Tag: Jocelyn Erickson

Pair of Gators softball players named player of the year finalists

These two Gators are repping the Orange and Blue in the softball realm this season.

The 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year top-26 finalists were announced early on Wednesday afternoon, with a pair of members of the Florida Gators getting the nod for the prestigious honor.

Sophomore [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] and junior [autotag]Korbe Otis[/autotag] were the two members of the Orange and Blue who made the cut after playing all 51 games this season so far. Their team currently holds a 40-12 record overall with a 14-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play, ranked No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll and No. 12 in D1Softball’s tally.

Otis leads Florida with a .440 batting average out of the left field position, giving her the best mark in the SEC and 13th in the nation overall. The Littleton, Colorado, native also ranks third in the conference in runs scored (55) and hits (59) holds top 10 ranks in RBI (40, 9th), triples (3, 8th) and leads the league in walks (44); Otis’ .576 on-base percentage is the best in the nation.

Erickson has proven to be one of the best defensive catchers in the business this season, throwing out 11 of the 15 runners who have attempted to steal a base on her. The Phoenix, Arizona, native also has some pop with the bat, putting up a .398 batting average along with a league-leading 64 RBI — good for sixth-best in the country.

The Top 25 Finalists will be narrowed down to 10 athletes on May 15, followed by the Top 3 Finalists set to be released on May 20. The 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed before the Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled to take place from May 30 to June 7 at the Softball Capital of the World.

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Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Erickson enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma Softball’s Jocelyn Erickson enters the transfer portal per report.

Since the end of the 2023 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have had several departures via graduation and the transfer portal. None were bigger than Jordy Bahl’s relocation back to her home state of Nebraska. Another significant transfer portal entry occurred Monday: [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag].

According to D1Softball’s Brady Vernon, Erickson is in the portal after spending one year with the Sooners.

As a true freshman, Erickson saw a great deal of playing time early in the season for the Oklahoma Sooners, especially while [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] and [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag] were sidelined.

In her lone season, Erickson appeared in 57 games and registered 32 starts. She hit .337 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs. Erickson was hitting .371 entering the NCAA Tournament but went 2-for-11 in the postseason.

With the losses Oklahoma had suffered this offseason, there was a chance Erickson would have seen some time in the designated player role while continuing to back up Kinzie Hansen at catcher.

Instead, Erickson follows Bahl and [autotag]Sophia Nugent[/autotag] into the portal. Bahl landed with the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Nugent with the Tennessee Volunteers.

Erickson was the No. 10 player in the nation according to Extra Inning Softball and the No. 7 player in the 2022 class according to Max Preps. She was a first-team All-American and the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022.

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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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Oklahoma Sooners beat Oklahoma State Cowgirls 4-2 in comeback fashion

Oklahoma Sooners picked up their 40th consecutive win with four runs in the top of the seventh for a 4-2 win over Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma won game two of their three-game series against No.7/6 Oklahoma State 4-2 with three with four runs in the top of the seventh to improve to 48-1 on the season and 17-0 against the Big 12.

Oklahoma struggled most of the day on offense, with only three hits through the first six innings against Oklahoma State freshman pitcher Kyra Aycock. The Sooners then went to work in their final at-bat.

Oklahoma State lead 2-0 heading into the seventh after picking up an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth off of starter [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag].

[autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] doubled to lead off the inning, and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] followed that with a single to drive in pinch runner [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] from second.

Oklahoma State brought in the ace of their staff [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Rylie Boone drew a hit by pitch to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Maxwell was able to strikeout [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] to put pressure back on the Sooners, but after a wild pitch moved Torres on third and Boone on second, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] stepped up and blasted a two-run double to left center to put Oklahoma up 3-2.

“You can never count the Sooners out,” said Jennings after the game. “So much joy, so much fun playing. You can see that. We knew we were never out of this game, no matter what the score was, no matter what the inning was. We just knew in the dugout that we were gonna keep smiling, keep cheering and keep having fun.”

Cydney Sanders put the final dent in the score with an RBI single to make it 4-2. Maxwell walked [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], and Aycock came back in for Oklahoma State. She gave up a single to [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag] but then forced Haley Lee to pop out to end the threat.

