Tag: Kierston Deal

Sooners add former Louisiana pitcher Sam Landry via transfer portal

Patty Gasso continues to add to the Oklahoma Sooners roster in the transfer portal.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team added their newest member via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] on Saturday. The second pitcher to join the team this offseason is officially in the boat.

[autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] and the four-time defending champions got a commitment from former Louisiana pitcher Sam Landry. The three-time all-[autotag]Sun Belt[/autotag] honoree announced her decision on social media.

In her career, she’s posted a 2.12 ERA with 63 wins and 460 strikeouts in 460 innings pitched. She entered the transfer portal on June 27.

Landry was an All-Sun Belt first-team selection, Sun Belt Championship All-tournament honoree, and an All-Louisiana first-team selection. She finished top 10 in victories last season with a career-best 24 wins. She led the Ragin’ Cajun pitching staff with 165 strikeouts, and held her opponents to a .219 batting average over 46 appearances and 28 starts.

Landry and fellow transfer [autotag]Isabella Smith[/autotag] will arrive to help the Sooners pitching staff, which includes [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag], [autotag]Patyn Monticelli[/autotag] and freshman [autotag]Audrey Lowry[/autotag]. Deal is the most experienced returner the Sooners have on the roster. The Sooners are still awaiting the decision of Player of the Year NiJaree Canady.

Landry is the fifth player Gasso, and the staff has acquired via the portal since winning the national championship last month.

More: Oklahoma Sooners Softball Transfer Portal Tracker

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Former Campbell pitcher Isabella Smith commits to Oklahoma Sooners

Transfer pitcher Isabella Smith commits to the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have picked up their fourth transfer addition of the offseason, earning a commitment from Isabella Smith from Campbell.

Smith was 26-7 with a 2.01 ERA in 2024. She pitched 206 innings, struck out 238 batters and allowed an opponent’s batting average of .181. She started 30 games and appeared in 42 of Campbell’s 59 games this season.

She had six games with double-digit strikeouts, including 15- and 14-strikeout performances in a span of three days in April.

In her career, Smith is 70-28, logged 593.1 innings, allowed an opponent’s batting average of .193 and a WHIP of 0.97.

 

Smith joins an Oklahoma pitching staff that includes [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag], [autotag]Paytn Monticelli[/autotag], and incoming freshman [autotag]Audrey Lowry[/autotag].

The Sooners are still hoping to make a splash in their pursuit of Stanford star and National Player of the Year [autotag]NiJaree Canady[/autotag], but Smith gives them a talented and experienced arm that can throw a bunch of innings for the Sooners.

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Oklahoma Sooners power past Duke 9-1 in Women’s College World Series opener

A trio of two-run homers from Kinzie Hansen, Alynah Torres, and Cydney Sanders paced the Sooners in their 9-1 run-rule win over the Duke Blue Devils to open the Women’s College World Series.

The Duke Blue Devils came into their opening game of the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag] against the Oklahoma Sooners as the No. 3 team in RPI. And the Oklahoma Sooners made quick work of the ACC Champions, earning a 9-1 run-rule win.

Duke actually struck first with a lead-off home run in the second inning from Francesca Frelick to put the Blue Devils up 1-0. The Sooners threatened in the bottom of the second, but even with runners at the corners and just one out, couldn’t push a run across the plate against starter Cassidy Curd.

But in the third inning, the Sooners got a pair of two-run home runs from [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] to take a 4-1 lead. It was Hansen’s sixth WCWS home run of her career, moving her into third all-time. It was the first Women’s College World Series home run of Torres career.

 

In the bottom of the fourth, the Sooners really pulled away when Cydney Sanders hit a two-run home run to drive in Rylie Boone to go ahead 6-1. Hansen picked up her third RBI of the day when she drove in Maya Bland for a 7-1 lead. The home run was Sanders’ 14th of the season and her first since April 16 against Tulsa.

Oklahoma went down in order in the bottom of the fifth but earned the run-rule win in the sixth with an offensive barrage.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] led off the inning with a double, and Tiare Jennings singled and advanced to second. With runners on second and third with nobody out, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] and Riley Ludlam popped out, bringing up [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], who put her stamp on the game with a two-run walk-off single to end the game.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] had a solid outing to allow just one run but ran into trouble in the fourth when she walked two batters and hit a batter to load the bases. But [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] came in to end the bases loaded threat and allowed just two hits over her 2.1 innings pitched.

