Ella Parker called game for the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday.
The defending champion Sooners' backs were against the wall when sophomore utility Ella Parker stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning of their Women's College World Series opening game against Tennessee. Facing Volunteers pitcher Karlyn Pickens with two runners on and the Sooners down to their last out, Parker represented the winning run. In a fairytale ending, Parker drilled the 0-1 pitch over the center field wall at Devon Park for a walk-off home run, sending the crowd and her Oklahoma teammates into a frenzy.
But arguably the best part was Parker's run around the bases. In a priceless scene, an emotional Parker went from shouting for joy, to screaming a war cry and then, was seemingly on the verge of tears as she rounded third base and headed for the scrum at home plate.
ELLA PARKER WALKS IT OFF ‼️#WCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/Z9RZ8t1bxI
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 29, 2025
"Very emotional," Parker said postgame of what it was like rounding the bases. "I cried—I started getting teary-eyed. As soon as I saw my teammates, I started bawling my eyes out. So really emotional."
“As soon as I saw my teammates I started bawling my eyes out.”
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 29, 2025
Ella Parker is with @michellachester after getting a walk-off bomb for @OU_Softball.#WCWS pic.twitter.com/GWcAbY7BPo
Parker, the niece of Los Angeles Dodgers World Series-winning manager Dave Roberts, is no stranger to championships herself, having captured one as a freshman on the 2024 Sooners.
Now, thanks to her heroics, the Sooners are one step closer to making it back-to-back titles. Oklahoma will face Texas in the winner's bracket of the WCWS on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Oklahoma Softball's Ella Parker Had Priceless Reaction to Epic Walk-Off Homer .
