Oklahoma softball ace Jordy Bahl leaving Sooners to 'return home'
Jordy Bahl, one of the top pitchers in college softball who has helped lead Oklahoma to national championships during each of her two seasons on campus, announced Monday that she's leaving the Sooners to "return home."
A sophomore and two-time All-American, Bahl is expected to transfer to Nebraska, sources told ESPN.
Bahl grew up in Papillion, Nebraska, which is less than an hour's drive from the Nebraska campus. She originally committed to the Cornhuskers as a high school freshman before reopening her recruitment and signing with Oklahoma.
In a statement posted to social media on Monday, Bahl said she has decided to "play the game I love, closer to the things that have made me who I am and that have always been more important to me than this game."
A hard-throwing righty with a fiery personality in the pitcher's circle, Bahl is 44-2 in her career with 15 shutouts and five saves. Her career ERA is 1.00.
"Jordy shared with our staff on Friday that she has been feeling a strong need to be closer to home for quite some time and that she planned to enter the transfer portal," Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said in a statement. "It was a very candid and emotional conversation in which we both communicated our love and appreciation for each other. We are grateful for her two years with our program and for everything she accomplished. She obviously was a huge part of our on-field success, but what I'll always appreciate most about Jordy is her approach and dedication to the game, as she's the ultimate competitor. We're understanding of her situation and certainly want her to be the happiest she can be. We are supportive of her and she will always be part of the OU Softball family."
Oklahoma won its third straight national championship Thursday, its sixth championship in the past 10 years.
The Sooners, who will enter next season riding an NCAA-record 53-game winning streak, will be without their two starting pitchers during the championship series: Bahl and redshirt senior Alex Storako, a former Michigan transfer who went 18-0 with a 1.15 ERA.
Bahl, a former Gatorade National Player of the Year and consensus No. 1-ranked recruit, is expected to join a Nebraska program that has never won a national championship and last reached the Women's College World Series in 2013.
Oklahoma returns much of its core from last season, including pitchers Nicole May (18-0, 0.91 ERA) and Kierston Deal (3-0, 0.77 ERA).
