was one of four Sooners named to the first team, joining Minor as the only two freshmen on the first team. Wells is currently the nation's leader in home runs with 36, having already shattered a number of longstanding records at the plate. Twice she was named D1Softball National Player of the Week this season, while also taking home SEC Player of the Week honors April 8.

After doing it as a freshman, Garcia notched the combination of earning All-SEC and All-SEC Defensive Team honors, while adding first team recognition for the first time during her incredible sophomore campaign. The everyday shortstop ranks in the top 25 in the country in home runs (22, 10th) RBIs (68, 17th) and total bases (143, 22nd). Garcia hits big and in bunches, pacing the Sooners with five games of 5+ RBIs. She is second on the team in multi-hit games with 20. In the field she has only committed four errors across 126 chances.

Parker made her debut on the All-SEC First Team and all-defensive squad in recognition of a phenomenal year and a well-rounded one to add. The junior has a perfect fielding percentage this season while adding three outfield assists, all of which came on plays at the home. In the batter's box she has belted a career-high 21 home runs while driving in 61 and scoring 55 times. The lefty has a .416 batting average and surpassed 200-career hits during the season.

Rounding out the first team is the five-tool freshman Minor, who put together one of the best seasons for any player in the nation, let alone any freshman. The center fielder has a spotless mark in the outfield and has put together big numbers on the bases and at the plate. Minor leads all SEC freshmen in batting average at .446, while ranking third in the conference in hits (74) and stolen bases (17).

ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM

Dayton debuts on the All-SEC Team, earning second team honors as Oklahoma's everyday left fielder. The senior is hitting .398 with 47 runs, 42 RBIs, eight home runs 27 walks and six stolen bases while slugging a career-best .735. Her 12 doubles are also a career best, as are her home run and RBI totals. The Riverside, Calif., native had a previous career high of 28 RBIs during her sophomore season at Utah. Dayton has made only one error in the outfield, surpassing 200 starts and 200 hits for her career this season.

Emerling has also posted a career season, doing so in nearly every statistical category as she earns the first all-league honors of her career. The Martinez, Calif., native has upped her batting average from .212 to .395 in one season, while launching 18 home runs and driving in 54. The redshirt-senior hit a pair of clutch grand slams in SEC play, bringing her to nine all-time, tied for third all-time in NCAA history for career grand slams.

Lowry has anchored the Oklahoma pitching staff with a 21-3 record, 2.70 ERA and 82 strikeouts. The sophomore lefty is tied for the second-most wins among all pitchers in the SEC, doing so while only having to spin 114 innings, 19th most in the conference. The Pittsboro, Ind., native has also added three saves while holding batters to a .236 average.