Category: Softball

Trio of Oklahoma Sooners selected to preseason All-American teams

Three Oklahoma Sooners were selected to Softball America’s preseason All-American teams.

The Oklahoma Sooners will open the 2025 softball season on Feb. 6 against the CSUN Matadors in San Diego. After a historic season, Oklahoma faces a lot of turnover after losing a number of fixtures in the lineup to graduation.

The Sooners certainly aren’t lacking for talent, however, as a trio of players were named to Softball America’s preseason All-American teams on Tuesday.

Sophomore outfielder [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] and Utility/DP [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] were named to Softball America’s first team. Newcomer [autotag]Abby Dayton[/autotag] was named to the second team.

Parker led the Oklahoma Sooners with a .415 batting average from the utility role. She also had 13 home runs and 62 RBIs as a true freshman. Parker hit .500 over Oklahoma’s final four games to clinch their fourth-straight national title.

Pickering hit .389 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs as a true freshman for the Sooners. In the Women’s College World Series final against Texas, she had home runs in both games against the Texas Longhorns to win the championship.

Abby Dayton is one of a number of impact transfers for the Oklahoma Sooners this season. She led the Pac-12 in batting average, hitting .431 and also had an on-base percentage of .510 for the Utah Utes.

The Oklahoma Sooners will have a new look, but led by this trio of stars, the defending national champions will be ready to compete in the SEC.

More: 5 Oklahoma Sooners included in Softball America’s top 100

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Karlyn Pickens named preseason All-America

Lady Vols’ junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens named preseason All-America.

Tennessee softball junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens was named preseason All-America by Softball America.

She enters the 2025 season as one of 34 players named to the team.

Pickens (22-7) was a consensus first-team All-America standout as a sophomore following the 2024 campaign. She recorded a 1.12 ERA and was named SEC Pitcher of the Year.

Pickens joined Monica Abbott as the only Lady Vols to earn the SEC honor.

She appeared in 38 contests in 2024, including 27 starts, recording 15 complete games, 12 shutouts, one save and 225 strikeouts.

Pickens’ ERA led the SEC and was third-best nationally.

She is one of three Lady Vols on Softball America’s preseason Top 100 Players list, ranking fourth. Redshirt sophomore outfielder Taylor Pannell (No. 58) and sophomore pitcher Sage Mardjeko (No. 68) are also ranked.

Karlyn Pickens. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Auburn pitcher Haley Rainey among Softball America’s preseason top 100 players

Rainey transferred to Auburn last offseason after winning the Big West Pitcher of the Year award in 2024.

Auburn softball will aim to replace ace pitcher [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] ahead of the 2025 season. The Tigers may have found a suitor in [autotag]Haley Rainey[/autotag].

Rainey transferred to Auburn last offseason from Cal State Fullerton and will compete for the ace role in Auburn’s pitching staff after winning Big West Pitcher of the Year in 2024.

Her transition from the Big West to the SEC will be one to watch, which is why Softball America recently included Rainey in its preseason top-100 players list. The former Cal State Fullerton Titan checks in at No. 79 in this year’s ranking.

In two seasons at Fullerton, Rainey recorded 26 wins and a 1.69 ERA in 68 appearances. She logged 151 strikeouts in 167.2 innings pitched over 37 appearances. She issued 49 walks and allowed just two home runs on the season. She never allowed more than four earned runs in a game last season and allowed zero runs in 17 games.

Rainey joins a pitching staff that features returning players [autotag]Malayna Tamborra[/autotag] and [autotag]Emmah Rolfe[/autotag], as well as Oklahoma transfer [autotag]SJ Geurin[/autotag]. Year one of the Chris and Kate Malveaux era begins Feb. 7 against Southern Illinois at Jane B. Moore Field.

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Texas A&M softball land three players on the preseason Top 100

Softball America names Kennedy, Wooley, and Barbara to their preseason top 100 players list

The excitement around Texas A&M softball is brewing as head coach Trisha Ford enters year three with one of her most complete teams.

With the graduation of several key leaders, such as Rylan Wiggins, Trinity Cannon, and Julia Cottrill, coach Ford knew she had to plug some important holes to stay competitive in the SEC. However, she would not be starting from scratch, bringing back All-American pitch Emily Kennedy and veteran infielder Koko Wooley.

