Tag: 2022 Women’s College World Series

Oklahoma’s Grace Lyons picks up Big 12 player of the week honors

After a big weekend in Ames, Sooners shortstop Grace Lyons earned Big 12 player of the week honors.

It was another strong weekend for the Oklahoma Sooners in their road trip to Ames. In their three-game sweep over Iowa State, the Sooners outscored the Cyclones 26-3 and earned two run-rule victories to move to 30-1 on the season.

A big part of the Sooners’ success in their opening Big 12 series was the performance of senior shortstop [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag].

Over the weekend, the captain went 5-for-8 with two home runs, four RBIs, four runs scored, and added a walk for good measure. She raised her average by .33 points to .410 on the season.

With her performance, Grace Lyons earned Big 12 player of the week honors. It’s the second time she’s earned Big 12 weekly honors in her career.

Lyons hadn’t hit a home run through her first 17 games this season. Since returning for the Hall of Fame Classic in Oklahoma City, she’s hit four home runs in her last seven games.

In addition to her hitting prowess, Lyons has gone 22 straight games without an error after she had two against Liberty on the opening weekend of the season.

She had a career in 2022 where she hit .401 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs to provide a third power element to Oklahoma’s lineup after Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings.

Lyons and the Oklahoma Sooners get set for a top 10 matchup with Red River foe Texas in a rematch of the [autotag]2022 Women’s College World Series[/autotag]. The three-game series will be played at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. The event is sold out, and each game can be viewed on either ESPN+ or ESPN2.

Check out some of the best photos of Grace Lyons’ Oklahoma Sooners career.

2022 Women’s College World Series final does better ratings than CWS counterpart

With the Women’s College World Series coming out ahead, both the WCWS and the College World Series saw huge ratings in 2022

Both college softball and college baseball are considered growing entities, but, as of now, one appears to be ahead of the other, and it might not be what you think.

Both the Women’s College World Series and College World Series were broadcast on ESPN. The WCWS produced both a higher peak viewership and a higher average viewership. The WCWS accomplished this while having lower ratings than in 2021.

How streaming figures into this is a bit of a question mark. These are only cable numbers. When including cord-cutters, the numbers are going to be much higher.

This is a very good thing for the future of sports for women’s athletics and college sports in general.

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I’m just going to put this out there: The tournament that had the Oklahoma Sooners win yet another national championship had better ratings. I’m just saying.

After a bit of a down year in 2021, the CWS’ ratings were up 19% to get back to pre-pandemic numbers.

This is definitely something to keep an eye on in the future. Both baseball and softball are going to be getting more interesting at the collegiate level very soon.

More and more high school baseball players are opting to go to college with the MLB draft still shortened following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, in softball, Women’s Professional Fastpitch, a professional softball league is in its first season. The WPF has multiple former Sooners in its ranks, including Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo and WCWS Star Hope Trautwein.

ESPN put both the CWS and WCWS on their streaming service ESPN+, making it even easier to follow college sports than ever.

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Oklahoma Softball named NFCA Coaching Staff of the Year

After another incredible run to the national title, led by Patty Gasso, the Sooners were awarded the NFCA Coaching Staff of the Year.

After another dominant run and a second-straight national championship, the Oklahoma Sooners softball program received another honor as the NFCA coaching staff of the year.

The Sooners coaching staff of head coach Patty Gasso, associate head coach Jennefer Rocha, assistant coach J.T. Gasso, and volunteer assistant Kristin Zaleski were instrumental in Oklahoma’s season-long run as the No. 1 team in the nation.

Known for their offensive prowess, the Sooners dominated from the circle in 2022 as well, leading the country in earned run average and shutouts. From the plate, the Sooners finished the season ranked first in home runs, batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, and runs per game according to SoonerSports.com.

They were simply dominant in every facet of the game as they jumped out to an NCAA-record 38-0 start to the 2022 season. Jordy Bahl, Hope Trautwein, and Nicole May combined for 33 shutouts and eight no-hitters on the season.

Oklahoma’s offense dominated leading the Sooners to 41 run-rule wins on their way to a 58-3 record and their sixth national championship.

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Despite the loss of Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma Softball will remain offensive

Jocelyn Alo’s departure from the Oklahoma Sooners is one that will be felt, however, they have the talent and the depth to remain great at the plate in 2023.

You can’t lose a player like [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag] and not feel it in your lineup. The NCAA all-time home run leader carried that much of a presence. And while she’ll be missed for the bombs she launched and the joy in which she played, the Sooners’ offense will still be really, really good.

