2026 recruiting talk

[navier]

Bottom post of the previous page:

I've read elsewhere that in addition to the infielders we hosted, there was also a pitcher.
While we don't know who that was yet, we know who it was not:
Stanton--visited LSU
Rackley--visited OSU
Tuua--visited aTm

All of the above have been to OU camps and will probably be making multiple visits to different programs throughout this month.

Potential 2026 Softball Recruits for Oklahoma- Sept 1st is Near!



Pitchers:
RHP / OF = Caroline Stanton --> SA - 2, EIS T-3 (Top 6) - Lady Dukes National – Lamar
RHP / 1B = Ella Kate Smith --> SA-3, EIS T-4 (Top 8) - Impact Gold – Jazz (Katy, TX)
RHP / UT (Left-handed Hitter) = Jada Savage --> SA - 8, EIS T-6 (Top 12) - Stars – Coleman
RHP / UT = Addison Rackley --> SA - 16, EIS T-7 (Top 14) - Georgia Impact – Taylor
RHP / MIF = Aubrey Moore --> SA - 20, EIS T-13 (Top 26) - Atlanta Vipers – Tamborra
RHP / MIF = Piper Cavanaugh --> SA - NA, EIS #14 (Top 28) - Beverly Bandits – Hardin
RHP = Boo Herber --> SA - NA, EIS #67 (Top 88) - Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier – Thompson
RHP / OF = Ayla Tuua -- SA - NA, EIS #89 (Top110 - BSC Bengals 16U – Briggs
RHP = Liliana Escobar --> SA - NA, EIS - NA - OC Batbusters - Stith (Will be ranked soon.)
RHP / UT = Keegan Baker --> (unranked) - Edmond Memorial HS – Oklahoma A's National
LHP / 1B = Kelsie Donaldson --> (unranked)

One of these is having their official this weekend..; )

Smith was also at A&M..I'll give you a hint about this unknown pitcher..she is in the above list and was at the most recent OU camp..

[OUBeliever56A]

Keegan Baker (Edmond Memorial RHP/UT) jumped up the rankings (SA) all the way to #18 after not being ranked. She has been to multiple camps at OU. I am thinking more and more that she could become a Sooner.

Kelsie Donaldson (LHP/UT) would not surprise me either if she becomes a Sooner as she has been a frequent camper at OU.

[navier]

I am not saying she isn't deserving of this new ranking but this

She has been to multiple camps at OU.

is partly/mainly why this

Keegan Baker (Edmond Memorial RHP/UT) jumped up the rankings (SA) all the way to #18 after not being ranked.

happened...These ranking outfits don’t see most of these kids play..

[OUBeliever56A]

I am not saying she isn't deserving of this new ranking but this

She has been to multiple camps at OU.

is partly/mainly why this

Keegan Baker (Edmond Memorial RHP/UT) jumped up the rankings (SA) all the way to #18 after not being ranked.

happened...These ranking outfits don’t see most of these kids play..

Look, I understand fully that there are flaws in the rankings, everyone does. But without a reference of something, there is no way to know anything about the players. It is rare when any of us novice Sooner fans see any of these players play. Outside of the camp environment, I probably watch as many play as most anyone that posts here. Several of us were in attendance at many games this summer here in Norman and in Shawnee when the teams were here playing. You do not need, nor should you keep downing the rankings every time they are mentioned. Please find a new soapbox to stand on.

If the ranking are so bad, why do the Sooners continually recruit the highly ranked players and then they play so well for Oklahoma, luck, coincidence ? I know the coaching helps at Oklahoma, but most of the Sooner recruits start our at the upper level of the rankings across the services. Flawed, yes, but the rankings are as good of an indication that there is for the average fan and even most knowledgeable fans. It is true that the old proverbial "eye test" is the best thing for a knowledgeable fan to have as long as the 'eye' is a good one. I would say that the ranking services usually talk to enough 'good eyes' to be able to get things fairly good for the Top 50 or so players in the country. There will always be players that will fly under the rankings, because the pool of players is so large.

Okay, I will step off my 'soap box' now.

[navier]

Look, I understand fully that there are flaws in the rankings

Good to hear...

everyone does.

This isn't true..

I probably watch as many play as most anyone that posts here. Several of us were in attendance at many games this summer here in Norman and in Shawnee when the teams were here playing.

Very good..then use your own eyes to give an assessment. Also Top Club didn't have many of the players you guys are talking about outside of the Oklahoma kids.

You do not need, nor should you keep downing the rankings every time they are mentioned. Please find a new soapbox to stand on.

Not sure who you think you are but I will post what I feel like when I feel like it when I think it is relevant to the conversation...Thanks.

Also kind of amusing you mentioned Baker without quoting my above post when you obviously went back and used what I posted..Don't worry man..you still are the guru here..I won't try and take that away from you.

[cclift38]

Some of the rankings have coach's input, college and travel ball wise. Softball America has partnered with On3 and they are supposed to start doing star ratings on players. So far I haven't been a big fan of On3 football wise. Seems to be a biased with them. The rankings are always gonna have a bit of a biased. But its a baseline and seems to me that its gotten better over the years. Softball is still a little more flawed than football, not the money flow to travel and watch games/players by scouts, etc. But I used to always hear people say ratings don't matter when Alabama was finishing #1 in football recruiting every year. They seemed to matter somewhat I'd say. Same with OU softball, stockpiling that top 10 talent has worked out well. Jayda Coleman #1, Tiare Jennings #2 worked out pretty well.

