« Softball 2019

Sydney Romero

School
University of Oklahoma
Position
Infield
Major
Criminology

Classroom

Sydney Romero has been named to the dean’s honor roll (3.50-3.99 semester GPA) once in her OU career. She has earned Sooner Scholar (3.00 GPA cumulative or term) honors five times in her OU career and has been on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (3.00 GPA term) five times.

Character

Romero will always step up to the challenge. Three years younger than her older sister, Romero has had the shadow of her older sister’s success in the sport they both are very good at playing. Romero has always followed her own path, making her own choices, celebrating her skill in her own way. She has played key roles on two national championship teams, three regional champion and five Big 12 champion (three regular season and two tournament) teams.

After playing shortstop her entire career, Sooner coaches suggested she move to third base during her freshman year. It was going to be best for the team if she made the move, according to her coaches, so she made the switch. It didn’t take long for her to be known as one of the top players at that position in the country. Romero gives her full attention and commitment to anything that directly benefits the team. She is a passionate leader on and off the field and has become a leader in keeping life in balance.

Community

To talk about Romero’s involvement with the community, one must understand that helping others and playing for others is just who she is. The best example is the relationship that has been formed between Romero and the Nalepa family. The first OU recruit for Coach Patty Gasso was Nicole (Myers) Nalepa, a four-time letterwinner. In 2017, Nalepa’s daughter was killed in a car accident and the Sooner softball team, led by Romero, began to play for Kelsey. Romero and Kelsey played the same position, and Romero felt a link she could not deny. In addition to writing Kelsey’s initials on her visor, Romero got a purple butterfly tattoo, both favorites of Kelsey. Romero led the team in winning for Kelsey, including dramatic wins in the WCWS that led to the 2017 National Championship. Fast forward to today, and Kelsey’s family has adopted the California-native Romero. For Romero, it’s all about family.

Additionally, the softball team is very active with community service projects, and Romero takes the lead. Projects include the Patty Gasso Softball clinics, nursing home visits at Halloween, mentoring and encouraging patients at the Oklahoma Children Hospital, taking food to the local fire stations, Oklahoma Kids Korral, the Toby Keith Foundation, volunteering at a Tulsa hospital and the annual costume fundraiser Halloween game. She has also taken initiative in joining with other student-athletes to share her faith at local churches, creating Christmas shoe boxes for children, helping with Cleats for Kids and helping with the OU Food Drive.

Competition

Romero was a 2018 first-team NFCA All-America selection. She has been named to the NFCA All-Region Team three times, earning first-team honors in 2018 and second-team in 2016 and 2017. She has been named to the All-Big 12 Team three times: first-team in 2018 and second-team in 2016 and 2017. She also added Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors in 2016.

Named to the 2017 and 2018 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Teams, Romero was a top-25 finalist for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. She also was selected for the 2016 WCWS All-Tournament Team. In 2017, she was placed on the 2017 USA Softball Top 50 Preseason Watch List and ranked No. 22 on ESPNW’s 2017 Preseason Top 25 Players Countdown. In her inaugural collegiate season, she was one of 25 finalists for 2016 NFCA Freshman of the Year.

Named Big 12 Player of the Week four times, she also played in the 2015 World Cup of Softball as a member of the USA Junior Women’s National Team member and added a WBSC Junior Women’s World Championship gold medal to her collection that year.

She led the Sooners in 2017 and 2018 in at-bats and hits and tied for the 2018 team lead in doubles and sacrifice flies. Her at-bat/strikeout rate has been among the best in school history with three seasons showing up on the career top-10 list. With her dual citizenship, she will try out for Team Mexico this summer as she pursues her dream of playing in the Olympics.