What Are Oklahoma's Options at Third Base Without Nelly McEnroe-Marinas?

Oklahoma’s worst fears were confirmed on Friday evening.

Third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas will miss the rest of the 2026 season with a torn ACL.

The redshirt sophomore sustained the injury last Sunday in the Sooners’ victory over Southeastern Louisiana at Love’s Field. Both McEnroe-Marinas and catcher Kendall Wells collided as they charged toward a bunt that was popped up into foul territory.

McEnroe-Marinas has been a mainstay at third base since Alyssa Brito graduated.

She started all 61 games at third last year for the Sooners, and she was named to the All-SEC First Team.

McEnroe-Marinas had played in 19 of OU’s 22 games so far in 2026, making 16 starts, before sustaining the knee injury.

With McEnroe-Marinas unavailable, Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso has a handful of options to try and fill the void at third.

Sydney Barker

Sophomore Sydney Barker is the logical choice to slide into the lineup at third.

She replaced McEnroe-Marinas after she went down on Sunday, where Barker immediately hit a home run, and Barker got the start at third on Tuesday in the Sooners’ victory over North Texas.

Though her Oklahoma career is still young, Barker has already played all over the field for Gasso.

Last year, she started the season in a battle with Gabbie Garcia for the starting spot at shortstop.

Garcia made the position her own, but Barker’s versatility still came in handy. She played at first base at times to give senior Cydney Sanders a rest, and when Sanders got the start, Barker also played in the outfield.

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“Sydney Barker is a player that should be able to go around the entire infield,” Gasso said last week, “and I can put her anywhere I want and in [the outfield]. She's very, very, very valuable to us.”

As a freshman, Barker hit .349 with eight home runs, a double and two triples. She drove in 32 runs, drew 11 walks and was hit three times while striking out on 11 occasions.

In 21 appearances this year, including 11 starts, Barker is hitting .370 and she already has five homers and two doubles.

If Gasso continues to tinker with her lineup, Barker could continue to get moved around, which would open the door for a few other players to get a look at third base if the matchup calls for it.

Lexi McDaniel

Lexi McDaniel is one of three freshmen who have already taken home SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

While Gasso was holding McEnroe-Marinas out of games to rest a shoulder injury, McDaniel got an opportunity to shine at third.

McDaniel is currently third on the team with a .538 batting average, and she has a 1.545 OPS in 19 appearances. McDaniel has launched five home runs, including a two-homer outing against Alabama State on Feb. 27, and she has 17 RBIs.

The St. Joseph, MO, product was rated as the No. 1 infielder in the 2025 recruiting class.

Allyssa Parker

If Gasso opts to deploy Barker elsewhere and wants a different look, she can also roll freshman Allyssa Parker out at third.

Parker has already played multiple positions for the Sooners in the first 22 games of her OU career.

“Allyssa Parker is very valuable as well,” Gasso said. “… She's a big hitter as well, so she's very valuable, and we're just trying to work out this situation of how to keep her ahead of the game.”

She has been deployed at first base, shortstop and in the outfield; she has pitched and Gasso has also used Parker’s bat as Oklahoma’s designated player.

Parker is tied for fourth on the team with eight home runs, and she has a .405 batting average with 20 RBIs. She’s also drawn 20 walks while only striking out six times.

The Sooners will play a doubleheader against Abilene Christian and Louisiana at Love’s Field on Saturday. The first contest against Abilene Christian is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.