Skip to main content
Oklahoma

OU softball freshmen with no choice but to grow up

Bob Przybyloby: Bob Przybylo02/14/25BPrzybylo
Tia Milloy
OU freshman Tia Milloy. (Bryan Terry - Imagn Images).

Think that realization has truly hit home for OU softball fans. It’s not just that the Sooners have so many new and fresh faces. But, well, they’re going to need them

If the initial weekend was any indication of what 2025 is going to be like, get ready for that baptism by fire for the freshmen.

It won’t all be bad, make no mistake about it. However, it won’t be like years past, obviously. Might be some hiccups along the road. But if they’re mentally tough enough to get through it all? OU softball will be better off in the end.

“It was so cool to just see them elevate their game and just seeing where they started when they first came with us to seeing them now,” sophomore Ella Parker told SoonerScoop. “I’m just really happy for them and really excited to see them perform even more with the next couple weeks with preseason but just really, really good.”

Sounds rather absurd that Parker is like the team spokesperson. She’s just a sophomore, literally a year removed from where this group is at now.

That’s life, though, and head coach Patty Gasso isn’t crying about it. This team has potential galore, gonna be about how quickly it is realized.

That could be Gabbie Garcia (home run, five RBIs) or Tia Milloy (two home runs, three RBIs) or Sydney Barker (home run, four RBIs) when you’re talking hitting.

In the circle? It’s all about Audrey Lowry.

“So proud of her,” senior pitcher Bella Smith said. “Audrey and I are really close and I know that she was just so excited for that moment, so ready for that moment and she killed it. Me being a fifth year, I feel like I’m kind of like her mom here. Proud kid moment. I couldn’t be happier for her. She worked so hard and just seeing her work shine through was great.”

Lowry went 2-0 in the 6-0 start last weekend. She has thrown 5.2 innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs with eight strikeouts and zero walks.

Four of the five pitchers on staff threw at least five frames. The mindset at the plate is the same in the circle – be ready.

Be ready and take advantage, like that monster bomb from Milloy over the weekend. Nothing like getting that initial home run monkey off the back.

“I think it’s definitely an exhale,” Parker said. “For me, I definitely took an exhale like, finally. I thought it was really cool they could do that on the first weekend out. Tia got two? I thought that was pretty impressive. Just really excited to see what they do from here.”

OU heads to Waco this weekend for the Getterman Classic. The Sooners will play Hofstra and Baylor on Saturday and Sunday. Hofstra, first, and then the host Bears. No. 24 Baylor marks the first ranked foe for OU this season.

The Sooners open up at Love’s Field next Thursday-Sunday.

You may also like