Fresh Faces: How Gabbie Garcia's 'Natural' Abilities Led Her to Oklahoma

Leading into the 2025 softball season, Sooners on SI is profiling Patty Gasso’s nine talented freshmen who are set to help OU in the program’s first trek through the Southeastern Conference.

NORMAN — Growing up, Gabbie Garcia knew she always wanted to play softball.

Her mom, Kara Brun-Garcia, starred at Arizona State and is a member of the Arizona Softball Foundation Hall of Fame.

She also knew exactly how much work it would be for her daughter to play at the level she dreamed of reaching.

“My mom is honestly the person that I look up to the most when it comes to softball,” Gabbie Garcia said in November. “It’s crazy being young. She asked me at a young age what I want from the game and I said ‘Well, I want to be one of the best players, right?’ And from there, she’s like ‘OK, do you understand what it takes?’ I was eight, nine years old and I had not idea. She goes, ‘It’s going to take a lot of work. From there, we set our eyes on a goal and just working as hard as we can.”

So Garcia set out, honing her craft as an infielder and an offensive weapon, though it wasn’t always smooth sailing.

“I remember there were many nights of fighting,” Garcia said, “but eventually you get to that age where we ended up, instead of butting heads, working together. From there, I was able to put my head down and continue to work and continue to grind.”

By high school, it was clear just how good Garcia would be.

She finished her high school career with a .496 batting average, a .546 on-base percentage, 122 hits and 70 RBIs. Garcia also played travel ball with the Orange County Batbusters, which predictably led to something so many other Batbusters have experienced — a visit from Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso.

“The first conversation with Coach Gasso, I was super intimidated, I’ll be honest,” Garcia said. “I was like ‘Oh my gosh, this is Coach Gasso.’ I got to say the right thing, I got to act the right way, right?

“And then honestly, getting here, learning that she has that mother figure over the team and wants us to become like … She sees us as her children. She wants us to become great young women and seeing her sense of humor and seeing her motivation for us and seeing how she won’t let us stoop under her expectations and holds us accountable. It’s incredible. It’s awesome.”

For Gasso, the pursuit of Garcia was a no-brainer.

"Gabbie knows the game and is engaged on every single pitch. She's constantly talking with her teammates and her pitcher. I love her athleticism on the field and her knowledge of the game,” Gasso said when Garcia signed with the Sooners. “… You can see Gabbie's natural athleticism and feel for the game coming from her parents.

“I’ve seen her hit it over the fence, I've seen her drop down a bunt and I've seen her be very clutch at the plate. She enjoys those big moments.”

Read More About Oklahoma Softball's 2025 Freshmen:

Garcia’s not just outstanding on the diamond, however.

In high school she also discovered that she has another talent.

“I started throwing the javelin in my freshman year of high school,” Garcia said. “My weight coach at the time for softball was the javelin coach. We were lifting on an off day and he asked if I wanted to throw the javelin. I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s a big, long spear. Who wouldn’t want to throw the javelin?’ So I picked it up and threw it.”

It wasn’t just some half-hearted toss, either.

“I didn’t hit myself in the back of the head, which is an accomplishment itself,” Garcia said. “He was like, ‘Wow, you’re actually not bad. You should try it.’ And so the season rolls around and, at the time, I was managing both javelin and softball.

“By the end of the season, I was actually throwing, really unexpected, really big numbers. And then, from there, I just kind of continued on. It was kind of fun for growth.”

Garcia broke school and state records as a sophomore, and she placed fourth in the 2022 NSAF High School Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, OR.

“She could have a future as an Olympic candidate in the javelin,” said Gasso, “and is extremely disciplined in balancing her time between academics, softball and track and field. She's very mature for her age in her ability to take care of what she needs to in order to be successful."

But in the fall, Garcia was happy to get to work at Love’s Field.

She’s another member of Gasso’s talented freshman class who will be battling for the three open spots in OU’s infield.

Oklahoma's Gabbie Garcia hits a double during the Oklahoma Battle Series at Love's Field. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Throughout the fall slate, her excellent abilities in the field were on display as well as her talents at the plate, but she was just happy to soak in all of the coaching from both Gasso’s and from Oklahoma graduate assistant Tiare Jennings.

“She was a leader coming off and now coming into that role of being a coach here,” Garcia said. “I know personally for me, I see her as a big sister, right? Someone I can go to when I’m kind of confused or when things start moving a little fast or when Coach says one thing and you’re like, ‘What does that mean?’ And I know I can go to her and she’ll explain to me and break it down.

“It’s phenomenal. She’s a great person. I know she used to play for my old club team, so I used to see her a little bit here and there and still to come here and continue to learn from her, it’s just awesome.”

The battles for spots in the infield will likely rage all throughout the Sooners’ non-conference slate, and while she’s excited to compete, Garcia has loved getting to know her teammates since arriving on campus and building into the 2025 season.

“It’s been great,” she said. “The team is amazing, making sure that we’re just getting involved as freshmen and making sure that we feel at home. It’s a very fun, family environment.”