Oklahoma Lands Highly Touted Softball Prospect from Class of 2027

Riley Hilliard is the No. 11 player in the Class of 2027, per Softball America, and she announced her commitment to the Sooners on Thursday.

Oklahoma commit Riley Hilliard | Riley Hilliard via Instagram

The Sooners landed a major softball prospect on Thursday.

Class of 2027 infielder Riley Hilliard announced her commitment to Oklahoma on Instagram.

Riley Hilliard's commitment to Oklahoma | Riley Hilliard via Instagram

In her announcement post, Hilliard expressed her gratitude to both God and the Oklahoma staff for recruiting her.

"God has given me this incredible opportunity and without him, I would’ve never been able to find my way," Hilliard said in her Instagram post. "Thank you Coach (Patty) Gasso, Coach JT (Gasso), Coach (Jennifer) Rocha and Coach (Falepolima) Steele for allowing me to live out my dream of being a Sooner. Let's go, Sooner Nation!"

Hilliard, from La Mirada, CA, is the No. 11 overall player and No. 2 catcher in the 2027 class, per Softball America. 

Hilliard is the second player from the Class of 2027 to commit to OU, following the pledge of catcher Juliana “Goose” Hutchens. 

Hutchens is from Wagoner, OK, and is ranked as the No. 2 player in the 2027 class by Softball America. As a sophomore last year, Hutchens logged 23 home runs and 45 RBIs with a .656 batting average. 

Oklahoma’s four-year national championship streak ended in 2025, as the Sooners fell to Texas Tech in the Women’s College World Series semifinals. Texas defeated Texas Tech in three games in the WCWS championship series.

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The Sooners will return 13 players from their 2025 squad in 2026.

In the infield, Sydney Barker, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, Ailana Agbayani and Gabbie Garcia all return to the team, as well as catcher Isabela Emerling. Outfielders Kasidi Pickering, Ella Parker, Abigale Dayton and Tia Milloy are all expected to be on the roster for 2026.

Returning pitchers for OU include Kierston Deal, Audrey Lowry and Sophia Bordi. The Sooners added two pitchers to their arsenal from the transfer portal, too, in former Ole Miss ace Miali Guachino and ex-LSU hurler Sydney Berzon.

Oklahoma also had the nation's best recruiting class for the 2026 cycle. That class featured infielder Lexi McDaniel, outfielder Kai Minor, pitchers Allyssa Parker and Berkley Zache and catcher Kendall Wells. 

The Sooners begin their fall season on Oct. 3 with their instraquad Battle Series at Love's Field. They will also play exhibition games against East Texas A&M and Oklahoma Christian during the fall.

OU's full regular-season schedule will be released at a later date, while the SEC has already unveiled the Sooners' 2026 conference slate.