Then it was time for freshman [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] to shine.

After coming in to record the final out of the sixth inning in relief of Nicole May, Deal retired the Cowgirls in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the come-from-behind win for the Oklahoma Sooners. She retired all four batters she faced, striking out two Oklahoma State batters in the process to move to 2-0 on the season. With the effort, Deal’s ERA is now 0.95 on the season.

“This team knows as long as they have one out left in a game, they’re never out of it,” Gasso said after the win. “You could feel that momentum come. They will not be denied. They believe in each other. They are unafraid of losing, and that’s a big deal.”

Nicole May battled for 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits, two runs, a walk, and striking out four. May didn’t factor into the decision but kept the Cowgirls from creating big innings with some clutch pitching.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 48-1 and 17-0 in Big 12 play on the season and have now won 40 games in a row, surpassing their 39-game winning streak from a year ago. The Sooners and Cowgirls will play the final game of the series and the regular season on Sunday afternoon at 2 pm CT in Stillwater. The game can be viewed on ESPN+.

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Jordy Bahl continues dominance in Sooners 3-0 win over No. 12 LSU Tigers

Jordy Bahl struck out 13 Tigers to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to a 3-0 road win over No. 12 LSU.

The Oklahoma Sooners went into a hostile environment in Baton Rouge and came up with a big 3-0 win against the No. 12 LSU Tigers. Jordy Bahl was phenomenal, throwing a complete game shutout, and striking out 13 batters for the win.

At the plate, the Sooners scored three in the top of the second, and that’s all the offense they’d need for the win.

[autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] reached on an error and advanced to second on an errant throw. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] then drove her in with a single up the heart of the Tigers’ defense. Then with two outs in the inning, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] gave the Sooners a pair of insurance runs with a two-run home run to make it 3-0.

On Tuesday night, in a big-time nonconference matchup getting the ESPN2 nationally televised broadcast, Bahl delivered.

Only in the sixth inning did the Tigers threaten to put a dent in Oklahoma’s 3-0 lead. LSU was able to get runners on first and second with two outs and [autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] at the plate. Coming into the matchup with Oklahoma, Clark had three home runs in her previous four games, according to the ESPN2 broadcast. She battled Bahl to a full count before lining to Alyssa Brito at third base to end the inning.

Bahl allowed just three hits on the evening and walked one batter to continue a dominant run that dates back to March 13. Since allowing two runs in two innings pitched to Mississippi State on March 11, Bahl’s allowed only one run in her last 38 innings pitched.

In that same span, she’s recorded 53 strikeouts and allowed just 12 hits. To say she’s been on a roll of late is an understatement. Against a good LSU squad, Oklahoma needed Bahl to step up, and she did in a big way. She’s shown time and again in her first two seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners that she’s made for the moment.

Bahl moved to 12-1 on the season and lowered her ERA 1.30. She’s recorded 105 strikeouts in 81 innings in 2023.

The Sooners moved to 37-1 on the season and remain undefeated against top-25 opponents at 13-0. This was their 23rd shutout of the season. Oklahoma has won 29 in a row as they get set for the Miami (Ohio) Tournament, where they’ll face Oakland, Louisville, and Miami this weekend.

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No. 1 Oklahoma Softball vs. No. 9 Texas: How to watch, weekend preview, key players, schedule,

Weekend preview of the Oklahoma Sooners’ three-game series against the Texas Longhorns. Game times, how to watch, key players, prediction.

The Red River Showdown resumes this weekend at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City and then heads to Marita Hynes Field in Norman for a renewal of one of the great rivalries in college softball.

The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners play host to the No. 8/9 Texas Longhorns in what’s anticipated to be a capacity crowd.

A rematch of the 2022 Women’s College World Series, the showdown is getting the attention it deserves with the Saturday and Sunday games getting a bump from ESPN+ to ESPN2.

Gone are stars Jocelyn Alo and Janae Jefferson, but the series still has a ton of star power on both sides. Although for Texas, it takes on a bit of youth movement.

