Tag: Haley Lee

Tiare Jennings signs with the Oklahoma City Spark

Tiare Jennings is the latest Oklahoma great to sign with the Oklahoma City Spark.

The Oklahoma City Spark added another Sooner superstar to their lineup. Already boasting a squad that features former OU greats [autotag]Keilani Ricketts[/autotag], [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag], [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], Kinzie Hansen, Rylie Boone, and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], the Spark have added one of the best to ever play the game, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag].

Jennings won four national championships with the Sooners. In 2024, she made the move to shortstop and hit .370 with 25 home runs and 69 RBIs. It was her third season with Oklahoma that she hit more than 20 home runs in a season and finished third all-time in NCAA history in home runs with 98 homers in her career.

The Spark will welcome the Chatanooga Steam for three games at Devon Park starting Tuesday night before hosting the New York Rise for a three-game series starting Friday night in Oklahoma City.

For their full schedule or for ticketing, go to OKCSpark.com.

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Sooners Rylie Boone signs with the Oklahoma City Spark

Another Sooners great is heading to Oklahoma City as Rylie Boone signs with the Spark.

After four straight national championships, several Oklahoma Sooners are making the move up I-35 to continue their softball careers. Both [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] have signed with the [autotag]Oklahoma City Spark[/autotag] and they’ll also add Oklahoma outfielder [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag].

Boone is the third Sooner to sign with the Sprk in the last few days and joins Hansen, Coleman, [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag], [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag], and Oklahoma legend [autotag]Keilani Ricketts[/autotag] in OKC.

In her four-year career with the Sooners, Boone hit .407 and provided a second lead-off hitter at the bottom of Oklahoma’s lineup, setting the table for the top of the order.

Much like Coleman, she was fantastic in the outfield and on the bases, electrifying with her speed and ability to make teams pay for throwing errors.

 

The Spark will open their season on Wednesday, June 19, in the Scenic City Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn., against the New York Rise. Oklahoma City will return to the Sooner State for two games against Great Britain’s national team and then face Team USA in a two-game set from June 27 to 30 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

For their full schedule or for ticketing, go to OKCSpark.com.

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Jayda Coleman signing with the Oklahoma City Spark

The Oklahoma City Spark add another Sooners great with the signing of Oklahoma centerfielder Jayda Coleman.

There may not be a more fitting professional landing spot that [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and the Oklahoma City Spark. OKC announced on Monday that the former Sooners centerfielder and Gold Glove Award winner has signed to play with the Spark.

Coleman was the 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year and the spark to Oklahoma’s offense over the last four years, spending a big portion of that at the top of the lineup. She earned four All-Big 12 first team selections and was a four-time national champion.

She provided highlight reel plays and big-time at-bats for the Oklahoma Sooners, wowing the softball world with her playmaking ability.

More: A look back on Jayda Coleman’s career with the Oklahoma Sooners

In 2024, Jayda Coleman hit .385 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs. She started 248 of 249 possible games with the Sooners and hit .414 with 47 home runs and 185 RBIs with an on-base percentage of .545.

Coleman came through in the clutch in Oklahoma’s winner-take-all game against Florida in the national semifinals, hitting the walk-off home run to propel the Sooners into the Women’s College World Series Finals.

Coleman will join former teammates [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Haley Lee,[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] along with former Sooner legend [autotag]Keilani Ricketts[/autotag] with the Spark, who begin their season this week.

Coleman is the second Sooner to join the Spark over the last few days, following Hansen’s signing late last week.

The Spark will open their season on Wednesday, June 19, in the Scenic City Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn., against the New York Rise. Oklahoma City will return to the Sooner State for two games against Great Britain’s national team and then face Team USA in a two-game set from June 27 to 30 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

For their full schedule or for ticketing, go to OKCSpark.com.

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Sooners catcher Kinzie Hansen signs with the Oklahoma City Spark

Kinzie Hansen is continuing her softball career in the Sooner State, signing with the Oklahoma City Spark.

Coming off another fantastic season behind the plate for the Oklahoma Sooners, captain [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] is staying home to continue her softball career.

On Friday night, the [autotag]Oklahoma City Spark[/autotag] announced that Hansen signed with the ball club.