Maxwell went 3.2 innings pitched and allowed one run on one hit but walked four and struck out four to earn the win.

Coleman, Hansen, and Brito each had two hits in the game to lead the way for the Sooners, who had four extra-base hits in the win.

Among the eight teams in the Women’s College World Series field, Duke had the lowest ERA and opponent batting average. The Sooners knocked them around for 11 hits, three walks, and nine runs. It’s the eighth time in their 10-game winning streak that the pitching staff has allowed two runs or fewer and the seventh time Oklahoma has scored six or more runs.

The Sooners now move on to a Saturday matchup with No. 6 seed UCLA.

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Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 13-2 win over the BYU Cougars

A look back at the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 13-2 win over the BYU Cougars in the Big 12 Tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners are rolling now. They jumped out in front of BYU in their semifinal matchup and never looked back. But unlike Thursday’s win over Kansas when half of their hits went for extra bases, only two of the Sooners’ 13 hits against BYU were of the extra base variety.

They’re rediscovering the small-ball element of their game at the perfect time. A number of players in the lineup are stepping up, including their phenomenal freshmen.

[autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] and [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] are proving ready to perform on the big stage. In the win over BYU, the two combined to go 5-for-6 with six RBIs.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] was lights out for 4.2 innings, allowing zero hits before a bloop single followed by a two-run home run took the no-hitter and shutout away. Deal rebounded and recorded the final out to set up a Red River Showdown Saturday night.

With a big-time matchup against the Texas Longhorns on tap for Saturday evening in Oklahoma City, the Sooners are putting things together heading into the Big 12 championship game.

More: How to watch Oklahoma vs. Texas in the Big 12 championship.

Best Photos from Oklahoma’s win over BYU

Oklahoma Sooners advance to Big 12 title game with 13-2 win over BYU Cougars

Kierston Deal was magnificent and freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering led the way in Oklahoma’s 13-2 win over the BYU Cougars.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] no-hit the BYU Cougars for 4.2 innings, and the Oklahoma Sooners offense struck early and often once again to beat the Cougars 13-2 and advance to the Big 12 title game.

It was the freshmen that came through in the first. [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] got the scoring going in the bottom of the first with a solo home run. The Sooners kept the scoring going when [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] drove in [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] to put OU up 3-0 after one.

With Deal rolling, the Sooners tacked on two more runs in the third, taking advantage of a throwing error that allowed Brito to reach second. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] drove her in with a hard single through the right side to make it 4-0. After Hansen stole second on a hit-and-run attempt, Pickering picked up her third RBI of the game on a single through the right side, and Oklahoma extended their lead to 5-0.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Sooners put together a hit parade. [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] walked, and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached on a bunt single. Parker drove in Hodge to make it 6-0. Jennings walked to load the bases for Brito, who came through with a two-run single. Hansen earned her second hit of the day to drive in Jennings and make it 9-0. Pinch hitting for Pickering, Hannah Coor singled up the middle to bring in Brito and make the score 10-0.

With one out in the inning, [autotag]Maya Bland[/autotag] walked and Hodge drove in a pinch running Riley Ludlam on a sacrifice fly. With two outs in the inning, Coleman reached again on another BYU error, which scored another Sooners run and Parker picked up her third hit of the day on a rocket to left center field.

Freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering combined to go 5-for-6 with six RBIs. Alyssa Brito also had a three-hit game with a pair of RBIs.

Deal’s no-hit bid was ended in the top of the fifth after ESPN made an extended point to show that there were no hits on the scoreboard. The no-hitter was broken up on a bloop single to right field and the shutout came to an end on a two-run home run from Hailey Morrow. But it was a fantastic performance from Deal, who held the Big 12’s third-best scoring offense hitless for 4.2 innings. It was another tremendous start from the sophomore over the last couple of months.

Now, the Sooners await the winner of the other semifinal between the Texas Longhorns and the Baylor Bears.

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Oklahoma’s Kierston Deal wins second straight Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

Kierston Deal has been thriving in the circle of late and after a great weekend in Orlando earned her second straight Big 12 Pitcher of the Week award.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] has been on a roll in recent weeks helping solidify Oklahoma’s pitching staff with a one-two punch following ace Kelly Maxwell. For the second consecutive week, Deal earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.