Juniors Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, and Alyssa Brito lead the way offensively for the Sooners, while freshmen Leighanne Goode and Reese Atwood do a lot of the heavy lifting for the Longhorns.

It will be a fantastic series between the two sides, here’s what you need to know to get ready for the top 10 rivalry series.

Alex Storako, Kierston Deal combine for one-hitter, Sooners defeat Weber State 16-0

Alex Storako and Kierston Deal combine for a one-hitter as Oklahoma’s offense explodes in 16-0 win over Weber State.

After a low-scoring Friday on the first day of the Hall of Fame Classic, the Oklahoma Sooners erupted for 30 runs in wins over Weber State and Auburn on Saturday.

In the first game, the Sooners beat the Wildcats 16-0. It was another strong pitching performance from [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag], who moved to 9-0 with three shutout innings. Storako was perfect and threw struck out six in the abbreviated outing. [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] pitched two innings of one-hit ball for the combined shutout.

At the plate, [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] led the way for the Sooners’ offense.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] walked and stole second to lead off the game. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] followed that up with a walk of her own, and the two advanced on a passed ball. Having a fantastic season for the Sooners, Haley Lee came to the plate and doubled to put Oklahoma up 2-0 early in the first. Lee advanced to third and then scored on a wild pitch and a passed ball to put the Sooners up 3-0.

But Oklahoma wasn’t done in the first. [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] singled, and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] doubled to put runners on second and third for [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]. Hansen drove both in with a single to make it 5-0.

By the end of the first, the Sooners were up 9-0 and scored without hitting a home run in the inning.

Oklahoma added four more in the second inning, including a two-run home run for Sophia Nugent. Well within run-rule territory and with Alex Storako cruising, Oklahoma added another run in the third and two more in the fourth to come away with the big win.

In the win, Haley Lee was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Kinzie Hansen was 3-for-4 with one run scored and a pair of runs batted in. Alynah Torres was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Nicole May shines, Alynah Torres hits grand slam in Sooners 8-0 win over SDSU

Alynah Torres hit her first home run of the season and Nicole May extended her scoreless innings streak in the Sooners 8-0 win over SDSU.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] kept her incredible start to the season going, throwing four innings of scoreless ball to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to an 8-0 run-rule win over South Dakota State on Monday night.

The impromptu matchup came as the Sooners’ finale with Omaha in the Bulldog Invitational was canceled due to the potential for inclement weather. Oklahoma didn’t miss a beat, jumping on the Jackrabbits early and maintaining control throughout the game.

May, who ran her scoreless inning streak to start the season to 43 innings, picked up her seventh win of the season. She allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out seven in the shutout effort. [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] pitched the fifth for the combined shutout, but May was phenomenal in the circle.

At the plate, Oklahoma took advantage of the control issues from South Dakota State’s Tori Kniesche. After [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] flied out to centerfield, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] drew walks before [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] to the plate with two outs and an opportunity to put Oklahoma ahead early in the game.

She made Kniesche work to a full count before launching her first home run of the season, a grand slam, to give the Sooners a 4-0 lead after one. It was Torres’ first home run of the season after hitting 16 for Arizona State a year ago.

Oklahoma loaded the bases again in the second, this time on a pair of singles by Jayda Coleman and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]. A two-out walk earned by Lee brought [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] to the plate with an opportunity to add to the Sooners’ lead with two outs in the inning. As she’s done regularly this season, Hansen came through with a two-RBI single to make it 6-0.

The Sooners went down in order in the third but picked up the offensive barrage in the fourth inning. [autotag]Quincee Lilio[/autotag] reached on an error and advanced to second. With Coleman at the plate, Lilio advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jennings brought drove Lilio in with a sacrificed fly, but Coleman was doubled-up at first. However, Oklahoma was able to add to their lead, making it 7-0 through four.

Oklahoma took advantage of South Dakota State’s control struggles and put the first two batters on base via walk in the bottom of the fifth. After Sophia Nugent and Jocelyn Erickson walked, [autotag]Alynnah Torres[/autotag] reached on an error to load the bases. With one out, and the bases loaded, [autotag]Alyssa Britto[/autotag] picked up Oklahoma’s second hit by pitch and sixth walk of the evening to drive in the winning run.

