Tag: Kinzie Hansen

Oklahoma Sooners beat No. 1 Texas 8-4, win 4th straight national championship

The Oklahoma Sooners made history as the first team to win four consecutive national championships with their 8-4 win over the Texas Longhorns.

The Oklahoma Sooners made history in their 8-4 win over the Texas Longhorns. The Sooners won their fourth-straight national championship, and this senior class capped off the most successful run in softball history.

The Texas Longhorns got the scoring going in the top of the second on Kayden Henry’s RBI single. But [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] answered with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning to put the Sooners up one.

The Longhorns tied the game up in the third off of starter [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag]. [autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] came in with the bases loaded and kept the game tied 2-2. Texas then took a 3-2 lead in the fourth.

In the bottom of the fourth, however, the Sooners began to take control. Consecutive singles by [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag], and [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] set the stage for [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag]. Sanders proceeded to launch a double to the right-center gap to clear the bases and put Oklahoma up 5-3.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] took over in the fifth and had a dominant outing with a 1-2-3 inning and got two outs in the sixth before [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] came in with runners on second and third. Maxwell induced a ground ball by Mia Scott, and a Texas run scored to make it 5-4. But Scott got caught off the bag, and [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] flipped the ball to Sanders to get the final out of the inning and leave a runner stranded on third.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Sooners ran away from the Longhorns. Boone earned a one-out single, Sanders walked, and Hodge was hit by a pitch to load the bases. [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] added to the Sooners lead with an RBI single through the right side of the infield. With two outs in the inning, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] continued her incredible postseason with a two-RBI single to put Oklahoma up 8-4.

In the top of the seventh, Maxwell went up against the heart of the Texas lineup. Maxwell got Viviana Martinez to fly out and struck out Big 12 Player of the Year Reese Atwood before getting Katie Stewart to ground out to [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], who made a perfect throw over to Sanders to get the final out and send the Sooners into the record books.

Maxwell earned her second save of the NCAA Tournament and earned Most Outstanding Player, going 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to the national championship.

It’s the Sooners’ eighth national title and their seventh since 2013. With four straight national titles, Oklahoma is the only program to accomplish this feat. The Sooners move into a tie for second with the Arizona Wildcats for most national titles.

Seniors [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], and [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] will go down as the most decorated class in softball history, with four national championships in their career.

With eight national titles, [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] is now tied for the most in the history of the sport.

It was an incredible run for the Oklahoma Sooners, who lost just one game during the postseason, dating back to their Big 12 tournament title run. In the two games against Texas the Sooners outscored their Red River Rivals 16-7 to win the national title.

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Best photos from Oklahoma Sooners 8-3 win over the Texas Longhorns

The Oklahoma Sooners came out swinging in their game-one win over the Texas Longhorns. The Sooners collected three home runs and three doubles to power past the Longhorns to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] got things going with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning and Oklahoma got back-to-back home runs from [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] and [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] in the third inning and never looked back.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] threw another complete game, recording eight strikeouts. She allowed just four hits and four walks to arguably the best offense in the country.

Now the Sooners are just one win away from capturing their fourth-straight national championship. But the Texas Longhorns won’t go quietly into the Oklahoma City night. The Sooners will be challenged in game two tonight at 7:00 p.m. CT.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 8-3 win over the Texas Longhorns.

More: Social Media reacts to Oklahoma’s 8-3 win over Texas in WCWS

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 9-1 WCWS win over Duke

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 9-1 win over the Duke Blue Devils in the Women’s College World Series.

If you’re a fan of one of the seven teams not named the Oklahoma Sooners, there was a time you felt pretty good about your team’s chances to win it all in 2024. Well, that time may have passed after Oklahoma’s 9-1 run-rule win over the Duke Blue Devils to open the Women’s College World Series.

In Duke, the Sooners faced the team with the best ERA and opponents’ batting average of the eight team field. And Oklahoma had 11 hits, three walks, and nine runs in the win.

The Sooners earned four extra-base hits, led by a trio of two-run homers from [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag]. Hansen’s homer was the sixth WCWS of her career, moving her into third all-time. As she’s done over and over again, Hansen continues to assert herself as one of the best postseason performers of all-time.

In the win, the Sooners move on to face the UCLA Bruins on Saturday in the winner’s bracket.

Oklahoma Sooners power past Duke 9-1 in Women’s College World Series opener

A trio of two-run homers from Kinzie Hansen, Alynah Torres, and Cydney Sanders paced the Sooners in their 9-1 run-rule win over the Duke Blue Devils to open the Women’s College World Series.

