Haley Lee – Syndication Server

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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Social media reacts to Sooners 9-2 record-tying win over Clemson

The Oklahoma Sooners erupted for five runs in the fifth with a grand slam from Haley Lee and a home run from Alyssa Brito and social media was loving it.

Through the first three innings, Clemson starter and USA Softball National Player of the Year Finalist [autotag]Valerie Cagle[/autotag] held the Oklahoma Sooners to one hit.

Oklahoma manufactured a couple of runs, but nothing was coming easy at the plate. Then Cydney Sanders launched a two-run home run to give Oklahoma breathing room as Clemson threatened in each of the Tigers’ at-bats.

With the 4-0 lead after four, Clemson responded with a pair of runs, taking advantage of a throwing error and using some timely hitting to make it 4-2. That’s when the Sooners bats woke up.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] reached first on a beautiful bunt single followed by base hits from [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]. Then [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] came to the plate and mashed a grand slam for her 13th home run of the season. And if that wasn’t enough, Alyssa Brito followed Lee with a solo shot of her own for home run No. 15 of the season to make it 9-2.

And in a few swings of the bat, the Sooners went from a team that was facing a serious challenge to cruising to victory.

With the win, the Sooners have tied the all-time record with their 47th consecutive win.

Oklahoma Sooners advance to super regionals with 16-3 win over Cal

The Oklahoma Sooners advance to the super regional round of the NCAA tournament after a 16-3 win over California.

Oklahoma’s offense got going right out of the gate and didn’t look back as they dominated the California Golden Bears 16-3 in five innings. The Sooners hit six home runs in the game, extending their winning streak to 46 games.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] got the scoring going in the first inning when she launched a homer to make it 1-0. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] doubled, and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] hit a home run to put Oklahoma up 3-0. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] singled, and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] smashed a home run to extend the lead to 5-0. Jocelyn Erickson went back-to-back with Sanders with a solo shot to put the Sooners up 6-0 in the top of the first.

Jennings hit her second home run of the day in the top of the second to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead.

They kept the scoring going in the third inning. Rylie Boone brought in Hansen on an RBI single to make it 8-0 and put Oklahoma in run-rule territory. Coleman doubled to score Grace Lyons on an RBI, which made it 9-0. Jennings drove a double of her own to score Boone and Coleman and put the Sooners well out in front 11-0. Not to be outdone by Tiare Jennings, Alyssa Brito hammered her second home run of the day, a three-run shot to give Oklahoma a 14-0 lead after three.

Cal scored three runs on three hits in the third after loading the bases. Alex Storako wasn’t her sharp self, and Nicole May came in to limit the damage.

In the fourth inning, Grace Lyons hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Alynah Torres to make the score 15-3. Quincee Lilio then singled to right center and to score Jocelyn Erickson to extend the lead 16-3.

May was able to get the shutdown inning in the fourth inning before giving way to Kierston Deal who pitched a scoreless fifth.

Storako allowed five hits and three runs in 2.2 innings pitched. May and Deal combined to throw three innings of perfect ball, keeping the Golden Bears off the base paths once May entered the game.

Tiare Jennings went 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs, and three runs scored. Brito was 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. Haley Lee, Kinzie Hansen, and Jocelyn Erickson each had multi-hit games for the Sooners.

Oklahoma will now welcome Clemson for their three-game series in the super regional after the Tigers beat Auburn in a winner-take-all game Sunday afternoon. The Sooners’ 13 straight super regional appearances is the longest own the longest streak in the nation

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Jordy Bahl preys on the Tigers; Oklahoma beats Missouri 11-0

Jordy Bahl preys on the Missouri Tigers, allowing one hit and recording seven strikeouts in five innings of Oklahoma’s 11-0 win.

Oklahoma beat Missouri 11-0 to stay unbeaten in the Norman Regional. Oklahoma dominated the Tigers from start to finish thanks to a healthy combination of its offense and a strong performance from Jordy Bahl.

The Sooners got the scoring started as Jayda Coleman and Haley Lee reached base to put immediate pressure on the Tigers. After a double-steal, Cydney Sanders then singled, bringing in both baserunners to give Oklahoma a 2-0 lead.

The top of the order struck again in the top of the third. Coleman led off with a walk, and Lee drove her in with a double. Kinzie Hansen stepped up to the plate and launched a two-run home run to make it 5-0 after three.

The only thing notable in the fourth inning was Missouri’s lone hit of the game. Jordy Bahl, who was cruising, worked around the two-on, one-out situation with a fielder’s choice and a strikeout to end the inning.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Sooners got extended their lead thanks to the base running of Haley Lee. Lee advanced to second on Kinzie Hansen’s fielder’s choice and then took third and home on a pair of wild pitches from Missouri pitcher Megan Shumacher. Cydney Sanders then hit her sixth home run of the season to make it 7-0.

In the sixth inning, Tiare Jennings put the Sooners in run-rule territory with an sacrifice fly, but the Sooners went hunting for more. Quincee Lilio walked with the bases loaded and two outs to make it 9-0. Super senior Grace Green did what she does best, coming through in a pinch-hit situation with a pair of RBIs for an 11-0 lead.

Jordy Bahl got the start for the Sooners and was nothing short of dominant. She retired Missouri’s first nine batters. Bahl recorded seven strikeouts and allowed one hit in five innings pitched. The Big 12 first-team selection allowed just two base runners on the afternoon to improve to 16-1 on the season and lower her ERA to 1.10.

Kierston Deal relieved Bahl in the sixth and struck out two before a popup ended the game.

Jayda Coleman walked three times and scored each time she reached base. Haley Lee was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Cydney Sanders had a 2-for-3 day and Kinzie Hansen now has six RBIs in the NCAA tournament.

The Sooners have now outscored their Norman Regional opponents 22-0 and the pitching staff has allowed just two hits.

Now Oklahoma gets to breathe a bit as they wait to see who emerges from the loser’s bracket. Missouri will take on the winner of California vs. Hofstra Saturday night to see who gets to play the Sooners. The Sooners can wrap up the Norman Regional starting at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday.

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Oklahoma Sooners take home 7 NFCA All-Region honors

As Oklahoma prepares for the Norman Regional, seven Sooners were selected to the NFCA All-Region first and second team.

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to defend their back-to-back national championships, seven players were named to the NFCA All-Region first and second teams.

That’s a hefty number and one that’s tied for the most in the nation with LSU and Oklahoma State. The Sooners and Tigers led the way with five first-team selections while the Cowgirls had four.

The Sooners could have had a couple more players make the Central All-Region team. Nicole May and Alex Storako would have been worthy considerations as well. They’ve had fantastic seasons. May is second in the nation in ERA and Storako is fourth. Though neither player has thrown more than 100 innings at this point, they’ve been instrumental in the Sooners’ 43-game winning streak.

Here’s a look at the seven players who were named to the NFCA Central All-Region team.