Fans watch a softball game between Utah and Washington in the Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Friday, June 2, 2023. Washington won 4-1.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball program is riding high. The Sooners won their third consecutive NCAA Championship last week at the Women’s College World Series. However, as the off-season begins, they learned they’ll look slightly different next year. Star pitcher Jordyn Bahl made news on Monday when she announced her intentions to transfer from the Oklahoma softball program.

Bahl revealed her plans on Twitter, where she posted a lengthy statement. She calls the decision “bittersweet” but plans to go home. She’s a native of Nebraska, so only a few places could be potential destinations—namely, Oklahoma’s longstanding rival, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Over the last two years, Jordyn Bahl has been one of the best players in the entire sport. She’s been a dominant pitcher, posting an exceptional 0.90 ERA in 2023. This came after she recorded a 1.09 ERA as a freshman in 2022. Few have been as great as she was, and her efforts have led Oklahoma to this rise to prominence.

Now, the Sooners are lucky to be deep with talent, or losing a player of Bahl’s caliber would hurt. But they will likely still sport star pitcher Nicole May next year as she enters her senior season, along with a host of other extremely talented players. They are the best team in the sport, after all.

The sports world had a lot to say about the big news.

[Jordyn Bahl]

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About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022