Hansen joins former Sooner teammates [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag], [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag], and [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] along with OU legend [autotag]Keilani Ricketts[/autotag].

A fan favorite, Hansen takes her bat to a OKC roster that is full of firepower. In 2024, Hansen hit .404 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs. She had a two-run home run against Texas in game one of the Women’s College World Series Finals to help give the Sooners a 4-1 lead early in the game.

But as important as Hansen’s bat was to the Sooners this year, her work behind the plate was invaluable. Her steady leadership, defense behind the plate, and how she worked with pitchers has been the key to Oklahoma’s success over the last five years.

The Spark will open their season on Wednesday, June 19, in the Scenic City Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn., against the New York Rise. Oklahoma City will return to the Sooner State for two games against Great Britain’s national team and then face Team USA in a two-game set from June 27 to 30 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

For their full schedule or for ticketing, go to OKCSpark.com.

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9 Oklahoma Sooners included in D1Softball’s top 100 players from 2023

After a historic year, nine Oklahoma Sooners were featured in the top 50 of D1Softball’s top 100 players of the 2023 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a historic year. They had a record-breaking win streak that reached 53 games by the end of their national championship three-peat. The three national titles in a row mark only the second time it’s been done in the history of the sport under the NCAA.

You have to go back to the early days when UCLA won three in a row in the 1980s. At a time when the talent is at an all-time high and it’s spread throughout the nation, Patty Gasso’s Sooners beat the best of the best on their way to their third straight national championship and a 53-game win streak to close the season.

It was a total team effort, but there were several individuals that played significant roles along the way to help Oklahoma secure its seventh national title in school history.

Reflecting on the offseason, D1Softball ranked the top 100 players from the 2023 season, and nine Oklahoma Sooners were included in the top 50. Let’s take a look.

Oklahoma should target Indiana All-American Taryn Kern in the transfer portal

If the Oklahoma Sooners are looking to add another bat to their lineup, Indiana transfer Taryn Kern may be the answer.

The Oklahoma Sooners have done a fantastic job retooling their roster with their high school recruiting prowess and through the transfer portal. Oklahoma’s star power is homegrown, but there’s no denying the impact the portal had on this year’s team.

[autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag], [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] played significant roles in Oklahoma’s 61-1 national championship season. With Storako and Lee out of eligibility and Grace Lyons departing, there’s room for the Sooners to dip into the portal for an infusion of talent.

One player they should take a look at is Indiana’s [autotag]Taryn Kern[/autotag]. Kern led the Hoosiers with a .404 batting average, 23 home runs, 68 RBIs and 68 runs scored. Each of those marks broke Indiana softball single-season records. She was second in the nation in home runs and fifth in runs batted in.

In the NCAA tournament, Kern hit ,300 with one home run, two RBIs, and three runs scored in four games in the Knoxville Regional.

As a freshman, Kern was a D1Softball All-American and NFCA second-team All-American and an NFCA freshman of the year finalist in 2023. Kern was Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023.

She played second base for Indiana, which would either require Kern or [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] to move to shortstop.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a great deal of talent coming back for the 2024 season, and they will be the favorite to win the national title yet again. But if they wanted to bolster their ranks further, taking a run at Kern would provide another great bat to the lineup.

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Jordy Bahl shuts out Florida State, leads Oklahoma Sooners to 5-0 win

The Sooners got a fantastic performance from Jordy Bahl, who recorded 10 strikeouts in Oklahoma’s 5-0 win over Florida State in game one of the Women’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a great start in their Women’s College World Series championship showdown with Florida State with a 5-0 win to take game one.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] got the start for the Sooners and she was absolutely dominant. Bahl kept the Florida State bats at bay, allowing just two hits and a walk in a complete game shutout. She struck out 10 Seminoles. It was the second time in the last week that Bahl recorded a complete game shutout after blanking the Cardinal 2-0 in an 11-strikeout performance.

It took a while for Oklahoma’s offense to get going in this one. But with Bahl dealing, they could afford to be patient at the plate.

But in the fourth inning, the Sooners broke through. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] reached on a hit-by-pitch after Patty Gasso successfully challenged the call at the plate. Then Gasso inserted Bahl to pinch run for Lee at first. And Bahl made the call look genius on [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]’s double, coming all the way around from first to put the first run of the game on the board.