The Duke Blue Devils came into their opening game of the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag] against the Oklahoma Sooners as the No. 3 team in RPI. And the Oklahoma Sooners made quick work of the ACC Champions, earning a 9-1 run-rule win.

Duke actually struck first with a lead-off home run in the second inning from Francesca Frelick to put the Blue Devils up 1-0. The Sooners threatened in the bottom of the second, but even with runners at the corners and just one out, couldn’t push a run across the plate against starter Cassidy Curd.

But in the third inning, the Sooners got a pair of two-run home runs from [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] to take a 4-1 lead. It was Hansen’s sixth WCWS home run of her career, moving her into third all-time. It was the first Women’s College World Series home run of Torres career.

 

In the bottom of the fourth, the Sooners really pulled away when Cydney Sanders hit a two-run home run to drive in Rylie Boone to go ahead 6-1. Hansen picked up her third RBI of the day when she drove in Maya Bland for a 7-1 lead. The home run was Sanders’ 14th of the season and her first since April 16 against Tulsa.

Oklahoma went down in order in the bottom of the fifth but earned the run-rule win in the sixth with an offensive barrage.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] led off the inning with a double, and Tiare Jennings singled and advanced to second. With runners on second and third with nobody out, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] and Riley Ludlam popped out, bringing up [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], who put her stamp on the game with a two-run walk-off single to end the game.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] had a solid outing to allow just one run but ran into trouble in the fourth when she walked two batters and hit a batter to load the bases. But [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] came in to end the bases loaded threat and allowed just two hits over her 2.1 innings pitched.

Maxwell went 3.2 innings pitched and allowed one run on one hit but walked four and struck out four to earn the win.

Coleman, Hansen, and Brito each had two hits in the game to lead the way for the Sooners, who had four extra-base hits in the win.

Among the eight teams in the Women’s College World Series field, Duke had the lowest ERA and opponent batting average. The Sooners knocked them around for 11 hits, three walks, and nine runs. It’s the eighth time in their 10-game winning streak that the pitching staff has allowed two runs or fewer and the seventh time Oklahoma has scored six or more runs.

The Sooners now move on to a Saturday matchup with No. 6 seed UCLA.

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5 Oklahoma Sooners earn NFCA All-American honors

Led by Tiare Jennings fourth first-team selection, five Sooners earned NFCA All-American Honors.

The Oklahoma Sooners head into the Women’s College World Series with one of the most talented teams in the nation. On Wednesday, five Sooners were selected to the Natioinal Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American Teams.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] earned first-team selections. For Jennings, it was her fourth first-team honor and is the sixth Sooner to earn that distinction. Jennings joins a who’s who of players in Oklahoma history. Norrelle Dickson, Keilani Ricketts, [autotag]Lauren Chamberlain[/autotag], Paige Parker, and [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag] also earned four first-team selections in their Sooners career.

Jennings is hitting .372 on the year with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs. It’s been a historic season for the Sooners infielder, who’s climbed into the top three in career home runs.

It’s the second consecutive first-team selection for Brito who had another phenomenal season for the Sooners. Brito is hitting .406 with 18 home runs, 13 doubles, and 59 RBIs this season and has been phenomenal at third base.

Centerfielder [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] joined Jennings with her fourth All-American selection, earning a nod for the second team. Coleman was arguably the biggest snub from the first team as the game’s best centerfielder. In 2024, she’s hitting .394 with 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, and has scored 68 runs. She leads the Sooners with a .532 on-base percentage.

[autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] also earned a second-team selection with nine home runs and 35 RBIs and was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. This is Hansen’s third All-American selection.

After a phenomenal first year in Norman, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] earned a third-team All-American pick, which is Oklahoma’s first for a freshman since Coleman and Jennings earned selections back in 2021. Parker is hitting .419 with 12 home runs, 14 doubles, and 57 RBIs.

Oklahoma was one of five teams to earn multiple first-team selections, joining Florida, Duke, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee. The Sooners also tied with the Gators with the most All-American selections.

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Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 11-3 win over the Florida State Seminoles

The Sooners earned a big win over Florida State in game one of the Super Regionals, and here are the best photos from the action.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a roaring start in their super regional matchup with the Florida State Seminoles. They struck first with a [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] home run and ran away from the Seminoles in an 11-3 win on Thursday evening.

Jennings is now tied with Sooners legend Lauren Chamberlain for third all-time in career home runs.

[autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] had a pair of home runs and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] added to the power display to give the Sooners four home runs in the win. In total, OU recorded 11 hits, 8 walks, and no strikeouts.

On a night when [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] wasn’t her sharpest, the offense picked her up with a fantastic showing in their first game of the Super Regionals.

“You know what, Kelly fought her rear-end off for this (victory),” Patty Gasso said after the win. “That’s a tough-hitting team. It’s like facing our own team. They swing. One thing they’re so good at, they probably hit 40 foul balls. Their at-bats lasted forever. I credit them for just being tough hitters, but I also credit Kelly for having to bear down and get through it. Holding them to three runs is big-time.”

Brito had a huge night, reaching base in all four plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a walk, two home runs, and three RBIs. The home runs were her first since April 26 against UCF. [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] also reached base four times in her 2-for-2 night with two walks and an RBI.

Now the pressure shifts to Florida State to try and extend the series to a game three. With the way the schedule sets up, Oklahoma may get an extended break if they were to close out the super regional with a win on Friday night. OU vs. Florida State was just one of two matchups to play on Thursday night, so the Sooners could get an extra day of rest ahead of the Women’s College World Series if they can secure the series tonight.

The Sooners and Seminoles will to Love’s Field at 7 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on ESPN2.

Here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 11-3 win over FSU.

No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners beat No. 1 Texas Longhorns 5-1, win Big 12 tournament championship

Kelly Maxwell recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just two hits to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to their second consecutive Big 12 tournament title.

Oklahoma Sooners pitcher [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] threw a gem, and the Sooners enacted Red River revenge on the Texas Longhorns to win the Big 12 tournament title.

Maxwell threw 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run on two hits and three walks. She recorded seven strikeouts against a vaunted Texas offense that was averaging just over 15 runs per game in its last five outings. Maxwell and the Sooners snapped Texas’ 18-game winning streak, which started with the second game of the OU-Texas three-game series in Austin.

Batting as the visiting team, the Oklahoma Sooners started early. [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached on an error by first baseman Katie Stewart. [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] picked up an infield single, beating the throw from second base on a slow dribbler. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] made her presence felt with a double to score Coleman. With Parker on third, [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] came through with a fielder’s choice RBI to put Oklahoma up 2-0 in the first inning.

Maxwell worked a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first but ran into trouble in the second. After a couple of strikeouts, Maxwell surrendered a walk to Joley Mitchell and Kayden Henry drove in the Longhorns only run of the game with a triple to right center. Maxwell ended the threat, leaving Henry stranded on third.

Like they’ve done so many times, the Sooners responded in the top of the third inning. Parker singled and advanced on a wild pitch. She came around to score on a hard-hit ball by [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] to put Oklahoma up 3-1. Hansen brought Brito around to make it 4-1. Hansen had a double that she nearly turned into a triple, but the Texas relay throw was just in time to get Hansen at third and retire the side.

The Longhorns couldn’t take advantage of a lead-off single in the top of the third as Maxwell retired the next three Longhorns in order.

The Sooners tacked on another run in the top of the fourth after [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] reached on another Texas error. Boone singled up the middle to score Torres to put the Sooners up 5-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, Maxwell needed just six pitches to retire the Longhorns in order. In the fifth, she surrendered a leadoff walk but struck out the next two Longhorns before inducing a ground out to end the inning.

In the sixth, Maxwell ran into trouble after she walked and hit Texas batters to put runners on first and second with nobody out for Big 12 Player of the Year [autotag]Reese Atwood[/autotag]. Atwood lined a ball to straight away center field that Jayda Coleman played perfectly to prevent the Longhorns from pushing two runs across.

But then [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] and Jennifer Rocha went to the bullpen and senior [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag]. May had struggled from the circle, but was flawless in her 1 2/3 innings of work. May recorded three strikeouts to help preserve the victory and give the Sooners the Big 12 tournament title for the second year in a row.

It was Maxwell’s second Big 12 tournament title in the last three years after beating the Sooners as a pitcher for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in 2021. In this one, against arguably the hottest team in the country, Maxwell was lights out.

With the win, Maxwell moved to 17-2 on the season. Ella Parker continued her incredible tournament with another two-hit game. Parker was named most outstanding player for the tournament. She was 7-for-9 in Oklahoma’s three games with a home run, two doubles, five RBIs and six runs scored.