The top of the order was strong once again for the Oklahoma Sooners. Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, and [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] were a combined 2 for 4, but reached base six times, scored four runs, and had an RBI. No other Sooner reached base multiple times in the game.

The win moves Oklahoma to 21-1 on the season and sets them up for a top-five showdown with the Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday night in Norman.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 pm CT and can be seen on ESPN+.

Jordy Bahl perfect in Oklahoma Sooners 13-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana

The Oklahoma Sooners got a perfect performance in the circle from Jordy Bahl, and OU’s offense responded with 13 runs on 17 hits in their win over Southeastern Louisiana.

For the second time in her career, [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] threw a perfect game, and the Oklahoma Sooners blasted Southeastern Louisiana in a 13-0 run-rule win to open the Bulldog Invitational in Starkville, Miss.

Bahl threw five innings of perfect ball and struck out eight to lead the Sooners. She only had seven balls put into play and the defense was up to the task to assist the sophomore pitcher in perfection.

Oklahoma got off to a great start in this game. Jayda Coleman led off with a double and [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] hit her fourth home run of the season to put Oklahoma up 2-0 in the first. A SE Louisiana error allowed [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] to score to make it 3-0, and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] scored on [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag]’s double.

Up 4-0 in the second, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached base with a walk and Haley Lee singled to put runners on first and second with two outs for [autotag]Sophia Nugent[/autotag]. Facing an 0-2 count, Nugent hit a three-run home run to put the Sooners up 7-0. It was Nugent’s fourth home run of the season.

Still in the second, Brito reached on another single and scored on an RBI double from Kinzie Hansen to make it 8-0 after two.

In the third, the Sooners tacked five more runs on the board with doubles from [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag], and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag].

Lee went 3 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs to raise her batting average on the season to .490. Brito also went 3 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI. She’s now hitting .460 on the season.

As for Bahl, she had a strikeout in each of the first two innings and then a pair in the final three innings of the game. She averaged 3.53 pitches per at bat. It was an efficient performance from the circle on a day when the Sooners’ offense dominated.

With Bahl’s performance, she lowered her ERA to 1.83. Here’s a look at some of the social reactions to Jordy Bahl and the Oklahoma Sooners’ performance in the win over Southeastern Louisiana. Oklahoma goes back to work at 6 p.m. CT against Mississippi State.

No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners complete sweep of No. 17 Kentucky with 7-1 win

Jordy Bahl threw a complete game and recorded 2 RBIs, and Jayda Coleman hit a three-run home run in OU’s 7-1 over Kentucky.

Oklahoma didn’t score in the first, but it didn’t take long to assert themselves in the second game against No. 17 Kentucky. After beating the Wildcats 18-0 on Friday night, the Sooners picked up the win 7-1 to move to 16-1 on the season.

The Sooners erupted for five runs in the second, all with two outs. After [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] lined out to second to start the inning, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] singled and stole second. [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] popped out, and [autotag]Sophia Nugent[/autotag] walked to give the Sooners runners on first and second and the top of the order coming up.

Jordy Bahl got the scoring going with an RBI single, driving Brito in from Second. Putting her power stroke on display yet again, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] blasted a three-run home run to put the Sooners up 4-0. Then, after Tiare Jennings drew a walk and [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] singled to center, [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] doubled to score Jennings to bring it to 5-0 after two innings.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] was cruising through three and added another RBI in the fourth to help her own cause and put the Sooners up 6-0. Bahl didn’t allow a hit until the fourth. She was fantastic yet again, allowing one run on six hits with no walks.

Bahl raised her batting average to .400, going 2 for 3 on the day with her two RBIs. Jocelyn Erickson had another big day at the plate. She was 3 for 4 with an RBI and raised her batting average to .583 on the season. Coleman also had a multi-hit game, going 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs.

Coleman now has five home runs on the season, tying Erickson for the team lead. Coleman’s on pace to set a new career high in home runs. Her previous high was in 2021, where she hit nine home runs as a true freshman.

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