After Hansen advanced on a passed ball, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] brought her in with an RBI single to make it 2-0. Brito advanced to second on a fielder’s choice before going to third on [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] single that died at the plate. Brito scored on a throwing error on the play, putting Oklahoma up 3-0.

Bahl provided the shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the Seminoles in order.

In the bottom of the fifth, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. Hansen came through again with her second RBI again, driving Coleman in from second base.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 5-0 and set a new record for RBIs in a career in the Women’s College World Series with 29 in her three trips to the Women’s College World Series.

Kinzie Hansen continued her hot run through the NCAA tournament, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. She’s batting .500 throughout the postseason and has three home runs and 13 RBIs for the Sooners.

But the story of the game was the pitching. Jordy Bahl has been the most outstanding player of the Women’s College World Series. She’s 4-0 and hasn’t allowed a run in 21.2 innings pitched in the WCWS, and has 30 strikeouts across four appearances.

Oklahoma forced Florida State to use four pitchers to keep from utilizing their ace Kathryn Sandercock, who will most assuredly start game two against the Oklahoma Sooners. [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] will have a decision to make between Alex Storako and Nicole May in game two of the series.

The Sooners and Seminoles square off Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. Game three, if necessary, will be played on Friday on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.

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Oklahoma leads the way with seven D1Softball All-American selections

The Oklahoma Sooners led the way with seven selections, including five on the first-team, in @D1Softball’s All-America teams.

The Oklahoma Sooners dominated the All-American selections from D1Softball, with seven selections, including five first-team selections. Tennessee is the only other team with two first-team selections.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] were voted to the first team. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag] were second-team selections.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] has been the Sooners’ go-to in tough spots this season. Bahl is 18-1 in 2023 with a 1.08 ERA and is allowing opponents to hit just .164 on the season.

Bahl was joined on the first team by Alabama’s [autotag]Montana Fouts[/autotag], Florida State’s [autotag]Kathryn Sandercock[/autotag], and Tennessee’s [autotag]Ashley Jones[/autotag].

Kinzie Hansen earned her first-team selection after hitting .415 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs on the season. She’s been fantastic in the postseason for the Sooners, going 9-for-16 (.562) with two home runs and nine RBIs. Hansen’s heroics in game two gave Oklahoma a chance to win the game, break the record for consecutive wins in a row, and advance to the Women’s College World Series for the seventh consecutive season.

Tiare Jennings leads the Sooners with a .436 batting average and 60 RBIs. She’s second on the team with 16 home runs on the season, behind third baseman Alyssa Brito.

Brito is hitting .411 with her team-leading 17 home runs and is just an RBI behind Jennings with 59 RBIs.

Rounding out the first-team selections for the Sooners is center fielder Jayda Coleman. The Sooners’ leadoff hitter is batting .417 and has career highs in home runs. (16) and RBIs (46) while still getting on base at a .500 clip.

Haley Lee earned second-team utility honors by hitting .399 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs. She’s come through for the Sooners in clutch moments all year. Her grand slam against Clemson on Friday helped break open a 4-2 contest to give the Sooners the win in game one.

Grace Lyons has an argument to be made to be a first-team player as the best shortstop in softball. The Big 12 defensive player of the year didn’t have the numbers she had a year ago at the plate but has still been fantastic, hitting .331 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs.

The Oklahoma Sooners open Women’s College World Series play against No. 9 seed Stanford on Thursday at 1:30 pm CT on ESPN.

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Power hitting paces the Oklahoma Sooners in win over Clemson

In the blink of an eye, the Oklahoma Sooners can put up a big inning like they did against Clemson in their 9-2 win over the Tigers.

One of the intriguing storylines to follow heading into the super regional matchup between Oklahoma and Clemson was how well the Tigers could keep the Sooners’ long ball in check.

Clemson’s pitching staff arrived in Norman allowing just 15 home runs all season long. Oklahoma had hit 104 home runs during the season. Something was going to give.

In game one, it was the Sooners’ power hitting that was the biggest difference in the game.

Even in the first inning, though they didn’t hit a home run, it was shots to the warning track that allowed Oklahoma to get on the board first. A leadoff double by [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] followed by back-to-back warning track sacrifice flies scored Coleman to put the Sooners up 1-0 in the early going.

