Tag: Jordy Bahl

‘We’ve got six very viable pitchers’: Sooners have a loaded pitching staff once again

The Sooners pitching staff might be as deep as it’s been in recent memory.

Softball season is finally here, and the Oklahoma Sooners are looking to make history once again. The back-to-back-to-back national champions are looking to win their fourth championship in a row. A feat that has never been accomplished in the sport of softball.

The Sooners return a number of players from last year’s national championship team, including [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], and [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] who have been a part of all three.

The Sooners’ pitching staff may have the biggest question marks. Simply because they lost [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] from last year’s team. But they added an All-American in [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag], and [autotag]Paytn Monticelli[/autotag] to go along with May and sophomores Kierston Deal and S.J. Guerin.

Patty Gasso spoke about how deep she feels her pitching staff is this season. “We’ve got six very viable pitchers,” Gasso said. “All of them could help us in some way shape or form. It may be very likely you see Nicole May get things started because she’s like the matriarch of this pitching staff. She’s earned it and deserved it. But you are going to see a lot of looks this weekend as well. We’ve got to get this figured out as to who is going to be a game-changer for us in the first three weeks.”

The Sooners start their season with two top-10 teams in their first three games. If they can get past both of those, they’ll have plenty of time to play with their pitching rotation to be prepared for conference play.

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Sooners unanimous No. 1 in ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason top 25

The Oklahoma Sooners enter the season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation by ESPN/USA Softball. How does the rest of the top 25 look?

The Oklahoma Sooners enter the season as the No. 1 team in the nation following a 61-1 season and third straight national championship.

Though they lost a number of impact players off of last year’s squad, they still feature some of the best that college softball has to offer. With Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen and Alyssa Brito at the plate and Nicole May and Kelly Maxwell in the circle, the Sooners have a ton of star power that gives the Sooners a chance to do something that’s never been done before; win four consecutive national titles.

They’ll face challenges from across the country, but the Oklahoma Sooners have had a target on their back for years and continue to fend off all comers.

Who are the teams that are expected to be the biggest threats to the Queens of Softball’s crown? Here’s a look at the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25.

Nebraska softball pitcher ranked one of the top players in the country

Two Nebraska softball players have been ranked as top 100 players heading into the 2024 season.

Two Nebraska softball players have been ranked as top 100 players heading into the 2024 season. Pitcher Jordy Bahl was ranked No. 2* (subscription required) in D1Softball’s preseason top 100 player rankings.

Bahl is spending her first season at Nebraska after spending her first two seasons at Oklahoma. In her two seasons in Norman, she was a 2x Women’s College World Series Champion, Women’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player, a 2x All-American, and 2x Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.

A Nebraska native, Bahl attended Papillion-La Vista Senior High School. During her career, she had a 95-3 record with a 0.63 ERA and 978 strikeouts en route to winning three state championships.

Husker infielder Billie Andrews also made the list, coming in at No. 42. Nebraska last made the College World Series in 2013.

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7 Sooners included in D1Softball’s top 100 players entering 2024

The Oklahoma Sooners were well-represented in D1 Softball’s top 100 players ahead of the 2024 season.

The top team in the nation for the last three seasons is reloaded and ready to defend their crown in 2024.

Riding a 53-game winning streak, the Sooners enter the season as the No. 1 team in the nation and look to win a record-setting fourth-consecutive national title.

Though they experienced some turnover, like the loss of Jordy Bahl to Nebraska, the Sooners are still the most talented team, top to bottom. They have a deep lineup and once again a deep pitching staff thanks to Patty Gasso and Jennifer Rocha’s recruiting at the high school ranks and via the transfer portal.

Seven Sooners were represented in D1Softball’s preseason top 100 players (subscription required) in college softball. Oklahoma claimed two of the top six spots, four in the top 15, and six players in the top 26 in the nation. Five of those six are returning from the 2023 season.

Stanford was the only other team with multiple players in the top 15, with [autotag]NiJaree Canady[/autotag] ( No. 4) and [autotag]Taryn Kern[/autotag] (No. 12). Former Sooner [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] came in at No. 2 in the nation behind Clemson’s Valerie Cagle at No. 1.

Here’s where the seven Sooners landed in the annual preseason ranking.

Nebraska softball goes 7-1 in the 2023 fall season

The Nebraska softball team took part in its fall portion of the 2023-24 season.

The Nebraska softball team took part in its fall portion of the 2023-24 season. The season involved an eight-game stretch for the Huskers across the first two weeks of October.

The Huskers played six games at home, where they went 6-0 and traveled to Kansas City for two games, where they went 1-1. The loss came against South Dakota State in a 1-0 shutout. Nebraska earned its seven wins against Omaha, Kansas City, Creighton, South Dakota and Colorado State. The Huskers clashed with Colorado State three times, each one resulting in wins.