In 7.2 innings pitched, Deal allowed just one run across two appearances. She was lights out in a Saturday start against UCF, going seven innings, and allowing two hits, a walk, and an unearned run in the seventh inning. She also struck out four Knights to get the win. She threw 0.2 innings in the sweep clinching win on Sunday, allowing two hits, a run, and striking out one.

She hasn’t allowed an earned run in her last four starts and been as good as any pitcher in the Big 12 over the last few weeks.

The back-to-back pitcher of the week awards is the first for the Oklahoma Sooners since Giselle Juarez won the award four straight weeks in 2019, according to SoonerSports.com.

Deal’s ERA is sitting at 1.00 on the season and she’s 11-1 on the season. She’s thrown five complete games and four shutouts.

The Sooners will need Deal to keep up her incredible run as they get set to host the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in what could be the final Bedlam series for the foreseeable future this weekend in Norman.

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Oklahoma’s Kierston Deal named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

After a sensational week, Oklahoma’s Kierston Deal was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

Kierston Deal had a fantastic week in the circle for the Oklahoma Sooners. She threw a no-hitter last Tuesday in a midweek matchup vs. Tulsa. Deal followed up that performance with a seven-inning shutout of the Houston Cougars on Sunday where she recorded 10 strikeouts in the win.

After her incredible week, Deal was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. It’s the first Big 12 weekly honor of Deal’s career and the third Pitcher of the Week selection this season.

She’s now 10-1 on the season and leads the Sooners with a 1.01 ERA through 55.1 innings and 12 starts. Deal’s become an integral part of the Sooners pitching staff, developing into a great option for the Sooners in three games series.

Deal has allowed just two runs over her last seven outings, spanning 23.1 innings.

As the Sooners get set for their final two weekends of the regular season, it’s all about preparing for the postseason. Deal is proving she’ll be a valuable piece to the Sooners staff as Oklahoma hopes to contend for their fourth straight national title.

Oklahoma Sooners’ pitching the lone bright spot over the weekend

While there isn’t a lot of positives to take away from the weekend, you can take away just how great the pitching was from the Sooners.

When you lose your first conference series in over a decade, there aren’t a lot of positives for fans to take away. Especially with how you lost the series.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ offense managed to score just seven runs in the three games, but there is one bright spot from the weekend. The pitching and defense were really good against one of the best offenses in the country.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag], [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] and [autotag]Paytn Monticelli[/autotag] held one of the best offenses in the country to just six runs in three games. Maxwell was dominant in Game 1 and got the start again in Game 3 and threw really well.

Patty Gasso spoke about her thought process giving Maxwell two starts in the series. “Another level,” Gasso said. “This is the best I’ve seen her. (She is) confident, cool, calm, execution, getting ahead. I liked it so much the first night, I wanted to see it again. She handled herself really well. I’m telling you, their offense and our offense, it’s almost side by side, identical. So, for us to shut them down to two runs, that’s a big deal.”

Holding them to two runs per game for the series would normally end in a series sweep for the Sooners. But Texas shutting Oklahoma’s lineup down to one run in the final two games of the series was the difference.

“I knew that today (Sunday) was going to be tough,” Kelly Maxwell said. “Credit Texas’ offense for picking up on my mistakes. I think there is just more opportunity to learn and grow from this weekend.”

The Sooners will have a day to regroup before traveling to face Wichita State on Tuesday.

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No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 19/22 Baylor one of D1Softball’s must-watch series of the week

This week’s top 25 matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and the No. 19/22 Baylor Bears among D1Softball’s top matchups of the week.

The Oklahoma Sooners are on a tear to open Big 12 play.

Through two series, they’re 6-0 and are outscoring their opponents 69-6. Oklahoma’s recorded 33 extra base hits in conference play, 12 more than the Texas Longhorns. The Sooners offense also leads the way in walks.

Now Oklahoma prepares for the first of two consecutive top 25 showdowns in Big 12 play when they host the Baylor Bears this weekend. Friday’s game will be held at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, the site of the Women’s College World Series before moving back to Love’s Field for the final two games of the series.

Baylor is coming off of an upset sweep at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks. The Bears scored two runs in the opener, and that’s all they could muster the rest of the weekend.