[OUBeliever56A]

navier wrote:
Top Club didn't have many of the players you guys are talking about outside of the Oklahoma kids.
- - -

Since 2022 when I moved to Norman, I have watched maybe 50 players that were in the rankings specifically to see about them. Between the Batbusters and other top national clubs like the Bolts and Hotshots and several others, there are a lot of players to watch. It is a fun week.

You surely have the right to post anything you would like. But once the nail has been driven fully into the wood, if you keep swinging the hammer, the wood just gets damaged. We understand you don't appreciate the rankings. I am sorry I came on so strong this morning. But a broken record is never a good sound. Just sayin.

There are many 'gurus' here. I appreciate all of them. It is a good group effort. "cclift38' was the first one I saw here about softball. 'TropicalSooner' and 'oufanforever' certainly do there strong part here as well. "Big Mike" does not post much, but he reads almost all of it here. He is the original guru for OU softball. He is a wealth of knowledge about OU softball.

I look forward to your positive comments here in the future also.

[navier]

navier wrote:
Top Club didn't have many of the players you guys are talking about outside of the Oklahoma kids.
- - -

Since 2022 when I moved to Norman, I have watched maybe 50 players that were in the rankings specifically to see about them. Between the Batbusters and other top national clubs like the Bolts and Hotshots and several others, there are a lot of players to watch. It is a fun week.

You surely have the right to post anything you would like. But once the nail has been driven fully into the wood, if you keep swinging the hammer, the wood just gets damaged. We understand you don't appreciate the rankings. I am sorry I came on so strong this morning. But a broken record is never a good sound. Just sayin.

There are many 'gurus' here. I appreciate all of them. It is a good group effort. "cclift38' was the first one I saw here about softball. 'TropicalSooner' and 'oufanforever' certainly do there strong part here as well. "Big Mike" does not post much, but he reads almost all of it here. He is the original guru for OU softball. He is a wealth of knowledge about OU softball.

I look forward to your positive comments here in the future also.

Bolts, Georgia Impact,Hotshots,Bombers,Impact Gold, Aces,etc were not at Top Club this year (eg the year you mentioned originally). Batbusters were. My main beef with the rankings is them ranking 8th and 9th graders. That is at best dumb and at worse harmful to the kids mental states (both those who get ranked and those who don’t)…all to make a buck. Anyway I will leave it alone as you are right I have bludgeoned that horse..

[OUBeliever56A]

Bolts, Georgia Impact, Hotshots, Bombers, Impact Gold, Aces,etc were not at Top Club this year (eg the year you mentioned originally). Batbusters were. My main beef with the rankings is them ranking 8th and 9th graders. That is at best dumb and at worse harmful to the kids mental states (both those who get ranked and those who don’t)…all to make a buck. Anyway I will leave it alone as you are right I have bludgeoned that horse..

You are right about 2024. But those teams were there in 2022 and 2023. I did watch several of those teams in the PDG and Alliance on video broadcasts though in 2024.

I agree about 8th and 9th players. Why bother, except you have to watch them to see who improves over time or who tops out and does not improve. It is a huge effort to watch just the high schoolers each year.

[navier]

You are right about 2024. But those teams were there in 2022 and 2023. I did watch several of those teams in the PDG and Alliance on video broadcasts though in 2024.

Starting in 23 they started a new event in CO the week before Sparkler/IDT which took away a lot of the orgs as this was when Top Club was
traditionally held. Last year they moved Top Club a week earlier because of this but then it a) coincided with another big event b) no longer allowed teams to go straight from Top Club to CO.

Baker is the kid who had an official at OU last weekend. I could be wrong but I have a feeling they won't offer her until they get responses from some
of the other kids...

[TN Sooner]

There have been third party agencies evaluating high school football players for fans (as opposed to “scouts” that do it for coaches) for 40-50 years. And yet every year, there are “can’t miss 5 star” players that never make it and there are 1 or 2 star players that become all-conference or even all-Americans. Hell - sometimes walkons become Heisman winners. Those of us that follow these recruiting services take their data with a huge grain of salt. Just because a 5 star corner from California (who turns out to be 5’7”, at best) shows up on campus, doesn’t mean he’s going to be any good. And he wasn’t.

The idea that the 2-3 services (again - fan targeted groups) that have begun evaluating high school soft ball players for the last 10-15 years are going to be any better than the football services is laughable.

As Sooner fans, we understand that. It certainly detracts from otherwise interesting discussions when people show up and spend time bashing the services.

[navier]

As Sooner fans, we understand that.

I forgot I was dealing with Sooner fans..my bad. Is there a list of approved talking points that I can refer to for next time?

[cclift38]

The Alliance should have their main tournament in okc/norman every year. That seemed like a nice event with Plank and Erin Miller calling the all star game. I seen Bahl beat the Batbusters that year. She was an obvious can’t miss talent.

I agree on tanking the younger kids. They started out just ranking juniors and seniors which is the way it should be. But teams started getting verbals from 7th and 8th graders and rankings expanded. I’m glad they done away with that.

[navier]

The Alliance should have their main tournament in okc/norman every year. That seemed like a nice event with Plank and Erin Miller calling the all star game. I seen Bahl beat the Batbusters that year. She was an obvious can’t miss talent.

Alliance Championship games are not coming back to OKC area any time soon..There was a disagreement with HOF Stadium regarding insurance and bridges were burned..

[cclift38]

Too bad that was a nice event.

[TropicalSooner]

Moving on..........

'56...if you are going to go to the Statue Dedication tomorrow....look around and let us know if you recognize any potential recruits around.
I would think this weekend (as well as next weekend) should be fruitful.

Maybe next week we will see a "Go Boomer".....