There's no replacing Jayda Coleman, who was a staple in the outfield on four championship runs for the Sooners.
But the Sooners likely got the next best thing in junior outfielder Abby Dayton.
The Sooners landed Dayton via the transfer portal during the offseeason from Utah, fresh off a sophomore campaign where she was named a NFCA Third Team All-American. She also secured the Pac-12 regular-season batting title while also starting 57 games as the Utes' centerfielder.
Dayton had found some success her first two seasons and played a big role in the Utes' run to the Women's College World Series in 2023. But Dayton knew during the offseason that she was looking for a bigger spotlight.
No bigger spotlight than transferring to a team that's won back-to-back-to-back-to-back national championships.
"I'm ready," Dayton said during OU's newcomer day in November. "I'm going to have my best, the team's going to have their best, and we're going to give our all. But I'm really excited to see how teams compete against us and I'm ready to destroy. I love competitiveness, I love competing. I am competitive at heart.
"I want everyone's A-game. I don't want anyone to give me a 50 percent. I want to see everyone's 100, 110 percent."
Dayton's addition gives the Sooners an experienced outfielder and a genuine threat at the plate. Here's an overview of Dayton's addition to the Sooners:
CAREER STATS
Batting average: .405
Runs: 62
Hits: 115 (13 doubles, 8 triples, 2 home runs)
RBIs: 44
Slug %: .528
On-base %: .479
Games started: 102
QUOTES
What was the transfer portal process like for you?
“I would definitely say it was crazy. For me, from high school, at least, it was COVID, so we didn't really have any schools you weren't allowed to go visit. And so entering the portal and being able to go to schools was a very different scenario than what it was in high school. I was super stoked and excited when (OU coach Patty Gasso) reached out to me, just because it was always a dream for me to play here. Since I was 10, we were playing on the field out here, and we were just always at Reaves playing in tournaments, and it was just, every 10-year-old girl dreamed to go to OU. And so when I got that call, it was definitely just all the emotions running through. Definitely a little scary when she called me to come out and visit. I was like, me? Are you sure you got the right phone call? But just coming here, as soon as I got here, I knew. I knew this was the place for me.
“Just the coaching staff, that's who I wanted to play for, and that's why I entered the portal. And so I think just being able to find where I was meant to be was really exciting."
What's been the biggest adjustment moving to Oklahoma?
“I would say definitely my hitting. I was definitely more of a slapper over at Utah, and then kind of worked in with my hitting last year. But being with (OU hitting coach JT Gasso), it's been a complete game-changer, just learning how your body moves and things like that. But, yeah, I would definitely say my hitting, being able to swing the bat a little bit harder."
What has Patty Gasso emphasized to you?
"I think a big thing for me when I entered the portal was just about understanding that I'm also a slapper. And she was happy to hear that. She was like, 'I need to get slappers back in this lineup,' and that was something very exciting for me to hear, just because I love hitting. Everyone loves hit their home runs and stuff like that, but I love slapping, I love messing with the defense. I love getting errors more than I like getting base hits, because it just messes with the defense and then they're not ready for the next pitch.
"I think that was a big thing for her and me, just understanding that this team has a lot more speed, and that we can run the bases. We've got speed, we'll go first to third on bunts. And I think that's something that's really exciting for her, as well as the whole team, of just understanding that we can use our cards a little bit more and just like hit and runs, bunt and runs, like those kind of things. And I feel like the home runs will come."
Playing in the SEC?
"I think the SEC, you know, everyone says that they're the best conference, but I always I wanted to be able to go somewhere with a good coaching staff. Didn't matter what program or what conference they were in. And I think I kind of always knew I wanted to play for Coach Gasso, just from when I was younger. She was always competitive.
"But I kind of knew that I wanted to be around competitive people, and I knew that was here, obviously, with the four-peat, but just being able to see the difference in how they play on the field was definitely something that stood out to me."
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