Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:50 p.m. to correctly identify Liberty’s mascot as the Flames.
Most athletes dream of playing well in front of their home crowd, and that’s exactly what Ella Parker did.
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The freshman utility player, who is a Los Angeles, California native, homered twice against Seattle (6-9) during the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, which was held just two hours from where she grew up.
“Last week, being able to play in front of my family, being able to see all the girls I’ve grown up with was amazing,” Parker said. “But what really has helped me playing-wise is just looking up to all these older girls on this team. They’ve really stepped up in their captain role.”
Parker already has 13 RBIs and three home runs this season, and recorded seven of those RBIs and two home runs this past weekend.
During her first season with the Sooners, Parker has had to learn a new landscape. However, on Friday the freshman will not only experience something different but will make history with the rest of her teammates.
As Parker steps onto Love’s Field for the first time during OU’s home-opener, she and the rest of the Sooners will take a moment to enjoy it.
“(OU head coach Patty Gasso is) like, ‘Just take it all in,’” Parker said. “She’s like, ‘This is very much unprecedented and be thankful for all the opportunities that we’re getting.’”
Grad transfer Karlie Keeney will also follow in Parker’s footsteps on Friday. The pitcher will not only make history at the new stadium but she will look to perform well in front of familiar faces.
Keeney has pitched for 17.1 innings, allowed just 11 hits and zero runs and has recorded eight strikeouts this season.
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The pitcher will face her former team, Liberty, on Friday and Saturday. Keeney played four seasons for the Flames and started 34 games for them last season.
“It’s super awesome to have a whole staff and be able to rely on other people,” Keeney said. “I’m just really excited. I think it’s a perfect weekend, the new Love’s stadium and getting to see everyone, and I have great memories from Liberty. So, I think it would just be a special weekend for me.”
New home, old memories
For the first time in 26 years, Oklahoma softball will have a new home.
On Friday, the opening of Love’s Field, which will be one of the largest softball stadiums in the country with a 4,200 seating capacity, marks a new chapter for the Sooners.
But the move to the facility carries countless memories with it and for Gasso, it is about prioritizing the present while honoring the past. As OU walks into its new facility on opening day, it will remember the foundation the former players laid at Reaves Park and Marita Hynes Field, and the precedent they set.
“I think of the 2000 team and I think of the team that was over at Reaves Park and never got a locker room,” Gasso said. “Players were still dressing in the bathrooms or dressing at home and going home in their uniforms. So I think about those athletes that are alums that never got to experience this.”
Although Love’s Field will have locker rooms, remnants of the 2000 team will be felt as OU will have to travel to and from its old stadium during the home opener.
Due to weather delays, construction is ongoing and the locker rooms will not be done until mid-April.
Despite the Sooners leaving their old stadium for their new state-of-the-art facility, Gasso will be taking the history of OU softball with her, as she steps onto Love’s Field for the first time.
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“We build championships here,” Gasso expressed emotionally. “We had a lot of coaches come in and out. I’ve watched my son coach here. So, 30 years. It’s time to move into a mansion.”
OU makes national impact
OU softball has grown since its days of playing at Reaves Park.
Now, when the Sooners travel to places like the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral, California, they are instantly recognized.
“They need security to get moved around,” Gasso said. “When we come in, it’s all over talk radio. Apparently it’s everywhere, everyone’s talking about it, which is amazing,”
Gasso believes OU softball has played a major role in the growth of the sport and she sees the impact her teams have made, even when she is recruiting players.
“The athletes themselves have really made a difference for young people,” Gasso said. “When I’m out watching and recruiting, I’m seeing someone flying into home plate, I’m seeing people mimic (senior outfielders) Jayda Coleman and Rylie Boone.”
It is in moments where fans are screaming senior catcher Kinzie Hansen’s name during tournaments or away games that the change in scene and support are evident.
“Every year it gets bigger and bigger,” Gasso said. “It’s not just our team, I know there’s other teams that are getting that same kind of feedback and fan support. But I do believe that we have been a big part of leading this charge.”
Next, the Sooners (14-0) will play Miami (OH) (9-2) at 2 p.m. and Liberty (7-7) at 5 p.m. in a doubleheader in their home opener at Love’s Field on Friday on ESPN+.
This story was edited by Gracie Rawlings.
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