IT’S A BIG DEAL
Story and photos by Marise Boehs
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a 3 part series about softball and what it means to our Metro area and the state of Oklahoma. To better understand the significance of where the sport is, we need to go back a few decades.
In 1976, Marita Hynes, an athlete at University of Central Oklahoma turned Putnam City High School coach, became OU’s softball and field hockey coach. She left the post to take over as OU’s coordinator of promotions in 1984. She was then promoted to OU’s associate athletic director, where she pushed for more recognition of women’s athletics and campaigned for the WCWS to be held in Oklahoma City.
In 1995, she hired Patty Gasso from Long Beach State in California to be the head softball coach for the Oklahoma Sooners.
That first year the OU Softball team went 43-23 and made the NCAA Regional Tournament. Five years later they were WCWS Champions (2000). Since then they have been to the WCWS sixteen times and won it all 7 more times for a total of 8 National Championships becoming the first team in college softball history to four-peat – 2021-2024. (A core group of players have 4 Championship rings, having won each year from freshman to senior.)
That’s a little of the history. Today, the OU softball team is again ranked #1 in the nation AND Patty Gasso is going to coach the USA Olympic Team.
Saying softball is a big deal in Oklahoma might be a small understatement.
Next month we will look at high school softball. The 2025 OU team has two outstanding Oklahoma freshman.
Chaney Helton, from Coweta, is a left-handed-hitter and outfielder who was named to the Oklahoma All-State First Team as a senior and was back-to-back Class 5A-3 Player of the Year. She led Coweta to four consecutive regional championships, and Oklahoma Class 5A State Championship in 2020.
Kadey Lee McKay is from Caddo. She is a left-handed-hitting infielder who led Caddo fall fastpitch to three straight state championships. She is also an accomplished basketball player who earned three all-conference honors while guiding Caddo to three state tournament appearances including a finals berth as a junior. Kady is also National Honor Society member.
These freshmen are accustomed to winning! With a #1 ranking and an exciting lineup, this should be another exciting season for OU softball!
OKLAHOMAN’S
WIN BIG AT OU
While the OU softball teams have often relied heavily on California talent, there have always been Oklahoma women who excelled on the teams.
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