Oklahoma 'Excited' For SEC Challenge as Auburn Comes to Norman

NORMAN — It’s time for the Sooners to turn the page.

Patty Gasso’s team blasted its way through non-conference play, and while a few non-conference mid-week matchups are remaining, Oklahoma is ready to open SEC play with Auburn.

No. 6 OU enters the weekend 25-2 with the nation’s most powerful offense.

The Sooners are hitting .458 as a team and have blasted 108 home runs, and Oklahoma’s bats are ready to take on an SEC pitching staff.

How to Watch No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Auburn

Game 1: Friday at 6:30 p.m., SEC Network+
Game 2: Saturday at 2 p.m., SEC Network+
Game 3: Sunday at 12 p.m., SEC Network

Auburn (19-7, 2-1 SEC) fits the bill in name, though the Tigers’ pitchers have struggled.

Entering the weekend, Auburn ranks 101st in the country with a 3.96 staff ERA.

The Tigers are led in the circle by Rutgers transfer Ella Harrison.

The sophomore right-hander has started 13 games and has a 3.06 ERA. Opponents are hitting .226 off her, and she’s allowed just six home runs in 71 innings of work.

Auburn’s second option in the circle is a familiar face.

Former OU hurler SJ Geurin has started seven contests in 2026, and she’s posted a 3.68 ERA.

The Tigers are hitting .341 as a team, which ranks 33rd nationally, and Oklahoma’s pitching staff will have to successfully work around McKaela Walker and Ma’Nia Womack, who both have eight homers on the season.

Ella Parker, a veteran of campaigns through both the Big 12 and the SEC at OU, is pleased with the progress her team has made over the past few months.

“I’m so excited about this team,” Parker said after Wednesday’s victory over Tulsa. “I think just from the beginning of when we started here in the fall we just had a lot of good connection. And I think this team has a lot of fun and we have different personalities and we all bring that to the field. But I’m really excited to see us in SEC play.”

Oklahoma Sooners, Ella Parker — Oklahoma slugger Ella Parker hits a ball against Sam Houston. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The Sooners enter the weekend with a 2.75 ERA, which ranks 26th in the country, with Audrey Lowry and Miali Guachino poised to lead the way.

This weekend also marks the end of a three-week stretch where OU was able to set up shop at Love’s Field, save for one mid-week game at North Texas, before the Sooners hit the road again.

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

Parker believes her team is up for the challenge ahead of a long conference slate in the second phase of Oklahoma’s season.

“We know what we’re getting,” she said. “We know that in the SEC it’s going to be the best of the best competition every single weekend, so really excited to see what this team does.”