Oklahoma is Living in the Moment in the Midst of Home Run Chase

NORMAN — Attention follows greatness, and Oklahoma is no stranger to the spotlight.

The Sooners set records throughout their weekend sweep of Georgia, as freshman Kendall Wells set the program’s single-season home run record and the NCAA single-season team home run record in the same swing.

A brief fireworks show commemorated the accomplishments, and while there will be time to celebrate those records at some point, OU coach Patty Gasso is focused on one thing.

“We’re trying to win championships and put another trophy up on that wall, and that’s what we’re fighting for,” Gasso said on Friday.

Wells is one home run away from tying the NCAA single-season record, but both Wells and the Sooners will have to wait for the season to end to know the records are truly safe.

UCLA is hot on Oklahoma’s heels.

The Bruins have belted 163 home runs themselves, and Megan Grant has 34 long balls, just two behind Wells.

The ongoing home run chase is partly why Gasso is happy to look back on those historical marks in July, because getting caught up on that now will only serve as a distraction for what the Sooners hope to achieve in June.

“You're witnessing greatness right now,” Gasso said. “I don't say this to the team, we don't really celebrate it. We've got to stay humble, we've got to stay hard-working.”

Wells has been able to block out the outside noise to this point in the season, but she did admit that staying insulated from the excitement has been a different task as she has neared the all-time record.

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“I think it’s gotten maybe a little difficult. But I try to keep it super simple,” Wells said. “Like coach says, we don’t talk about it a lot. We like to keep things simple. My process is to hit strikes. We don’t talk about home runs, but it’s nice to get them. We’re just trying to get a hard hit and put the bat on the ball.”

Oklahoma’s sweep over Georgia kept the Sooners atop the SEC regular season standings with a tough series in College Station still to come.

The lineup has held up nicely all year, despite having a chunk of contributors still in their first or second year in college, which excites Gasso for what is to come in 2027 and beyond.

“It's an amazing accomplishment,” she said. “The fact that this team, which is still very young, is doing this now is something we'll always remember."

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