Clemson had been making noise throughout the first four innings, though they’d yet to get to [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag]. Clemson starter [autotag]Valerie Cagle[/autotag] held Oklahoma to just one hit through three innings and none after Coleman’s leadoff double.

In the bottom of the fourth, [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] hit her third home run in as many games to give the Sooners a more comfortable 4-0 lead. That bomb was just an appetizer to the fifth inning feast Oklahoma would have at the plate.

The Tigers responded in the top of the fifth, finally pushing a couple of runs across the plate on Oklahoma’s ace.

But that seemed to awaken Oklahoma’s lineup in the bottom of the frame. Rylie Boone got the inning started with a bunt single down the first base line, and Coleman and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] followed with back-to-back singles. Then came [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] with the grand slam followed by [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag]’s bomb to give Oklahoma a commanding 9-2 lead.

And just like that, any chance Clemson had at stealing game one from the Sooners was gone.

That’s what the Sooners do. They can score in a hurry and they do so in an emphatic way. Just when Clemson had roared it’s way back into the game in the top of the fifth, the Sooners flipped a switch and shut the lights out on the Tigers.

That’s one of the reasons the Sooners are so hard to beat. They don’t have an easy out in the lineup, and they can erupt out of nowhere and put a big inning together to put games away like they did against Clemson on Friday.

Now the Sooners get set to take on the Tigers in game two to earn another Women’s College World Series berth and set a new record for consecutive wins. But in order to do that, they’ll need to find the same “pass the bat” mentality that’s carried them all year long.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from Saturday’s 9-2 win over Clemson.

 

Oklahoma Sooners win 47th straight game in 9-2 victory over Clemson

The Oklahoma Sooners tied the all-time record for consecutive wins with their 9-2 win over the Clemson Tigers.

Oklahoma shrugged off a slow start to beat Clemson 9-2 in the first game of the Norman Super Regionals. The Sooners tied the all-time NCAA softball winning streak at 47 games in a row, which was previously held by the 1996-97 Arizona Wildcats. The Sooners are now 55-1 on the year.

To start the game, Clemson didn’t do much and only got one hit in the first inning. Haley Lee then helped Oklahoma with a sac-fly that brought in Jayda Coleman to make the score 1-0 after one inning.

In the second, the Sooners took advantage of a Clemson error to extend their lead to 2-0. While Oklahoma was leading, Clemson’s Valerie Cagle was keeping the Sooners’ bats in check for the most part.

In the fourth, Cydney Sanders broke the game wide open. for the Sooners with a two-run home run to make the score 4-0. It was the third straight game with a home run for Sanders, who now has seven on the season.

The game got interesting again in the top of the fifth.

Clemson scored two runs thanks to a double by Caroline Jacobsen that scored McKenzie Clark and Ansley Houston. The Tigers had been getting to Jordy Bahl throughout the contest but finally broke through to give the Sooners a scare.

Staying steady, Oklahoma pulled away for good in the bottom of the fifth. Rylie Boone got the inning going with a leadoff bunt single. Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings followed suit with singles of their own to load the bases. Haley Lee then came to the plate. After working a 3-1 count, Lee went deep to center for a grand slam and an 8-2 lead.

Alyssa Brito provided the exclamation point in the game with her 15th home run of the season to make it 9-2.

The sixth and seventh innings were very quiet with neither team getting a hit the rest of the game.

Jordy Bahl started the game for the Sooners with 5.1 innings pitched. She allowed eight hits, two runs and had six strikeouts. She battled throughout the game, stranding Clemson runners in the first three innings. Bahl moved to 17-1 on the season. Alex Storako provided 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to close the game for Oklahoma.

National Player of the Year finalist, Valerie Cagle, had a strong start to the game. And despite the two runs allowed in the first two innings, she limited the Sooners lineup from making more noise until the fourth and fifth. Cagle pitched four innings and allowed eight runs on seven hits and had two strikeouts in the game.

Oklahoma and Clemson will meet again in the second game of the Norman Super Regional on Saturday at 12 p.m. An Oklahoma win would send the Sooners to the WCWS, while the Tigers need a win to stay alive in the NCAA Tournament.

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