ATHENS, Ga. — Oklahoma and Texas A&M were named co-champions of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) softball tournament after rain led to the cancellation of the final game on Saturday. The championship bout was originally set to start four hours earlier, anticipating the forecasted rain, but the weather arrived sooner than expected, preventing the game from taking place.
The top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners, boasting a 45-7 record, clinched the SEC regular-season title with a 17-7 scorecard in their inaugural season within the conference. Meanwhile, the second-seeded Texas A&M Aggies, holding a 45-9 record, aimed to secure their first conference championship since their departure from the Big 12 in 2012, finishing with a 16-7 record.
Oklahoma’s softball dynasty has flourished, especially under head coach Patty Gasso, who took charge in 1995. Under her leadership, the Sooners have won six of their eight national championships since 2016. They have also been runners-up twice, in 2012 and 2019, and have made it to the Women’s College World Series an impressive 17 times out of 30 appearances. Additionally, the team has collected nine Big 12 Tournament wins and 16 regular-season titles.
Conversely, the Texas A&M Aggies boast a strong history as well. They secured NCAA championships in 1983 and 1987 and were runners-up in 1984, 1986, and 2008. The Aggies have reached the Women’s College World Series during eight of their 34 NCAA Tournament endeavors.
In an intense semifinal matchup, the Sooners found themselves trailing against Arkansas with a score of 6-1 but managed an impressive comeback to win 8-6 after smashing a tournament-record six home runs. Sydney Barker accounted for two of these homers, while Gabbie Garcia sealed the victory with a walk-off three-run homer. It was the largest comeback win in tournament history and marked the 17th time this season that Oklahoma came from behind to triumph.
Texas A&M, under the guidance of head coach Trisha Ford in her third season, decisively defeated first-year SEC member and former Big 12 rival Texas with a commanding 14-2 victory in the other semifinal matchup.