There’s a difference between having a great recruiting class and dominating a recruiting class and the latter is what Patty Gasso and her Oklahoma Sooner program is doing this year.
After picking up verbals commits from 2025 Extra Elite 100 Top 10-rated players in infielder Lexi McDaniel, catcher/third baseman Kendall Wells, pitcher Sophia Bordi and infielder Alyssa Parker, the three-time defending Women’s College World Series champions aren’t just recruiting… they’re reloading.
outfielder from Southern California committed to OU after taking her official visit to Norman. She told Extra Inning Softball Sunday evening: “I went on a visit the previous weekend and gave my verbal commitment to Coach Gasso a couple days after I got home from my visit.” How important is the pickup of the standout centerfield who attends Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) High? It’s hard to compare players, certainly, but don’t be surprised if Kai is the next Jayda Coleman, the OU outfielder who is a three-time 1st Team All-American who has won a trio of National Championships and was the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2023. We’ll get to stats in a second, but keep in mind that the high school junior plays for one of the top 18U club teams in the country, the OC Batbusters led by Mike Stith which has won the last two Alliance National Championships. Here’s what Coach Stith had to say about his prized player: “Kai is a young athlete that is searching out all she can do to be better,” the esteemed club coach says. “‘Learn more, see more’ are motivating factors for her as she wants to be a professional and certainly has the drive to do that. Our sport is changing with more technology and more opportunities available and I think Kai will be in front of those new opportunities as she matures and grows. Oklahoma is a great fit for her and the path and the goals she has in sight and it should be interesting to watch her develop and grow over time.” Now, let’s talk numbers: For the summer of 2023, Kai batted .426 with a .511 on-base percentage and had eight home runs on 63 hits in 148 official at-bats with 36 RBIs, 14 steals and a whopping 25 walks showing how much the opposing pitchers and managers respected her skills at the plate. Her hits and runs led the championship Batbuster team and, when it counted the most, the speedy lefty hitter elevated her game impressively. In the Alliance 18U National Championships Series, Kai batted a stellar .519 with a .576 on-base percentage and an OPS of 1.409 with two home runs including a three-run smash that helped the Batbusters take home the title:
In that series against a strong Aces Fastpitch squad, Kai also drove in 11 runs and walked five times. Kai says winning that travel ball championship was, understandably, a memory she’ll never forget. “The highlight of my club career is hitting that three-run homerun in the second and final game of the 18U Alliance Championship Series to help secure the title,” she reflects. “The second title was extra special as our goal was to go back-to-back and it seemed like we got everyone’s A-game when they played us. This was an extremely emotional series for me as I was close to many of the (Batbusters) seniors that graduated. It was a passing of the torch as now I am one of the leaders on the team.” Another highlight was Kai’s hitting a walk-off hit for her Orange Lutheran team against Villa Park Hark High in last year’s CIF playoffs. Villa Park was one of the favorites to win the CIF and the two powerhouses battled through 10 innings before Kai ended the game with what was essentially the equivalent of a walk-off home run as she tripled and then scored the winning run on an errant throw.
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