Sooners Bring Back Former Pitcher Keeney as Interim Pitching Coach

Karlie Keeney rushed to Norman to fill in for Jennifer Rocha during her medical leave of absence.

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

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When Oklahoma softball pitching coach Jennifer Rocha took a sudden medical leave of absence, head coach Patty Gasso quickly turned to former Sooners pitcher Karlie Keeney to serve as the interim pitching coach. Keeney, who was attending a wedding, immediately drove to Norman to take over the pitching staff as the No. 3 Sooners opened their season at Arizona State.

Why it matters

Rocha's absence left a major hole in the Oklahoma coaching staff, and Gasso needed to act fast to find a capable replacement to lead the pitching staff. Keeney's quick response and willingness to step in on short notice shows her dedication to the program and the trust Gasso has in her abilities.

The details

Gasso said she reached out to Keeney, who was attending a wedding, and told her to drive to Norman immediately. Keeney got a ride from teammate Tiare Jennings and arrived in Norman, where Gasso explained the situation. Despite the short notice, Keeney agreed to take over as interim pitching coach. She called the pitches for the Sooners' 2-1 win over Arizona State on Thursday.

  • On Saturday, Keeney was attending Kinzie Hansen's wedding.
  • On Thursday, Keeney made her debut as Oklahoma's interim pitching coach.

The players

Patty Gasso

The head coach of the Oklahoma softball team.

Jennifer Rocha

The associate head coach and pitching coach for the Oklahoma softball team, who is taking a leave of absence due to a health issue.

Karlie Keeney

A former Oklahoma pitcher who agreed to serve as the interim pitching coach after Rocha's sudden departure.

Tiare Jennings

An Oklahoma softball player who gave Keeney a ride to Norman after Gasso asked her to.

Audrey Lowry

An Oklahoma pitcher who started Thursday's game against Arizona State.

Miali Guachino

An Oklahoma pitcher who entered the game in relief against Arizona State.

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What they’re saying

“The way this worked was we knew that Coach Rocha, just to be straight up, she won't be with us — I asked her who she thought would be the right person and we all agreed Karlie Keeney.”

— Patty Gasso, Head Coach (OU radio)

“I had to look at her in the eye and kind of really explain what we're going through and there was just a burst of tears. Yet she had a feeling, her mother had a feeling that we needed her, which was just like a prophet. Like, how would you know that? Why would you think that? You don't know nothing about what's going on. And just looking at her and her feeling what we were going through, she said yes immediately.”

— Patty Gasso, Head Coach (OU radio)

What’s next

The Sooners have three more games this weekend, facing No. 17 Arizona in a three-game series in Tucson starting on Friday.

The takeaway

Keeney's quick response and willingness to step in as interim pitching coach on short notice demonstrates the strong bonds within the Oklahoma softball program and Gasso's ability to rally her team in the face of adversity.