Will they be 40 run-rule wins good in 2023? Maybe not. However, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] will be the sparks that make that lineup special as well.

Tiare Jennings has been the protection for Alo’s career home run chase for the last two seasons and has been nearly as productive as the two-time Collegiate Player of the Year.

She’s hit over .400 for her career and has 56 home runs and 179 RBIs in her two seasons in Norman. She was absolutely incredible during the Women’s College World Series. She hit .523 with five home runs and 15 RBIs. If it weren’t for Alo’s historic season and postseason, all of the accolades that the super senior won would have gone to Jennings. She was that good.

At the top of the order, Jayda Coleman became the table-setter for the Oklahoma Sooners. Her .584 on-base percentage was second only to Alo’s and her 52 walks were just two fewer than Alo had in 2022. And not only did she get on base, but she was second on the team in batting average, hitting .424 as a sophomore.

And Coleman provided a bit of pop from the top of the lineup as well. She launched eight home runs and drove in 40 RBIs while finishing second on the team with nine doubles as well.

Of course, having Jocelyn Alo hit behind you helps, at the same time, teams wouldn’t want a runner on base for when the living legend stepped up to the plate. Coleman became as important a part of the Sooners lineup as Jennings and Alo in their back-to-back national title run.

And then there’s Grace Lyons who was one of the breakout stars for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022. Her power behind Jennings helped the Sooners offense reach new heights as she hit over .400 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs in 2022. One of the best defensive players coming into the season, Lyons turned herself into a feared hitter that will be a force again in 2023.

The Sooners will also return Alyssa Brito and Rylie Boone who came up huge at the plate throughout the season, and in the NCAA tournament in particular. Their timely hitting in the back half of the order kept the pressure on opposing pitching staffs and helped give the Sooners a dangerous lineup from top to bottom.

Again, you can’t replace Jocelyn Alo and you can’t pretend she won’t be a loss, but the Oklahoma Sooners will still be great at the plate in 2023 as they look for a three-peat as national champions.

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Jocelyn Alo named 2022 Women’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player

After a record-breaking Women’s College World Series, Jocelyn Alo was named the Most Outstanding Player for 2022.

An incredible end to an incredible career, Oklahoma Sooners’ slugger Jocelyn Alo was named the most outstanding player of the 2022 Women’s College World Series.

Though several Sooners could have laid claim to the title in any other year, Alo took her game to an almost unbelievable level.

She was an incredible 12-for-18 during the WCWS with five home runs and 13 RBIs as the Oklahoma Sooners captured their second straight national championship. In the regional and super regional rounds of the NCAA tournament, she added four more home runs and 10 RBIs.

While it took the entire roster to complete their start-to-finish run as the No. 1 team in the nation, Jocelyn Alo became the face of a dominant effort from an Oklahoma Sooners team that scored more than 500 more runs in 2022 than their opponents.

Alo’s set numerous records on the way to the Most Outstanding Player Award including WCWS career home runs, home runs in a single WCWS, total bases in a WCWS game, and runs scored in a single WCWS.

It was a dominant performance from a player that’s been brilliant her entire career with the Oklahoma Sooners. Though that was the last time we’ll bear witness to the greatness of Jocelyn Alo in an Oklahoma Sooners uniform, we’ll always have the memory of her incredible run.

Mahalo for everything Jocelyn Alo.

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Relive the magic of the Sooners 10-5 over Texas to win their 6th national title

Take a look back at the Oklahoma Sooners’ 10-5 win over the Texas Longhorns to claim their 6th national title in these stunning photos.

It was a season for the ages as the Oklahoma Sooners went coast-to-coast as the No. 1 team in the nation, all culminating with their 2022 national championship.

To win the WCWS championship over the first team to beat them during the season, the Texas Longhorns and a rival, made the win all the sweeter.

Oklahoma has now gone back-to-back for the second time in program history as they claimed their sixth title. They’re third all-time behind UCLA (12) and Arizona (8) and it doesn’t seem like a stretch that they’ll pass Arizona in the next five years for second place.

In the series-clinching win, the Sooners showed off their depth as Jocelyn Alo, one of the all-time greats, went just 1-for-3 with a walk on the evening. Everyone else had to step up.

Jayda Coleman stole the show defensively and had Twitter buzzing.

Oklahoma took advantage of a Texas error to get their first couple of runs across in the fourth and Kinze Hansen delivered the knockout blow with her three-run home run in the fifth inning. Grace Lyons followed that up with a three-run home run in the sixth to put the game out of reach and begin the seventh-inning ceremony.