Oklahoma transfer Jordy Bahl led Nebraska both at the pitcher’s mound and the batter’s box throughout the eight games. In the win against Omaha, Bahl delivered two hits, two runs and an RBI off four at-bats. She also had three hits, an RBI and a run off three at-bats in the win over Creighton.

On the mound, Bahl struck out 13 batters in the loss to Kansas City and gave up just four hits and one run. She also pitched a shutout win in the first game against Colorado State, firing five strikeouts and only surrendering one hit.

Nebraska also took the fall season as an opportunity to retire Taylor Edwards’ jersey number, making her the sixth Husker in program history to receive the honor.

Nebraska will begin the spring portion of the season on Feb. 8, when it’ll compete in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge. The Huskers first game in the tournament will be against Washington and is set for 6:30 p.m..

Twitter Reacts: ESPY award goes to the more popular team, not the ‘best team’

At the ESPYs, the award went to the more popular team and not the “best team” and social media reacted accordingly.

In an event that is supposed to be the sporting world’s answer to the Oscars or the Grammy’s, the ESPYs fell short of legitimacy in their Best Team award on Wednesday night.

A fan vote decided that the Kansas City Chiefs were the best team of the last year, snubbing an award that should have very easily gone to the record-setting Oklahoma Sooners softball team.

Led by Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and former Sooners [autotag]Creed Humphrey[/autotag] and [autotag]Orlando Brown Jr.[/autotag] (now with Cincinnati), the Chiefs were great in 2022 on their way to a Super Bowl win over [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag], [autotag]Lane Johnson[/autotag] and the Philadelphia Eagles.

But the fan voting aspect of the award took away a chance to recognize the greatness that was Oklahoma softball in 2023.

The Sooners lost one game in their third straight national title run. In February, they lost a one-run affair, 4-3, to the Baylor Bears. They didn’t lose another game the rest of the season. Not in Big 12 play. Not in the regionals or super regionals. Not in the Women’s College World Series.

The Sooners ended the season on a record-setting 53-game winning streak to capture their third consecutive national title. Their three-peat is only the second time the feat has been accomplished. The last time was nearly 40 years ago in the infancy of the sport at the NCAA level.

This team had the best offense in the country, the best ERA in the country, the best player in the NCAA tournament ([autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag]), and arguably two of the best position players in the sport in [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]. And there’s no argument that they have the best coach in the sport leading the best team in sports with [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] at the helm.

Yes, it was a fan vote. Yes, the NFL is the more popular sport. And yes, the ESPYs missed an opportunity to honor a phenomenal feat on a public stage when the award was given to the more popular team and not the best team.

Here’s a look at how Twitter reacted to the snub.

Oklahoma’s Jennifer Rocha named NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year

After a phenomenal season for Oklahoma’s pitching staff, Assistant Head Coach Jennifer Rocha was named the NFCA Assistant of the Year.

After a phenomenal season in the circle for the Sooners, Oklahoma assistant head coach and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha was named the Easton/NFCA Assitant of the Year for 2023.

It’s Rocha’s second award in her career and first since joining the Sooners, according to SoonerSports.com. It’s the second time an OU assistant taken home the honor, but the first since Melyssa Lombardi won the award in 2017.

Oklahoma’s pitching staff achieved great success in 2023, helping the Sooners secure their third straight national title and seventh overall. Oklahoma led the nation with a 0.96 ERA, more than a half a point better than Central Arkansas at 1.50.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag], [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], and [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] held their opponents to a .162 batting average and set a school record with 35 shutouts in 62 games. They allowed four or more runs in a game just four times this season and allowed just 53 earned runs on the season. The group of stellar pitchers recorded 460 strikeouts on the season to become a key x-factor for the Sooners.

It was a phenomenal season for Oklahoma’s pitching staff. Led by Jennifer Rocha they put together an incredible performance to help Oklahoma capture the 2023 national title.

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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.

Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, and Iowa athletes nominated for ESPY awards

LSU and Iowa will battle it out again, but this time they won’t be wearing basketball shoes or playing on the hardwood.

2023 ESPY award nominations have been announced and Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, and Iowa all have athletes nominated for awards. The 2023 ESPYs will air live on Wednesday, July 12, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC from Los Angeles.

LSU and Iowa will battle it out again, but this time they won’t be wearing basketball shoes or playing on the hardwood. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese of LSU will vie for position against Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, and Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners for the Best Breakthrough Athlete award.

Gymnast Trinity Thomas of Florida is nominated for Best Play for her perfect 10 which tied the All-Time NCAA record. She is the only Florida athlete represented in the nominations. She competes for the award against UCLA soccer player Ally Lemos with the perfect corner to tie the National Championship game and two other professional athletes.

Oklahoma Sooners softball and LSU women’s basketball are nominated for Best Team. The Sooners will also be represented as softball player Jordy Bahl is nominated for Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports along with  Caitlin Clark, Izzy Scane of Northwestern Lacrosse, and Trinity Thomas.

Recipients of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, and the Pat Tillman Award for Service will be announced next week.

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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