McEnroe-Marinas captains Oklahoma into NCAA Tournament
The road to Oklahoma City and the NCAA Softball Championship officially begins this week, and the Aloha State will be well represented.
Nine players from Hawaii high schools across eight collegiate programs are set to compete in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Among them, two standouts Maryknoll graduate Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and 'Iolani alum Ailana Agbayani are suiting up for top-ranked Oklahoma, the four-time defending national champions.
Oklahoma is the only school in the tournament featuring multiple players from Hawaii. And for McEnroe-Marinas, her redshirt freshman campaign has been nothing short of remarkable. After bouncing back from injury, she was named a team captain, an uncommon honor for an underclassman. She enters the postseason batting .345 with 14 home runs.
'It's a blessing,' McEnroe-Marinas said. 'I'm just so grateful for all the things that I went through and all the things that I've learned from the past captains. Just being able to soak all of that in is a huge honor. But definitely with this team, I'm not doing anything alone.'
Asked how her upbringing helped shape her leadership style, McEnroe-Marinas credited her island roots.
'The Hawaiian culture is unmatched. I think it's a big reason why I got picked to be a captain in the first place,' she said. 'Being able to grow up in that environment and bring that environment here to Oklahoma and spread the aloha. It's just amazing.'
Agbayani, a junior transfer from BYU, has made an immediate impact, batting .331 with 31 RBIs this season. Together, the duo brings island flair and culture to Norman, something McEnroe-Marinas says their teammates appreciate.
'In our BP sessions, we're the only ones vibing out to reggae,' she joked. 'I love having Ailana on this team. We never had the opportunity to be teammates growing up, and now we do, it's insane.'
In addition to the Sooners' duo, seven more Hawaii high school graduates are featured on tournament rosters:
2025 NCAA Softball Tournament – Hawaii High School Graduates
• Oregon: Braiesey Rosa (Waianae) – Sophomore Catcher
• San Diego State: Quinn Waiki (Campbell) – Freshman Infielder
• Arizona: Jenna Sniffen (Maryknoll) – Freshman Infielder
• Santa Clara: Cairah Curran (Campbell) – Sophomore IF/OF
• Grand Canyon: Lovey Kepa'a (Leilehua) – Senior Infielder
• Georgia: Mua Williams (Kamehameha) – Freshman Utility
• Howard: Kenna Higa (Kamehameha) – Senior 1B/3B
• Oklahoma: Nelly McEnroe-Marinas (Maryknoll) – Freshman Infielder
Ailana Agbayani ('Iolani) – Junior Second Baseman
Top-seeded Oklahoma opens tournament play on Friday against Boston.
For a look at the complete bracket and schedule, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
USC baseball ace Caden Aoki granted extra year of eligibility, enters transfer portal
USC baseball ace Caden Aoki granted extra year of eligibility, enters transfer portal On Monday, USC baseball's season came to an end in the NCAA Tournament. After making their first postseason appearance in 10 years, the Trojans fell to Oregon State in the final of the Corvallis Regional. On Wednesday, the Trojans got more tough news when it was reported that their top pitcher, Caden Aoki, will be entering the transfer portal. Aoki was a senior this past season, but was granted an additional season of eligibility by the NCAA. However, it now appears as though he will spend that season elsewhere. After spending his freshman year at Notre Dame in 2022, Aoki transferred to USC prior to the 2023 season. He emerged as the Trojans' top starting pitcher over the better part of the past three seasons. In 2025, he went 6-4 with a 3.99 ERA. However, it was the NCAA Tournament where Aoki forever etched himself into Trojans lore. In USC's tournament opener against TCU, Aoki allowed just one run over eight innings, throwing 114 pitches. For his performance, he was named to the all-Corvallis Regional team. While the Trojans were likely expecting to lose Aoki anyway, seeing him hit the transfer portal would be a tough loss. Given that USC lacked pitching depth behind Aoki in 2025, it will be critical that head coach Andy Stankiewicz address the position this offseason.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Chase Burns projected to start at Knoxville
Chase Burns projected to start at Knoxville Knoxville (25-28) will continue its home series Friday against Chattanooga (26-24) at Covenant Health Park. The Lookouts lead the series, 2-1, against the Smokies. Former Vol Chase Burns (5-1) is projected to start for Chattanooga on Friday. Nick Dean (1-0) is also listed as Knoxville's projected starter for Game 4 of the Double-A Southern League series. First pitch between the Smokies and Lookouts is slated for 7 p.m. EDT on Friday. Burns played for the Vols from 2022-23 before transferring to Wake Forest in 2024. He was selected No. 2 overall in the first round of the 2024 MLB draft by Cincinnati. Burns (13-5) appeared in 35 games, including 22 starts, at Tennessee. He recorded a 3.54 ERA, 217 strikeouts and two saves in 152.1 innings. Tennessee (57-9) won the SEC regular season and tournament championships in 2022. The Vols were a No. 1 overall seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament and were eliminated in super regional play by Notre Dame. Tennessee advanced to the College World Series in 2023. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Tony Vitello discusses returning to Arkansas for Fayetteville Super Regional
Tony Vitello discusses returning to Arkansas for Fayetteville Super Regional No. 14 national seed Tennessee (46-17) advanced to a super regional after winning the Knoxville Regional. The Vols will face No. 3 national seed Arkansas (46-13), Saturday-Monday, in the NCAA Tournament Fayetteville Super Regional. The Fayetteville Super Regional will mark the Vols' second series at Arkansas in 2025. Arkansas won a regular-season series finale against Tennessee, 2-1, May 15-17, at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Since playing at Arkansas to conclude regular-season play, the Vols have compiled a 5-2 record in the SEC Tournament and Knoxville Regional. Tennessee defeated Alabama and Texas, while losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. More: How to watch NCAA Tournament baseball super regionals: Times, TV channels Ahead of the Game 1 between the Vols and Razorbacks, eighth-year head coach Tony Vitello discussed Tennessee returning to Arkansas for a second time this season. 'I think every game we've played since we've been there has been basically cut-throat,' Vitello said. 'I know it's double elimination format once you get to the regional. Different type of format going to Hoover this year, and we've had some good appearances or runs in Hoover, but we've also had a couple times, whether it went good or bad, the first day wasn't great. Our guys were tremendous against Alabama right out of the chute, and then the Texas game. I haven't rewatched it, but I'm going to wait and we'll rewatch the whole regular broadcast, not just our scouting report one, because it was an ESPN classic. I don't see how that one didn't help both teams in some way, shape or form, or at least I can say that it helped ours. Didn't go the way we wanted in game three, and then, you know, we go to the regional, but all those scenarios, whether they were positive or negative on the scoreboard, were great for our team. 'So, little more experience, little more maturity, and then I think as the years gone on, blame the coaches or me for taking too long, but I think it's been a year where you're kind of sorting out what do you want the lineup to be, where you want certain pitchers to go, and I think we have a better understanding of that now than maybe we did back then, or definitely prior to that.' More: Tennessee baseball versus Arkansas 2025 Fayetteville Super Regional game times, TV Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
