OU Softball Player Launches Podcast, Opens Up About Mental Health
One Oklahoma softball player is taking her first-hand experience with mental health struggles and turning it into an opportunity to help other athletes.
Right-handed pitcher Sophia Bordi announced on X on Monday that she is starting a podcast with two other collegiate athletes, Moo Galbus from Syracuse soccer and Sabrina McGroarty from Iowa field hockey. Titled Smogcast, the podcast aims to help athletes navigate their mental health journey while ensuring that no one is ever alone.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸
— Smogcast (@Smogcast_) July 5, 2025
ꜱᴏᴘʜɪᴀ ʙᴏʀᴅɪ - ᴏᴋʟᴀʜᴏᴍᴀ ꜱᴏꜰᴛʙᴀʟʟ
ᴍᴏᴏ ɢᴀʟʙᴜꜱ - ꜱʏʀᴀᴄᴜꜱᴇ ꜱᴏᴄᴄᴇʀ
ꜱᴀʙʀɪɴᴀ ᴍᴄɢʀᴏᴀʀᴛʏ - ɪᴏᴡᴀ ꜰɪᴇʟᴅ ʜᴏᴄᴋᴇʏ pic.twitter.com/5jRSeek6Bz
Bordi, a No. 5 high school pitcher in Softball America’s class of 2025 rankings, reclassified to join Oklahoma ahead of the 2025 season. However, she did not make a single appearance in her freshman season due to mental health issues. In a statement on social media in May, she cited her decision to leave the team to focus on her overall health back home in Merchantville, New Jersey, where she received support from her family.
"With all of the articles and rumors coming out," Bordi wrote on her X account. "I thought I would address this situation myself. First, I appreciate Coach Gasso for keeping my information private. I made the decision myself to step away from school and softball for the rest of the season because I needed to take time to work on my personal/mental health. This was something that I felt needed to be dealt with back home with my family's support, and also so I wasn't a distraction to the team in the middle of the season.”
— Sophia Bordi (@BordiSophia) May 13, 2025
While taking the 2025 to recover, Bordi has hinted at rejoining the Sooners for the 2026 season. In June, she alluded to doing much better mentally on social media and has posted several photos of herself in uniform.
Ahead of announcing Smogcast, she took to X to say that she is working harder than ever to be able to achieve the softball dreams she's been chasing since she was seven.
“It’s about the work I am about to put in to come back and prove not just everyone else, but also myself, wrong,” Bordi posted to X after announcing Smogcast. “Every day I wake up is a win. Every day I choose to get out of bed, I am beating the odds. If I am getting that far, why not continue to push myself to accomplish my dream. I will not let seven-year-old Sophia down just because she’s been challenged. She’s too close to her dreams to let them slip away.”
— Sophia Bordi (@BordiSophia) July 27, 2025
Head coach Patty Gasso even revealed on the Plank Show podcast that she does expect Bordi to return to the roster in 2026.
While Smogcast has no episodes yet, hearing Bordi, Galbus, and McGroarty’s experiences will help not just student-athletes but anyone struggling in their day-to-day lives.
Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.
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