Softball Coaching Staff Named ATEC/NFCA Midwest Region Staff of the Year

NORMAN  — The Oklahoma Softball teaching workers was named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year as introduced June 5. The honor marks the 18th time in program historical past that the workers has been tabbed as regional teaching workers of the 12 months, all of which have come throughout head coach Patty Gasso‘s tenure with the Sooners. 

The Sooners went 52-10 in 2026, profitable their second consecutive SEC Regular Season Championship after going 20-4 in league play and taking all eight convention sequence. Oklahoma swept the Norman Regional and superior to its sixteenth consecutive tremendous regional, an energetic DI document. The Sooners tallied 50-plus wins for the tenth consecutive season and the nineteenth time underneath head coach Patty Gasso. Gasso would additionally turn out to be simply the third coach in NCAA historical past to surpass 1,600 profession wins.

For the seventh 12 months in a row a minimum of 4 Sooners had been tabbed as NFCA All-Americans, whereas Kendall Wells earned this system’s fifth NFCA Freshman of the Year honor and second Diamond Sports/NFCA Catcher of the Year award. Kai Minor was additionally named a top-three finalist for the NFCA Freshman of the Year honor, marking simply the third time within the award’s historical past that teammates completed as high three finalists. 

Oklahoma led the SEC in convention postseason honors with 10, highlighted by Wells’ SEC Freshman of the Year honor and 4 first staff alternatives. Wells, Minor, Gabbie Garcia and Ella Parker all earned SEC First Team recognition, with the quartet additionally taking dwelling NFCA All-American recognition. 

The Sooners led the nation in batting common (.384) and have become the quickest program to succeed in 100 dwelling runs in a season en path to a program document 187 roundtrippers. OU additionally grew to become the one staff within the nation with 5 gamers over 20 dwelling runs. 

NFCA Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year

Central – Arkansas

East – Duke 

Great Lakes – Indiana

Gulf – UCF

Mid-Atlantic – Tennessee

Midwest – Oklahoma

Mountain – Nebraska

Northeast – Boston University

South – Alabama

West – UCLA