When it comes to elite pitching, Oklahoma wrote the book last season. The Sooners' pitching staff led the entire country in earned run average with .96. To put that into perspective, no other team finished with an ERA lower than 1.5.

The Sooners had three pitchers inside the top 10 nationally in ERA — Jordy Bahl at No. 2 (.90), Nicole May at No. 3 (.91) and Alex Storako at No. 9 (1.15). Even Kierston Deal — who pitched 27.1 innings, under the minimum requirement for national stats — recorded an ERA of .77. Opposing teams recorded a batting average of .162, by far the lowest mark in the league.

During the regular season, OU coach Patty Gasso and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha rotated Bahl, May and Storako evenly, with all three players pitching 103 innings or more. But during the postseason the Sooners relieved heavily on Bahl, who was named the Most Valuable Player at the Women's College World Series.

But Bahl is now at Nebraska. Storako exhausted her eligibility. In response, Gasso added three pitchers via the transfer portal, bringing the team total to six.

The Sooners not only have to replace Bahl and Storako's production, they have to settle on a consistent rotation. Gasso has relied on multiple pitchers in recent years, which means everybody on the roster will likely have a shot at making an impact. However, even with the significant departures, Gasso believes this year's pitching staff could be as deep as it's ever been.

Here's a look at the Sooners' pitching staff in 2024:

Classification: Senior

Career stats: 1.47 ERA, 47-3 record, 285.0 innings pitched, 183 hits, 60 earned runs, 83 batters walked, 325 strikeouts, .182 batting average

2023 stats: .91 ERA,18-0 record, 107.2 innings pitched, 60 hits, 14 earned runs, 130 strikeouts, .161 batting average

Outlook: 2023 was a career-best season for May across the board. Her regular-season stats were nearly unbelievable, easily establishing herself as one of the best pitchers in softball while earning a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team. Heading into 2024, she is the undisputed leader of the Sooners' pitching staff. She's been around the program the longest and has played a significant role on three-consecutive national championships.

However, she didn't see the circle much late in the playoffs last season. She appeared in just three of the final seven games and pitched 9.2 innings over that stretch, surrendering nine hits and six earned runs.

She has the most potential to be the Sooners' go-to pitcher in 2024. May is going to pitch, and pitch a lot, during the regular season. But the question will be: how much will the Sooners be able to lean on her in the postseason?

Classification: Fifth-year senior

Career stats: 1.51 ERA, 58-20 record, 494.2 innings pitched, 274 hits, 112 earned runs, 746 strikeouts, .158 batting average

2023 stats: 1.91 ERA, 16-7 record, 142.2 innings pitched, 78 hits, 39 earned runs, 229 strikeouts, .157 batting average

Outlook: If Bahl's departure was the biggest story of the softball offseason, Maxwell transferring to Oklahoma was a close second. The fifth-year veteran not only spent the last four seasons with Oklahoma State, but she's also been one of the best pitchers in softball over the last three seasons. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone with more experience in the circle than Maxwell, who also played a crucial in the Cowgirls' run to the WCWS in 2022.

While the Sooners will likely give everyone a chance in the circle, Maxwell and May will likely see the most opportunities. There's not many questions for Maxwell to answer, and Gasso recruited her hard for a reason. But this is a new environment and new expectations for Maxwell, who is going to need to make a huge impact on a team that's favored to win a fourth-consecutive national championship.

Classification: Sophomore

2023 stats: .77 ERA, 3-0 record, 27.1 innings pitched, 15 hits, 3 earned runs, 30 strikeouts, .158 batting average

Outlook: There's no doubt that Deal has potential to be a standout pitcher. The 2022 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year posted elite stats in her limited time in the circle last season. Deal just happened to be on a loaded pitching staff. She did show her ability to handle big moments against Oklahoma State, when she came in and retired the side in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win. She didn't throw much in the postseason, but made the most of her opportunities. In four innings, she recorded four strikeouts, walked four batters while not surrendering a hit or a run.

Now, she has an opportunity for a much bigger role. The coaching staff is really high on Deal, evidenced by their willingness to play her even a little last post season. It'll be interesting to see how much she's utilized on a pitching staff loaded with veterans.

Classification: Graduate student

Career stats: 2.34 ERA, 68-29 record, 658 innings pitched, 598 hits, 220 earned runs, 193 batters walked, 368 strikeouts, .237 batting average

2023 stats: 2.03 ERA, 27-12 record, 261.2 innings pitched, 227 hits, 76 earned runs, 81 batters walked, 153 strikeouts, .229 batting average

Outlook: Keeney was the No. 1 pitcher for Liberty by her sophomore year, but the Flames relied heavily on her in 2023. She pitched nearly 140 innings more than any other pitcher on the roster, leading the Flames to the regional tournament and a 40-win season.

As of now, it's difficult to project where Keeney lands in the rotation. She missed the entire fall with a broken finger, which Gasso referred to as a "freak accident," and the OU head coach announced Keeney would be out for three months starting in October. It wouldn't be surprising for the Sooners to be cautious with Keeney early in the season. But she's pitched over 150 more innings than anyone else on the Sooners' roster, and she's a veteran that has played in big games.

Classification: Sophomore

2023 stats: 2.71 ERA, 7-4 record, 80.0 innings pitched, 72 hits, 31 earned runs, 82 strikeouts, 21 batters walked .235 batting average

Outlook: Monticelli established herself as the No. 2 pitcher for Wisconsin last season as a true freshman. Despite pitching 59.1 fewer innings than Maddie Schwartz, she led the Badgers in strikeouts and allowed a lower batting average. She also won Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 as a student at Cedarburg High School.

During the fall schedule, Gasso emphasized that Monticelli can "throw the ball really hard", but being more controlled is going to be the focus for her. The early-season schedule will be pivotal for Monticelli to establish herself on the staff.

Classification: Redshirt freshman

Career stats: N/A

Outlook: Sooner fans haven't been able to see much from Geurin. She didn't play last season and was instead redshirted. But the program has continued to praise her development, and she did make some plays during the fall schedule.

"I think this pitching staff, the most improved is S.J. Geurin," Gasso said back in November. "She’s thrown some real good pitches and gotten some good outs."

We'll see if Geurin can make can impact, but don't forget that she was a highly-touted player coming out of high school, when she was ranked as the No. 7 pitcher and No. 20 overall prospect in the 2022 class by Extra Innings' Softball.