Inside Pitch: 2025 Extra Elite 100 Infielder/Catcher Anna Hinde… “My Takeaways from the Oklahoma Prospects Camp”

The Summer is a busy time of playing in tournaments and attending camps and that’s what Anna Hinde, an infielder for Team NC has been actively doing over the last few weeks.

Anna was ranked in the Top 5 of the 2025 Extra Elite 100 as the incoming freshman from Charlotte, North Carolina has long been on the radar because of her strong arm and powerful bat.

In fact, she’s been invited to attend elite prospect camps since the fifth grade and one head coach of a Power 5 school told her, ““You would have had your hands full if the recruiting rules wouldn’t have changed.”

A week ago Sunday (June 27, 2021), Anna attended the Oklahoma Prospects Camp and shares her thoughts and experiences on what it was like to work out under the watchful eyes of the National Champion coaching staff.

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I had such a great camp experience working with the 2021 National Champions Oklahoma Softball!

After my first trip to the WCWS this year where I was fortunate to watch this amazing group of athletes play live, I was excited to return to OKC for the OU Prospects Camp on June 27.

I knew from the pre-camp email exactly how this camp would be run—there were so many details that I couldn’t imagine having any questions that were unanswered.

Returning from the Scenic City Showcase on Friday night and then flying out of Charlotte on Saturday afternoon, I was nervous when our flight to Oklahoma City was delayed.

We finally arrived and our very rainy drive to Norman made me wonder if we would need to be inside for camp the next morning. Camp check-in began at 8 am and I immediately noticed I was in very elite company.

Many camps I have attended will have a variation of talent levels, but it was exciting to see so many Extra Elite 100 2024 and 2025 athletes including some I have played against and some I have followed on social media for years.

The energy was palpable as we all began realizing this camp was going to be different!

With a forecast full of rain, Coach Patty Gasso announced that her field crew worked overtime to clear the field of water so we could be outside for as long as possible before the rain began again.

They had already divided the 60-plus campers into six teams and had three teams go directly to the stadium for games and the other three broke down by position for defense at the Everest Indoor Training Center.

I began camp on defense where I took infield instruction from Coach DJ Gasso and OU player, Caleigh Clifton. It was fast-paced, challenging and lots of fun. My coaches have always said you will rise to your level of competition and I felt, in this moment, it was such a true statement.

After 90 minutes on defense, we moved to the indoor batting cages at the stadium for offense. We were assigned to groups of four where we were guided by Coach JT Gasso and OU players Taylon Snow and Jana Johns.

I really enjoyed the Rapsodo portion and also hitting baseballs with baseball bats. After offense, they provided lunch and we had a 45-minute break.

When camp resumed, my team, Team 3, was ushered into the OU Softball classroom where we met with current Sooner All-American Jocelyn Alo who spoke with us in detail about Oklahoma’s recovery from their first game loss in the WCWS and how they changed their mindset as they continued competing.

I wanted to freeze time and take in every word she offered as I recognized what she was saying is part of what sets their program apart from others. They refer to it as a “Championship Mindset” and I wanted to know more.

We even had the opportunity to see the 2021 WCWS National Championship trophy.

Our meeting with Jocelyn was perfect timing leading into live game play where we would be coached by Coach Patty Gasso, Olympian Keilani Ricketts and OU players Jayda Coleman and Grace Lyons.

We had two pitchers on our team and each pitcher pitched through two sets of outs. I played third base for most of the games but also had a few innings in the outfield.

As an infielder/catcher, jogging to the outfield was a bit intimidating; however, after making a play in left field, the OU players were cheering me on knowing I was out of my comfort zone. As a hitter, the pitching I faced was incredible. I was able to make solid contact during my at-bats and even threw in a stolen base during my time on offense.

When the camp was over around 5 pm, we had the opportunity to chat with the coaches and players before we posed for some camp photos.

Also, it’s important to note that the 80 percent chance of rain never came and we even ended the camp with sunny skies!

Here are a few of my camp takeaways:

• Organization reduces stress and this camp was organized from start to finish. Lower stress levels equate to more fun and there wasn’t one part of the day that felt like work.
• Even though we had a lot of fun, there was a perfect balance of professionalism and respect shown by each coach and every player representing the program.
• Coach Patty Gasso is really funny. Watching her coach in the WCWS and watching her interviews, I had always thought of her as a very serious personality. She was a lot of fun and very encouraging. It was evident she loves her job. Also, she was so sweet when, during lunch, her grandkids came to the field to see their dad, JT Gasso and “help” him prep the field for the afternoon games.
• The atmosphere is different at OU. There is a swag of confidence blended with humility that is quite contagious. They love the game of softball and are obviously committed to finding the next generation of Sooners who fit their “Championship Mindset.”
• This camp was a 10 out of 10…if you get the chance to visit Norman, Oklahoma for an OU camp, don’t hesitate, you won’t regret it!

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