She added the powerful Mac Barbara from San Diego State through the portal and a few promising pitches to help support her ace. In any other conference, the Aggies would probably be at the top of the rankings, but this is the SEC, where softball, hands down, is the toughest in the land.

The saying goes, “Iron sharpens iron,” and A&M is going to have an extremely competitive team led by three Softball America Top 100 players.

The softball team will start the season with a doubleheader on February 6 against Utah State and Purdue at Davis Diamond.

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Florida softball HC Tim Walton inducted into NFCA Hall of Fame

Florida’s softball program has developed in a national powerhouse over the past two decades under Tim Walton, who will be inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame Friday night.

Florida softball head coach [autotag]Tim Walton[/autotag] will be inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame in Dallas, Texas on Friday night.

Walton holds a 980-238 (.805) record in 19 seasons with the Gators and a 1,103-302 record as a head coach — he spent three years with Wichita State before taking over at Florida in 2006. Walton has transformed UF’s softball program into a national powerhouse entering his 20th year.

The Gators have made the NCAA Tournament every year under Walton, excluding the 2020 season when the tournament was canceled. Florida has made it to the Women’s College World Series 12 times, reached the finals five times and claimed back-to-back national championships in 2014 and 2015.

Walton has led the program to eight SEC regular season titles, six SEC Tournament titles and won five SEC Coach of the Year Awards. Walton’s athletes have earned 53 NFCA All-America honors and 79 All-SEC nods.
He is also an assistant coach with the USA Women’s National Team.

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Clemson softball announces 2025 schedule

Clemson softball’s 2025 schedule revealed.

CLEMSON, S.C. – Head Softball Coach John Rittman announced the program’s 2025 game schedule on Monday. The Tigers are set to play 53 regular season games, 28 of which will come in McWhorter Stadium, in their sixth season of competition. All dates and game times for the 2025 season are subject to change.

Season-ticket renewals begin on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and are available on ClemsonTigers.com with a deadline of Nov. 29. Single game tickets will be available to IPTAY members beginning on Jan. 24, 2025, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Jan. 30, 2025. Tickets will be available online prior to the season, as well as available at the gate for every regular-season home game. For additional ticket information, fans are encouraged to reach out to the Clemson Ticket Office at 1-800-CLEMSON (1-800-253-6766) or by email at cutixonline@clemson.edu. Fans can also visit ClemsonTigers.com/softball-ticket-additional-information/.

Clemson is slated to play in four tournaments, opening the season with the FAU Tournament (Feb. 6-9) in Boca Raton, Fla., before traveling to Clearwater, Fla., for the prestigious ESPN Shriners Children’s Clearwater Tournament (Feb. 13-16). 10 of Clemson’s first 11 games will be contested away from home.

The Tigers’ opener at McWhorter Stadium comes on Feb. 11 when they welcome Furman to town for the first midweek matchup of the season before welcoming Charlotte to town the following Wednesday on Feb. 19. The matchup against Charlotte opens up a run of 18-straight home games for the Tigers that includes two round-robin tournaments – the Clemson Classic and Tiger Invitational – a midweek matchup against Georgia and the first two weekends of ACC play against Duke and North Carolina.

Additional ACC games slated to be played in McWhorter Stadium include a series against one of the newest ACC programs, California, and Boston College. The Tigers will travel to Syracuse, Stanford, NC State and Georgia Tech in league play. Clemson will also play a home-and-home series with South Carolina and travel to Tennessee.

No fewer than 20 games will come against programs that appeared in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, depending on preseason tournament matchups.

Clemson returns players who made 231 combined starts in 2024, including All-American Maddie Moore and fellow All-ACC selection Alex Brown. Clemson also returns Brooke McCubbin, who accounted for 10 victories last season, the second-most by a Tiger pitcher, and senior catcher Aby Vieira, who has started in 120 games during her tenure. Clemson added 10 newcomers during the offseason that included three transfers in Reese Basinger (pitcher), Brook Melynchuk (pitcher) and Jamison Brockenbrough (outfield) and seven total freshmen.

