Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma softball program have quite a tall task ahead of them as the Sooners must replace the most decorated senior class the sport has ever seen.
In all, 10 seniors graduated after winning four consecutive national championships, and their departure leaves quite a void to be filled, and with just five transfer spots to do it with.
On Friday, the Sooners picked up their first portal commitment of the cycle from North Carolina transfer Isabela Emerling.
Emerling, who just completed her redshirt sophomore season with the Tarheels, started all 43 games for UNC this season and was quite the offensive weapon for one of the nation’s best offenses.
North Carolina ranked fourth nationally with a .347 team batting average and sixth with a .421 on-base percentage. At the center of that success was Emerling—the Tarheels’ party-starter—who led UNC in home runs (14), OPS (1.103), slugging (.685), total bases (89), and RBIs (53).
Emerling was also second on the team with 23 walks drawn and had a team-best 13 multi-RBI games.
On the other side of the ball, Emerling played both catcher and infield for UNC and was also impressive there. She maintained a .984 fielding percentage with 161 putouts and was 6-17 in catching stolen base attempts.
With All-American senior Kinzie Hansen and reserve catcher Riley Ludlam both gone, Emerling will immediately become one of the names to watch behind the plate for OU. However, with the Sooners also in on a couple of other players at the position still, it’s far from a guarantee that she is the lone answer there.
Still, any time you can add a player who led their team in five major offensive categories, it’s a win, and that’s exactly what Gasso and the Sooners have done here with Emerling.
