OU Softball: Oklahoma SS Gabbie Garcia Lands Another SEC Honor

The Sooners' fabulous freshman shortstop has now earned her second such honor this season and third overall among her SEC peers.

Oklahoma shortstop Gabbie Garcia | John Hoover / Sooners on SI

By OU Media Relations

NORMAN — After hitting .800 (8-for-10) during No. 2 Oklahoma's perfect week, freshman Gabbie Garcia was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, as announced by the conference office Tuesday.

It's the second such honor for Garcia this season after she was first tabbed SEC Freshman of the Week on March 11. It's her third SEC honor of the year after being recognized as SEC Player of the Week March 18.

Garcia started the week off by tying an OU single -game record with three doubles in three at-bats in a 13-2 win at UT Arlington on April 1. It was just the ninth time in program history that a Sooner doubled three times in a game.

She followed up with another three-hit game, going 3-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and a double in a 12-4 win against St. Thomas April 3. The infielder posted her third consecutive multi-hit game by going 2-for-4 with a run in a 6-0 win against UCF the next day.

The Chandler, AZ, native is hitting .420 with 36 runs, eight doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 34 RBIs in 37 games. She's converted 96 of 99 chances in the field at shortstop.

Garcia and the Sooners take on No. 18/17 Oklahoma State (23-11) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Published Apr 8, 2025

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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