Oklahoma Softball Pitching Coach Jennifer Rocha Reportedly Set to Return Against LSU

Oklahoma softball’s missing puzzle piece is set to return.

Associate head coach and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha is reportedly rejoining the team this week as the No. 5 Sooners brace for the SEC matchup against No. 20 LSU, News9 Sports Director and OU play-by-play voice Toby Rowland announced on social media on Thursday.

According to sources, @OU_Softball pitching coach Jen Rocha is set to rejoin the Sooners this weekend for their series at LSU. @NEWS9 pic.twitter.com/LMMokQsF7R
— Toby Rowland (@TRowOU) March 26, 2026

Rocha did not travel with the team during the Sooners’ season-opener in Arizona due to a health-related issue that required surgery, and has been away from the team since.

In the interim, head coach Patty Gasso has been working with Karlie Keeney, who spent last season alongside Rocha as the program’s student assistant pitching coach.

“(Keeney has) been a savior for us, really, and she really has a love for this program and Coach Rocha,” Gasso told members of the media on Wednesday.

“I think she has really improved on her pitch calling as we've gone along. She does a really good job of communicating with pitchers, asking them, 'What do you want here? What kind of combos are you looking for?' So she's gotten better, and I've gotten better. We've gotten better together as we've gone along,” Gasso added.

#Sooners softball head coach Patty Gasso discusses interim pitching coach Karlie Keeney’s improvement throughout the season. pic.twitter.com/a2uoZISKvn
— OU Daily Sports (@OUDailySports) March 26, 2026

The unprecedented news came as OU was expected to spend the third-straight year relying on a transfer ace in the circle to lead the way. After Oklahoma State transfer Kelly Maxwell led the Sooners to a historic fourth straight national title, Rocha was credited with completely transforming Louisiana transfer Sam Landry into a professional player in 2025.

With the help of Keeney, the 32-2 Sooners have a staff ERA of 2.71, and are led by the trio of sophomores Audrey Lowry and Milali Guachino and senior transfer Sydney Berzon.

Lowry is coming off of SEC Pitcher of the Week honors, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and eight strikeouts against Ole Miss. She is now 15-1 on the year, and is fourth in the country for total wins, and holds an ERA of 2.08 across 67.1 innings thrown.

Lowry locked in through one!

🔗» https://t.co/Th2U6csrhI pic.twitter.com/OFaIuc4bnn
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) March 15, 2026

Berzon saw her first SEC start of the season on Sunday and didn’t allow an earned run in 4.1 innings. She’s sitting with an ERA of 2.47 with 20 strikeouts across 34 innings thrown. The three-time NFCA All-Region First Team and All-SEC selection will now have the opportunity to face her former team, the LSU Tigers, beginning on March 27.

The Sooners head to Baton Rouge on a 21-game winning streak and are undefeated in conference play.