Patty Gasso orchestrated an emotional exit for Jocelyn Alo, who started the seventh inning in left field and registered two putouts. After the second out, she lifted Alo to a roar from the crowd. And even though Texas got a three-run home run of their own to cut the deficit late, the coronation was just beginning.

The Oklahoma Sooners are the 2022 national champions.

Relive the Sooners’ 10-5 win over Texas to win the WCWS Championship in these incredible still photos.

Social media reacts to Oklahoma’s 10-5 win over Texas to claim their 6th national title

The Sooners put on a performance to remember to claim their sixth national title with a 10-5 win and it was the talk of the sports world.

The Oklahoma Sooners claimed the sixth national championship in program history with their 10-5 win over the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns rebounded from the 16-1 loss the night before to put up a fight for three innings until the Oklahoma Sooners offense got going in the fourth.

Though Texas tried to spoil a perfect night with a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, the Sooners were able to win their second straight national title and give Jocelyn Alo a proper send-off in her last game in an Oklahoma Sooners uniform.

The Sooners tied the game in the top of the fourth and then got three-run homers from Kinzie Hansen in the fifth and Grace Lyons in the sixth to break the game open. The eight runs combined over the fourth and fifth inning put the game away and the Sooners closed it out with two pop flies to Alo and a groundout to Tiare Jennings.

Fitting really, as the power duo of Alo and Jennings dominated in the Women’s College World Series.

As we revel in another national championship for Patty Gasso’s crew, let’s enjoy some of the best reactions social media had to offer, including thoughts from Oklahoma football and national media members of multiples sports.

Oklahoma Sooners capture 6th national title with 10-5 win over the Texas Longhorns

The Oklahoma Sooners erupted for four runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to beat the Longhorns 10-5 for their 6th national title.

The Texas Longhorns came to play in game two of the Women’s College World Series championship series. An excellent start by Estelle Czech kept the Sooners’ bats off balance for the first three innings, keeping Oklahoma scoreless. But just like death and taxes, the Oklahoma offense is inevitable.

The defense carried Oklahoma in the early frames, keeping the Longhorns from putting together far bigger innings than the two runs they got in the first inning.

Jayda Coleman came through with arguably the defensive play of the Women’s College World Series, when she skied above the fence to rob Courtney Day of what would have been a two-run home run to end the first inning for the Longhorns.

Jordy Bahl, getting the start settled in after that, limiting Texas to just three base runners over the next three innings.

Oklahoma rewarded Bahl’s bounce-back effort after a rough first inning by tying the game in the fourth before the Sooners erupted for four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.

In the four-run fifth, the Sooners put on a clinic on how to hit with two outs. Jayda Coleman and Jocelyn Alo were retired on long fly balls, but it was evidence that the Sooners were beginning to get a bead on what Czech was throwing. Tiare Jennings then kicked off a rally with a two-out single. Grace Lyons moved her to second after getting hit by a pitch. Then Alyssa Brito followed that with a double to score Jennings and put two on with two outs for Kinzie Hansen. Hansen, who hadn’t hit a home run since mid-April turned on an inside pitch to launch a three-run home run into the left field stands.

That made the game 6-2 and the Sooners were in complete control and didn’t stop there. Nicole May continued her strong relief efforts for the Sooners by retiring the Longhorns in order in the top of the fifth.

In the top of the sixth, the Sooners put four more runs on the board in a sixth inning kickstarted by Rylie Boone from the No. 9 hole. Boone singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jayda Coleman walked to put two on for Jocelyn Alo who followed with a single to load the bases for Tiare Jennings. Jennings drove Boone in with a sacrifice fly and then Grace Lyons cleared the bases with a three-run home run to give the Sooners a 10-2 lead.

May threw another strong sixth inning, allowing just a hit before retiring the side.

In the seventh, the Sooners’ bats went quietly, but in the bottom half of the inning was electric.

Jocelyn Alo entered the game for a rare appearance in left field and got the first two put outs before Patty Gasso lifted her for the curtain call to end her Oklahoma Sooners career.

Texas didn’t go quietly into the night as Hope Trautwein struggled with her command in her final appearance for the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas’ Mia Scott came in and hit a three-run home run to cut the lead to 10-5 with two outs remaining. After another walk, Trautwein settled in and threw strikes, getting Alyssa Washington to ground out to Tiare Jennings.

Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners now have six national championships in program history and five in the last nine seasons.

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Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners 16-1 win in game 1 over Texas

The Oklahoma Sooners put it on the Texas Longhorns 16-1 in the championship series opener and it left Social Media abuzz.

It’s becoming difficult to put together the words to describe just what the Oklahoma Sooners are doing to opponents at this point.

The Sooners’ 16-1 game one win over Texas was an absolutely incredible offensive display, something that we’ve seen from them before and yet somehow uniquely awe-inspiring. Each time they take the field, they seem to come up with a new way to amaze us as we watch arguably the most dominant team in the history of collegiate athletics. Brent Venables would agree.

They’ve become must-see television each night and as Jocelyn Alo plays the final games of her Oklahoma career, we’re witnessing history unfold before our very eyes.

Alo, the NCAA all-time home leader became the first player in NCAA history to lead the country in home runs in three seasons. Here two home runs last night gave her 34 on the season and tied her career-high from a season ago.

The Sooners also set a single-game record for most home runs in a WCWS championship game with six. Jocelyn Alo (2), Tiare Jennings (2), Taylon Snow, and Jana Johns each went yard for Oklahoma who took a 1-0 game series lead over the Texas Longhorns.

Alo and the Sooners still have some business to attend to tonight in game two of the series as Texas looks to give them their best shot to extend the series to a game three.

To get you ready for tonight’s matchup against Texas, let’s take a look at how social media reacted to the incredible game one performance, including a roasting of Oklahoma’s former head football coach, [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag].

You can also check out the incredible photos from last night’s game.

No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns: How to watch, stream, listen, and key players for game 2 of WCWS championship

After Oklahoma’s 16-1 win over Texas, the Sooners are one win away from their second straight national championship and here’s how to tune in.

The Oklahoma Sooners roared out of the gate in game one of the Women’s College World Series championship. Their 16-1 win tied an all-time record for most runs scored in a game, while their six home runs set a new record for a championship series game.

Jocelyn Alo, Tiare Jennings, Taylon Snow, and Jana Johns each hit home runs.

The Sooners chased Texas ace Hailey Dolcini after just 0.2 innings pitched making it likely that she’ll get the start again in game two. In her last two appearances against Oklahoma, the Sooners have tagged her for 10 runs, seven earned, in just five innings of work.

After Hope Trautwein threw 90 pitches to pick up her fourth win of the Women’s College World Series and sixth of the NCAA tournament, Jordy Bahl may get the start for the Sooners on Thursday night, which would be her first since a complete game, 7-1 win over Oklahoma State back on May 2, more than a month ago. She’s been solid in relief appearances in the the last week.

The Sooners look to finish off their back-to-back pursuit of the national championship and here’s how you can tune in to game two of the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag] championship.

  • Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
  • TV Channel: ESPN2
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
  • Radio Broadcast: The game can be heard on 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma and nationwide on The Varsity app.

It’s a matchup that has everyone pumped, including a couple of legends in the Red River Rivalry.

No. 1 Oklahoma vs Texas Longhorns

Players to watch:

No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners

[autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag]: .527 batting average with 34 home runs, 85 RBIs, 53 walks.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]: .391 batting average with 29 home runs and 86 RBIs, 39 walks.

[autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag]: .397 batting average with 22 home runs and 67 RBIs, 22 walks.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]: .424 batting average with 8 home runs, 40 RBIs, 51 walks, and 13 stolen bases.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag]: .419 batting average with 2 home runs, 27 RBIs

[autotag]Hope Trautwein[/autotag]: 22-1 with a 0.64 ERA, 157 strikeouts in 126 innings pitched.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag]: 21-1 with a 1.02 ERA, 203 strikeouts in 137.1 innings pitched.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag]: 15-1 with a 1.30 ERA, 97 strikeouts in 89.1 innings pitched.

Texas Longhorns

Janae Jefferson: .401 batting average with 7 home runs, 34 RBIs, 31 walks, and 16 stolen bases.

Mia Scott: .368 batting average with 3 home runs, 35 RBIs, 25 walks, and 26 stolen bases.

Mary Iakopo: .332 batting average with 11 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 27 walks.

Courtney Day: .312 batting average with 12 home runs, 34 RBIs, and 14 walks.

Hailey Dolcini: 24-12 with a 2.46 ERA, 217 strikeouts in 215.1 innings pitched.

Estelle Czech: 13-1 with a 3.11 ERA, 81 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched.

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