Isabela Emerling on Pace for Career Year Despite Evolving Role at Oklahoma

NORMAN — Isabela Emerling was inches away from her second three-homer game of the season on Tuesday night.

After clubbing a pair of long balls in OU’s 10-run fourth inning against North Texas, the senior hammered a ball over the foul pole.

Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso appealed to get the call on the field of a foul ball overturned to a homer, but the umpires in Denton rebuffed her efforts.

Emerling settled for a double, which was the final act in her 3-for-3, five-RBI performance against the Mean Green.

Through 22 games in 2026, Emerling has made 19 appearances, including 13 starts, for the Sooners.

She’s hitting .489 with nine home runs, three doubles, 25 RBIs and a team-leading 1.703 OPS.

Oklahoma catcher, Isabela Emerling — Oklahoma catcher Isabela Emerling is on pace to set career-highs in virtually every major offensive category in 2026. | John Hoover / Sooners on SI

Those numbers represent massive jumps from her 2025 season.

After transferring from North Carolina, Emerling hit .212 in 58 games with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs. The Sooners added freshman Kendall Wells, who has hit 16 home runs so far, to compete at catcher — something that actually could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

“I think Kendall coming here is one of the hardest things maybe she’s had to deal with,” Gasso said, “but one of the best things, because you have to, anytime you have somebody standing next to you, you gotta raise your game, and she has raised her game.”

Emerling continued to work at catcher throughout the offseason, but she also volunteered to split time at first base in an effort to help the Sooners in any way she could.

“She has raised her hand and said, ‘I want to help lead.’ She’s got a great voice,” Gasso said. “You can hear her voice. If she’s in the dugout, you can hear her voice. If she’s on the field, you can hear her voice. She’s probably the most heard voice of all the players.”

Oklahoma Sooners, Isabela Emerling — Isabela Emerling takes a moment to compose herself before facing a pitch for the Sooners at the WCWS. | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

Emerling is just one of a handful of Sooners thriving in the midst of a fight for more playing time.

Sydney Barker has played all over the field already in 2026, and with Nelly McEnroe-Marinas initially out with shoulder soreness, she starred at third last weekend.

On Sunday, McEnroe-Marinas returned to the lineup, but she sustained another injury after a collision with Wells, which required her to leave the game in the middle of the third inning.

Barker came off the bench and hit a homer in the bottom of the third, and she dedicated the instant offense to McEnroe-Marinas.

"It's important for every single person that's in our dugout to stay ready, no matter what,” Barker said on Sunday. “You really never know what's going to happen. Nelly, the unfortunate event, the hit was for her. It was for our team, but it was mostly for her.

“… Knowing that I had to come in for her, and just be prepared and stay ready all the time. It's just mandatory for every single person."

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Barker herself has hit five homers and driven in 14 RBIs this year across 21 appearances, and she has a 1.192 OPS.

Others up and down the roster — Lexi McDaniel, Tia Milloy and Chaney Helton, to name a few — have also had to make the most of whatever chance they get, which has resulted in production from virtually every member of the lineup.

Emerling’s response has been exactly what Gasso wants to see from every player of her program.

“She has also raised her game at first base,” Gasso said. “… I think Kendall here has, she may not admit it, but I think it’s one of the best pushes she’s had in her career.”