With the Sooners leading the Big 12 in ERA, this may not be a great time to face Oklahoma and their deep pitching staff.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Oklahoma vs. Baylor comes in at No. 3 in D1Softball’s “What to watch” this week.

The Bears were the only team to beat the Sooners in 2023, winning a non-conference matchup before being swept in their conference series later in the year. Now, the teams meet again. OU has surged to open Big 12 play, dismantling Iowa State and Texas Tech, while Baylor has struggled, most recently being swept at the hands of Kansas last weekend. Kelly Maxwell has been excellent in the circle for the Sooners, while Baylor has had some injury issues that have limited their roster depth as a whole. The Bears are the first Big 12 opponent on the OU schedule with, at minimum, a proven history of *being capable* of beating the three-time-defending champions – but can they do it with this year’s team? Only time will tell. – Justin McCleod, D1Softball

After last year’s loss to Baylor in nonconference play, the Oklahoma Sooners responded by shutting out the Bears in a three-game sweep during conference play.

While the name on the jersey may read the same, these teams are different. Instead of [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] taking their turns in the rotation, the Sooners will send [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] to the circle with [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] to face their Big 12 foes.

Last year’s series with Baylor might have been the turning point for [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag]. Heading into that weekend in Waco, Sanders was hitting just .234 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. Against the Bears, she raised her average to .271 after going 4-for-6 with two home runs, four RBIs, and five walks. That sparked a second half of the season where Sanders recorded seven home runs and 15 RBIs, including the postseason, and finished with a .284 average. This year, Sanders is hitting .365 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs.

Baylor may have one of the few wins over the Sooners over the last couple of seasons, but this is a different Oklahoma team than the one they faced last year.

More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 19/22 Baylor

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Kierston Deal shines, Oklahoma Sooners beat Texas A&M Commerce 9-0 in five innings

Kierston Deal threw three innings of one-hit ball and the Oklahoma Sooners jumped out to a five-run first inning lead in their 9-0 win.

It didn’t take long for the Oklahoma Sooners to get going in their midweek showdown with Texas A&M Commerce. The Sooners jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 9-0 run rule win to improve to 19-1 on the season.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] got the start for the Oklahoma Sooners. She allowed a lead-off single and then retired the next nine batters she faced in her three innings of work. She got out of the first inning with two strikeouts to keep Texas A&M Commerce from adding to the lead-off single.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] led off the game with a walk, followed by a couple of flyouts from [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]. But the Sooners were masterful with two outs. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] drew a four-pitch walk and [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] continued her strong freshman campaign with a two-RBI double to put the Sooners up 2-0 in the first.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] was intentionally walked bringing up freshman Ella Parker, who lined an 0-1 pitch to right field for the three-run home run to put the Sooners up 5-0 after the first.

After a 1-2-3 second inning from Deal, [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] led off the bottom of the second with a double and moved to third on Boone’s bunt single. Brito had another hard-hit ball to center field to bring home Sanders on the sacrifice fly and the Sooners led 6-0.

Deal threw another flawless inning in the third, picking up her fifth strikeout of the game.

In the bottom of the third, Hansen led off with a single to center. With [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] in to pinch run for Hansen, Pickering added her second RBI double of the game. Coleman singled to center field to bring home Pickering for the 8-0 lead. After [autotag]Hannah Coor[/autotag] entered the game to pinch run for Jennings, [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] doubled to make it 9-0 in favor of the Sooners.

[autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] worked two scoreless innings of relief in the fourth and fifth to preserve the run-rule win. Over five innings of work, Deal and Monticelli combined to allow just two hits and one walk.

Deal is now 4-0 with a team-leading 0.97 ERA in 2024. Over her last four starts, Deal has now gone 19 innings without allowing a run. In that span she has a 0.63 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and has recorded 23 strikeouts.

Pickering was the only Sooner with multiple hits in the game. She now leads the Sooners with a .458 batting average. Boone, Hansen, and Coleman each had a walk and a hit in the win. Parker’s home run was her fourth of the season. Along with the four home runs, she now has 18 RBIs on the season, good for third on the team.

Oklahoma will open Big 12 play this weekend with a three game home slate against Iowa State. The Cyclones are currently 9-10 on the season ahead of their trip to Norman.

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