Zache Sisters Swap Sooner Red for Maize & Blue
The Oklahoma softball duo Berkley and Riley Zache announced their transfer to Michigan, reuniting in their home state of Michigan after stints with the Sooners. Freshman pitcher Berkley posted a 2.28 ERA over 15⅓ innings, earning a win in the Norman Regional, while Riley, after redshirting due to injury, went 2-for-4 with an RBI last year. They join a Wolverines squad that fell to OU in the Norman Regional but finished 36–22 overall and 11–13 in Big Ten play. Their move follows fellow transfer Kasidi Pickering’s departure to Texas Tech, and leaves Tia Milloy as the lone Sooner in the portal without a declared destination.
In a plot twist rivaling daytime soap operas, the Zache sisters decided Norman wasn’t quirky enough and trekked back to Michigan—because who doesn’t love trading championship hopes for Big Ten mediocrity? Oklahoma fans, fear not: once the dust settles on your pitcher shortage, you’ll have a rescue mission ready when they inevitably realize maize and blue doesn’t fit their wardrobe. Meanwhile, Wolverine supporters can prepare to thank the softball gods for two fresh arms and a dash of Sooner swagger—until they wonder why their new heroes keep calling everything “y’all.”
OU’s 2026 Gauntlet: Five Coaches to Fear
As Brent Venables gears up for his fourth season leading the Sooners and a nine-game SEC gauntlet, SI ranks the five most formidable coaches on OU’s 2026 schedule. No. 5 Eliah Drinkwitz has turned Missouri into a bowl staple; No. 4 Mike Elko transformed Texas A&M’s defense into a playoff contender; No. 3 Steve Sarkisian resurrected Texas into a CFP team; No. 2 Kyle Whittingham arrives from Utah with a 177–88 resume and Michigan’s hopes on his shoulders; and No. 1 Kirby Smart stands atop the SEC with back-to-back titles under his belt, cementing Georgia as the league’s gold standard.
Oklahoma fans, buckle in for a season that reads like a horror-comedy road trip. They’ll chase Brent Venables down nine brutal SEC corridors, only to find themselves face-to-face with the coaching Illuminati: from Drinkwitz’s formulaic Missouri magic to Kirby Smart’s championship-grade sorcery. Meanwhile, Sarkisian and Elko will be lurking in the weeds, clipboard in hand, waiting to pounce. And let’s not forget Whittingham—because if you thought Michigan was only about cold weather, wait till you meet his playbook. It’s like OU signed up for cooking class and discovered all the chefs are Michelin three-star psychopaths.
From Punches to Pennants: Sooners’ Grit Fuels CWS Charge
Oklahoma baseball found its championship stride after a rocky SEC season, going 14–16 and losing its last four series. Coach Skip Johnson credits relentless early losses to SEC powerhouses for molding his team’s resilience. The Sooners rallied through regionals by upsetting No. 2 Georgia Tech and routing No. 15 Kansas, then dominated in Omaha with wins over Alabama and Georgia to reach the CWS finals against North Carolina. Now two wins from their first national title since 1994, OU leans on a “one pitch at a time” mantra after getting “hit in the mouth” to start the season.
Who knew getting punched in the mouth could be a winning strategy? Skip Johnson clearly saw his team as a reluctant boxer—minus the mouthguard and with more bats. From humbling losses in SEC wars to steamrolling through regionals like a buzzsaw, the Sooners have turned pain into runs and belly punches into fastballs. Now they stand on the brink of glory, armed with nothing but stubborn grit, a clipboard of clichés, and the faint hope that maybe getting socked is the secret to college baseball dominance.
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