– Press release via Clemson Athletic Communications 

LSU softball unveils 2025 nonconference schedule

LSU softball unveiled its complete 2025 schedule on Friday

LSU softball has its 2025 schedule. LSU released its complete 30-game nonconference slate, joining its 21-game conference schedule.

LSU will open the year on Feb. 7, hosting the Tiger Classic in Tiger Stadium.

“LSU’s nonconference slate features five tournaments – four at Tiger Park – and six midweek contests. Overall, the Tigers will play 39 games against 18 teams that reached the 2024 NCAA tournament, including four teams in the Women’s College World Series,” LSU wrote in a press release.

The Tigers are coming off a 44-17 season that came to an end against Stanford in the Super Regional.

LSU’s last WCWS appearance was 2017 — a mark Beth Torina would like to change in 2025. LSU’s schedule isn’t getting easier with Oklahoma and Texas joining the league. Oklahoma is in the midst of a dynasty and will expect to control the conference from the jump.

SEC play will begin on March 14 vs. Kentucky.

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Clemson softball loses huge commitment from Addisyn Linton

Clemson loses a top recruit.

Clemson softball suffered a recruiting setback as two-way standout Addisyn Linton announced her decommitment on Sunday. Linton, who initially committed last fall, visited Clemson’s campus as recently as last weekend but has now decided to reopen her recruitment.

A left-handed pitcher and hitter, Linton brings an impressive resume. She’s a Premier Girls Fastpitch All-American, two-time national champion, and multiple-time player of the year. During her sophomore season, Linton posted a .617 batting average with 21 home runs and 71 RBIs. In the circle, she went 12-2 with 168 strikeouts over 102 innings.

The Tigers will feel this loss, as it’s a big blow to their 2025 class and the talent they seek to secure for the program. Rittman and his staff will look to recover from this one.

https://twitter.com/addisynlinton/status/1845547012780851411

 

2026 P/INF Aubrey Moore has committed to Texas A&M softball

Texas A&M softball picks up commitment from one of the top players in the country

Texas A&M  softball is off to a great start for the 2026 class after landing a top-ranked utility player out of Georgia. On Thursday afternoon, All-American Aubrey Moore, out of Atlanta, GA, announced via social media that she will join the Aggies in Bryan, College Station.

Moore had a strong return after being hurt during her sophomore season. She played during the summer in the highest-ranked league in her age group, the PGF 16U, and ended with 13 home runs and 51 RBI. She is also a force for her high school with 72 strikeouts and a 1.73 ERA.

College softball is exploding, and with the SEC being the premier conference right now, getting as many of the top players in the country as possible is a must. With Moore’s commitment, the Aggies are one step closer to creating a team that can make a deep run in the postseason for years to come.

https://twitter.com/Bree18Moore2026/status/1836848051874304511

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‘College GameDay’ team takes batting practice with Oklahoma Softball

Oklahoma Softball welcomed “College GameDay” to Loves’ Field before Saturday morning’s show.

The Oklahoma Sooners will host the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday night in Norman. OU’s first conference game as a member of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] is one of the biggest games of the 2024 college football season.

It’s such a big game that ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be doing their live show on campus in Norman on Saturday morning before that night’s primetime affair between the Sooners and Volunteers.

A few members of the “GameDay” team took a visit to Oklahoma’s softball team on Friday before the big day on Saturday. The Sooners are coming off of a four-peat of national championships, and are one of the best softball programs ever, led by head coach [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag].

Gasso and the team welcomed the ESPN personalities to Loves’ Field to take some practice swings. “College GameDay” took to social media to post video of the results.

https://twitter.com/collegegameday/status/1837265501988208811?s=46&t=c0IUXD99Gev3mDup6hgrLA

Of course, Pat McAfee, a former NFL punter, gets the recognition with a big-time hit over the wall. But the best part of this video, in my opinion, is the smooth swing by former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

Saturday will mark the first time “GameDay” has been in Norman since 2020 when the Sooners hosted Oklahoma State. Since that game occurred during the COVID-19 season, this week will be the first appearance with fans in attendance since 2012, when Oklahoma hosted Notre Dame.

McAfee interviewed Patty Gasso during his show Friday live from Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and they plan to feature OU Softball during the three hour pregame show Saturday morning.

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