With 10 departing seniors off this season’s Women’s College World Series championship squad, there are plenty of holes to fill for OU softball.

The Sooners are bringing in a large group of signees, headlined by middle infielders Tia Milloy of Redmond, Washington, and Caddo’s Kadey McKay.

The Sooners figure to be plenty active in the transfer portal, even more so after Avery Hodge, Quincee Lilio and SJ Geurin all recently entered the portal.

OU coach Patty Gasso figures to have five spots available in the portal.

Here’s a look at the Sooners’ top three areas of need going into the offseason:

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Starting pitcher

Pitching depth was one of the strengths of the 2024 Sooners, with Oklahoma State transfer Kelly Maxwell and Liberty’s Karlie Keeney fitting into important roles with Maxwell as the ace, plus Nicole May and Kierston Deal.

Now, only Deal remains.

Deal was fantastic as a sophomore, breaking through to go 14-1 with a 1.97 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 78 ⅓ innings.

The Sooners also bring back Paytn Monticelli in the circle, though Monticelli threw just 19 ⅓ innings and are bringing in lefty Audrey Lowry as part of the 2024 signing class.

The Sooners have had excellent success with portal pitchers in recent years, adding Maxwell, Alex Storako and Hope Trautwein.

Right now, the pitching availability in the portal seems slim, with Washington’s Ruby Meylan having committed to Oklahoma State and Sidne Peters to Texas A&M.

One of the more intriguing names could be Southeastern Louisiana’s Cera Blanchard, who was 18-3 with a 1.77 ERA in 146 innings, striking out 111 and allowing just four home runs. While not as overpowering as Trautwein was at North Texas before transferring, Blanchard could profile as a pitcher who could make the leap between levels and succeed.

This is a position where there could be significant movement in the final days of the portal window, which closes Monday, and the Sooners could be ready to strike quickly.

— Ryan Aber, staff writer

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Catcher

Catcher was the obvious position most pointed to throughout the season as a potential transfer portal target.

What OU is losing in co-captain Kinzie Hansen can’t be overstated. In 2024 alone, Hansen hit .400 and 11 home runs with 41 RBIs and a 1.124 on base percentage plus slugging. The defensive player of the year in the Big 12 committed three total errors last season and did not commit an error in conference play.

Hansen finished her Sooners career with a .390 batting average, 60 home runs, 219 RBIs and a 1.157 OPS.

Former OU and current Tennessee catcher Sophia Nugent was thought to be Hansen’s natural replacement until she transferred last offseason. Nugent would’ve had one year of eligibility remaining by the time Hansen’s eligibility expired.

So who are current catchers in the portal head coach Patty Gasso could aim for?

Houston catcher Turiya Coleman, who reportedly entered the portal in May, is an intriguing one as she transferred from the Sooners after the 2022 season and it’s unclear if either side would be game for a reunion. But Coleman is a two-time all-region selection who batted .385 in two years at Houston, hitting 16 home runs and recording 72 RBIs in 105 games as a Cougar.

North Carolina catcher Isabela Emerling entered the portal in May. Emerling hit .323, crushed 14 home runs with 53 RBIs and a 1.103 OPS.

Southeastern Louisiana’s Bailey Krolczyk reportedly entered the portal in May. The 2023 Southland Conference Player of the Year spent three seasons with the Lions, batting a career .367 with 17 home runs, 118 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases.

Cal Baptist slugger Kayla Lyon is also in the portal. She hit .393 with a .994 slugging percentage 44 RBIs.

Texas Tech’s Kailey Wycoff was one of the best catchers in the Big 12 last season, boasting a .407 batting average, seven home runs, a career-high 35 RBIs and a All-Big 12 First Team selection. Wycoff isn’t in the portal but the Red Raiders were one of the worst teams in the conference in 2024 and if she enters she could be an option.

What the Sooners will miss on the field with Hansen they’ll still have in the dugout as she will serve as a graduate assistant alongside Tiare Jennings and Karlie Keeney, and can help mentor whoever Gasso brings in.

— Colton Sulley, staff writer

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Middle infield

It was a bit of a shock Monday when it was reported OU infielder Avery Hodge had entered the transfer portal.

Hodge, who shared playing time at second base with Alynah Torres, hit .284 in 74 at-bats for the Sooners in 2024. When Torres was injured against UCLA in the Women's College World Series, Hodge held her own, hitting a combined 4 for 12 against Florida and Texas.

With Torres out of eligibility, Hodge was expected to play a significant role for the Sooners next season with two years of eligibility remaining.

OU obviously loses a ton in the middle infield with superstar Tiare Jennings out of eligibility, but who could the Sooners target here?

An obvious choice is Washington transfer infielder Rylee Holtorf.

Not only did Holtorf bat .336 with 11 home runs, a .420 on-base percentage and a .623 slugging percentage, she’s one of the best defensive infielders in the country. Holtorf was a First Team All-Pacific Region selection.

Other options currently in the portal include Alabama’s Kenleigh Cahalan, a rising junior who batted .284 with seven home runs last season, and Washington’s Kinsey Fiedler, who hit .336 with seven home runs in 2024.

— Colton Sulley, staff writer

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma softball: Sooners' biggest areas of need in transfer portal