Why Kasidi Pickering's Walk on Friday Could be Huge for Oklahoma Moving Forward

NORMAN — In the midst of a busy Friday night, a quick moment in the fifth inning could prove to be massive for a key piece to Oklahoma’s lineup.

With the Sooners up 8-1 on Georgia, OU coach Patty Gasso looked to her bench.

She called upon junior Kasidi Pickering to pinch hit for Ailana Agbayani.

Pickering had been given the previous two games off, as she’s in the midst of a slump, and she started Friday’s contest out of the lineup.

The carousel was spinning in the fifth; Oklahoma had already scored four runs, but Pickering stayed disciplined at the plate and drew a walk on four pitches, which ignited the crowd at Love’s Field.

“She got a rousing round of applause, which I appreciate the fans doing that for Pickering,” Gasso said after the win. “She has kind of struggled at the plate. She has kind of reset herself, and I can tell you that walk was probably better than getting any kind of hit for her.”

Pickering’s batting average has dropped 55 points, from .455 to .400, in the 10 games played in April. She’s 5-for-27 in April with six RBIs, eight strikeouts and four walks.

Her talent is undeniable. She hit 12 homers as a freshman, 18 home runs last year as a sophomore and already has 16 long balls in 2026. She’s never finished a season with fewer than 51 RBIs, and despite the slump, her .400 batting average would be a career-high.

But Gasso felt she needed a day or two out of the lineup to reset so she could get back to her best by the time the postseason rolls around.

“I think sometimes there are players like Pick — she was just a phenomenal freshman, phenomenal sophomore, ‘What else can I do to be better than what I’ve done?’ Maybe there’s some pressing and softball doesn’t become as fun anymore, because it’s pressing and you go home and you think about it,” Gasso said on Tuesday.

“‘What do I need to do?’ and ‘How do I need to be different?’ It just means she cares about it a lot so it’s just giving her a breather and take pressure off herself and just get her to a place where she’s hungry to want to get after it again.”

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After Friday’s walk down to first base, Gasso pinch ran for Pickering and she was mobbed by her teammates on the top step of the dugout.

Her return to the lineup after a brief absence adds more power to an already record-setting offense, and it gives the Sooners key experience as they hunt down another SEC title and work to get back to the top at the Women’s College World Series.

“I think that was one huge moment in the game that a lot of people maybe didn’t even look twice at,” Gasso said. “But the applause for her was big and to see her get to first base was just another victory for us and for her. So I was really pleased with that.”

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