While Jordy Bahl’s departure certainly leaves a void on Oklahoma’s pitching staff, the Sooners still have plenty of talent heading into next season.

But now, they’ve got some work to do.

Just days after Bahl was named Most Outstanding Player for her performance in the Sooners’ championship run, the sophomore ace announced she was entering the NCAA Transfer Portal. Bahl’s not the only pitching departure, as Alex Storako has also exhausted her eligibility.

OU coach Patty Gasso and her staff are not only tasked with replacing their talent but adding depth, too. Though Bahl received the majority of the reps during the postseason, Gasso has prioritized spreading the workload amongst her pitching staff in recent years.

The Sooners will certainly look through the transfer portal for replacements. In the meantime, here’s a look at where things stand with the Sooners’ pitching staff entering 2024 and how they can manage the departures of Bahl and Storako:

The Sooners are pretty lucky to have May in the fold next season.

May, who will be a senior in 2024, is coming off arguably the best season of her career. The California native recorded a perfect 18-0 record in the circle, throwing 130 strikeouts while surrendering only 60 hits and 14 earned runs in 107 innings. May posted an earned run average of .91, which ranked third nationally behind Bahl and Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady.

May didn’t see the circle a ton during this year’s WCWS, but she’s proven herself in several big games throughout her career. She started 17 games last season and recorded an ERA of 1.3, and she pitched 2.1 relief innings against Texas in last year’s Championship Series, surrendering just one hit.

Many times throughout last season, Gasso raved about May’s development.

“I am more confident in Nicole May than I ever have been thus far,” Gasso said on April 8. “Putting her on the mound, I feel very, very comfortable — with all of them — but May has really kind of stepped into her own space and is really getting better with each outing.”

Barring a significant move in the transfer portal, May enters next season as the top pitcher for the Sooners.

It’s no secret that the Sooners have been excited about Deal, who was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2022 class by Extra Innings Softball.

The freshman didn’t see a ton of opportunities in 2023, but she made the most of them.

Deal pitched 27.1 innings, recording 30 strikeouts while surrendering just 15 hits and three earned runs. She finished with an ERA of 0.77.

Gasso made a point to play Deal in big situations. The first opportunity came against Oklahoma State on May 6, when Deal entered in the sixth inning and retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the Sooners’ come-from-behind win.

"I think that was a game-changer for us," Gasso said of Deal's performance. "... She doesn’t get a lot of opportunities, but we all remember the first game she threw a few innings. It was deer in the headlights. She was very awkward and uncomfortable on the mound. You could see that. To see how far she’s come is what everybody was really – she captured our hearts. Watching her settle in, have command, watching her pointing around the infield like she’s done it a million times. To get us out of that big inning was a big celebration. I think that really got things started for us.

“She’s stuck on a staff — I don’t want to say the word stuck — but she’s on a staff that has some really elite pitching. She’s learning and taking this in stride, getting the opportunities when she can and making the best of them. In a big moment like that, it was really outstanding to see her throwing it. She wants more. She’s hungry. You can feel it already. She’s not asking, but her look at me is like, ‘When are you going to give me the ball again?’

Deal also got an opportunity against Clemson in the super regional. She allowed two runs in the fifth after coming in with bases loaded but didn’t allow a hit in the sixth inning, which helped the Sooners halt Clemson’s momentum.

With Bahl and Storako gone, the Sooners will likely need Deal to pitch quite a bit in 2024.

The Texas native redshirted before the season began and didn’t see the field in 2023, but the potential is there. Geurin was the No. 20 ranked recruit in the 2022 class, per Extra Innings Softball, and she was named to the Texas 5A First Team All-State in 2021.

The focus for the coaching staff this season was developing Geurin.

“She's also always sitting next to (OU pitching coach Jennifer Rocha) the entire time,” Gasso said of Geurin last month. “She's in everything that we're doing.”

Gasso gave nearly equal opportunity to Bahl, Storako and May throughout the season. If Geurin can continue developing during the offseason, she could prove to be a necessary weapon for the Sooners.

However, expect Gasso to thoroughly search the portal to look for help.