The Oklahoma Sooners have had the luxury of the two best defensive players in the game on the field at the same time over the last three seasons. [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag] were incredible for the Sooners again in 2023.
Coleman was named D1Softball’s Defensive Player of the Year, and now it’s Lyons’ turn to earn an award. The Sooners’ captain and shortstop was named Defensive Player of the Year by Softball America for her efforts in 2023.
Lyons, who had a stellar career at shortstop for the Sooners, posted a career-best .978 fielding percentage in 2023. She had just three errors in 134 chances during her final season of college softball.
Oklahoma’s captain, who was a five-year starter at shortstop for the Sooners, won the Rawlings Gold Glove award at her position this spring. She is Oklahoma’s first Gold Glove recipient in the two-year history of the award. – Softball America
This play from Grace Lyons was unreal yesterday. She stopped the ball first by going across her body deep in the hole & then made this throw using only core & upper body strength.
Watch in slow-mo as her momentum was still going towards the outfield. No one else makes this throw pic.twitter.com/7P5xXSic5X
— Kyle Davis (@TheDaringPastry) April 30, 2023
The Sooners had the best pitching staff in the game in 2023, marked by their NCAA-low ERA of 0.96. Jordy Bahl, Nicole May, Alex Storako, and Kierston Deal were fantastic in their own right, and a big reason for their success was the play of their defense behind them.
The Sooners had the best fielding percentage in the country, with Lyons and Coleman leading the way.
Heading into the offseason with their third straight national championship, the Sooners have a big hole to fill at shortstop with the graduation of Grace Lyons. She’s been a game-changing presence at short for the Sooners during her five-year tenure. Her leadership, ability at the plate, and defensive prowess will be truly missed when Oklahoma opens the 2024 season.