It’s the Sooners’ ninth Big 12 tournament title since the formation of the conference. Now, they head into the NCAA tournament on a high note. The Oklahoma Sooners will host an NCAA regional next weekend, but we’ll find out who it is on selection Sunday.

After beating Texas to split the four games, the Sooners have a chance to move back into the top spot after Tennessee was bounced early in the SEC tournament by LSU and Oklahoma State lost to BYU in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament.

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Oklahoma Sooners advance to Big 12 title game with 13-2 win over BYU Cougars

Kierston Deal was magnificent and freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering led the way in Oklahoma’s 13-2 win over the BYU Cougars.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] no-hit the BYU Cougars for 4.2 innings, and the Oklahoma Sooners offense struck early and often once again to beat the Cougars 13-2 and advance to the Big 12 title game.

It was the freshmen that came through in the first. [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] got the scoring going in the bottom of the first with a solo home run. The Sooners kept the scoring going when [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] drove in [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] to put OU up 3-0 after one.

With Deal rolling, the Sooners tacked on two more runs in the third, taking advantage of a throwing error that allowed Brito to reach second. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] drove her in with a hard single through the right side to make it 4-0. After Hansen stole second on a hit-and-run attempt, Pickering picked up her third RBI of the game on a single through the right side, and Oklahoma extended their lead to 5-0.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Sooners put together a hit parade. [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] walked, and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached on a bunt single. Parker drove in Hodge to make it 6-0. Jennings walked to load the bases for Brito, who came through with a two-run single. Hansen earned her second hit of the day to drive in Jennings and make it 9-0. Pinch hitting for Pickering, Hannah Coor singled up the middle to bring in Brito and make the score 10-0.

With one out in the inning, [autotag]Maya Bland[/autotag] walked and Hodge drove in a pinch running Riley Ludlam on a sacrifice fly. With two outs in the inning, Coleman reached again on another BYU error, which scored another Sooners run and Parker picked up her third hit of the day on a rocket to left center field.

Freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering combined to go 5-for-6 with six RBIs. Alyssa Brito also had a three-hit game with a pair of RBIs.

Deal’s no-hit bid was ended in the top of the fifth after ESPN made an extended point to show that there were no hits on the scoreboard. The no-hitter was broken up on a bloop single to right field and the shutout came to an end on a two-run home run from Hailey Morrow. But it was a fantastic performance from Deal, who held the Big 12’s third-best scoring offense hitless for 4.2 innings. It was another tremendous start from the sophomore over the last couple of months.

Now, the Sooners await the winner of the other semifinal between the Texas Longhorns and the Baylor Bears.

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Sooners’ Kinzie Hansen named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year

Oklahoma softball’s Kenzie Hansen is the new Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12.

Oklahoma Sooners’ softball catcher [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] has been named the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12. The OU Softball account announced the recognition on Wednesday morning via social media.

The graduate senior and three-time national champion has been a leader behind the plate for [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag]’s team. Hansen leads the Sooners with a .415 batting average and has hit eight home runs along with 28 RBIs. She also has six doubles and 14 walks on the season.

Hansen has been a vital part of this four-year run, in the latest installment of the Gasso dynasty. In her time at Oklahoma, she’s hit 57 career home runs, 246 career hits and national championship rings from 2021, 2022 and 2023.

 

Hansen celebrated senior day along with her teammates last week, and the Sooners enter the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 2 seed this week. Oklahoma will face off against either Houston or Kansas on Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

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‘It’s going to be bittersweet’: Oklahoma Sooners’ seniors ready for final road trip

Heading to Orlando to take on the Knights, Oklahoma’s senior class goes on the road for the final time.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ senior class is one of the best senior classes in the history of softball. Most have been a part of the three straight national champions or at least a part of some of the national titles during this stretch.

Those seniors include [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag], [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag]. This weekend they head on the road for what might be the final time in their career.

After this weekend in Orlando vs. UCF, the Sooners will close out the regular season in Norman against Oklahoma State. Then it’s onto the postseason where OU won’t have to leave Central Oklahoma.

With the final road trip coming, what is Alynah Torres thinking ahead of their series with UCF.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Torres said. “I think it’s going to be bittersweet. It’s going to be a long flight so it’s going to be really cool just sitting there and thinking about it and just having a good time. I think road trips are always fun because that’s when you get closest with your teammates.”

Torres went on to mention she’s excited for this trip in particular because it’ll be the Sooners’ first time to head to UCF as members of the Big 12. What better way to go out than for a series sweep against a conference foe before the start of postseason play in a few weeks?

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