Tag: Tiare Jennings

‘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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Tiare Jennings taking over at shortstop for the Oklahoma Sooners

Meeting with the media Monday, Patty Gasso revealed that Tiare Jennings will be the Sooners new shortstop in 2024.

She’s had a remarkable run at second base during her career with the Oklahoma Sooners, but [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] has found a new home.

Meeting with the media on Monday ahead of this week’s season opener in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] revealed that her All-American second baseman will be sliding over to shortstop for 2024.

Replacing [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag], the game’s best defender for the last several seasons, is no small task. Though she’s been mostly known for her work at the plate, Jennings has been phenomenal at second base during Oklahoma’s three consecutive national championship runs.

Jennings has a career fielding percentage of .982 after posting a career-high .992 in 2023, a season in which she had just one error. She’s been as steady as they come at second base while combining with Lyons to form a deadly double-play duo the last several seasons.

While we have an answer for shortstop, the question moves to who will take over at second base. Gasso plans to platoon [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag], [autotag]Quincee Lilio[/autotag], and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] at that spot for the time being.

Hodge has made her mark as a pinch runner during her time with the Sooners, flashing her speed to put pressure on opposing defenses. Lilio has been a reliable bench piece for the Sooners, hitting .275 with a home run and nine RBIs in 40 plate appearances in 2023. Torres was the Sooners’ everyday right fielder in 2023 and hit .350 with two home runs and 23 RBIs last year. She has experience playing in the infield from her time at Arizona State and has a career fielding percentage of .944.

The Oklahoma Sooners will begin their title defense this weekend with a series in Puerto Vallarta vs. Utah Valley, No. 9/11 Duke, No. 10/7 Washington, and Long Beach State.

Oklahoma enters the season riding a 53-game winning streak.

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Alyssa Brito named top third baseman by D1Softball

Alyssa Brito joins fellow Sooners as top player at her position according to D1Softball.

While there might be a few positions that still have some question marks for the Oklahoma Sooners, wherever Alyssa Brito ends up playing is not one. Brito was a mainstay at third base the last season but the year before she started most of her games at left field.

She was so good at third base a season ago that she was named the top third baseman in the country by D1Softball (subscription required) heading into 2024. Brito is a career .362 hitter with 41 home runs and 137 RBIs. She also has a slugging percentage of .713.

2023 was a breakout season, finishing second on the team with a .412 batting average, leading the team with 17 doubles and tied for the team lead with 17 home runs last season.

There has been some talk about her possibly moving to shortstop with the loss of Grace Lyons. Which would be her third different position in her three years at Oklahoma. That just shows the versatility and commitment of the players that they would be willing to move to any position to help out the team. That was something brought up in one of the recent “Championship Mindset” series.

If Brito were to move, she would arguably be the best shortstop in the country as well. That’s just how good she is, especially in the field. She held a .960 fielding percentage with 45 putouts and 76 assists to just five errors last season.

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Tiare Jennings named top second baseman by D1Softball

Tiare Jennings has had a historic career which is why it’s no surprise she tops D1Softball’s second baseman power rankings.

We have now reached less than two weeks before the start of the 2024 softball season. The Oklahoma Sooners are once again the favorite to be crowned national champions.

A big reason why is they are loaded at just about every position. Earlier this week, we told you about Kinzie Hansen being named the top catcher in the sport, but now another Sooner has been named top at her position.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] was named the top second baseman by D1Softball (subscription required). Jennings has had an incredible career, starting when she first stepped on the diamond back in 2021 as a true freshman.

Since then, she’s only expanded upon that. She has a career batting average of .427 with 73 home runs and 245 RBIs. She would need 84 RBIs to become the all-time RBI leader in NCAA history, passing Arizona’s Jenny Dalton. She has had more than 84 RBIs twice in her career.

She won’t be able to catch Jocelyn Alo as the home run queen, but she does have a chance at passing [autotag]Lauren Chamberlain[/autotag] for second place all-time. She would need 23 home runs to do that, which is also something she’s done twice in her career.

This year could be a year of making history. Oklahoma could be the first team to win four straight national championships, and Jennings could make some history of her own.

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Kinzie Hansen named top catcher in college softball by Softball America

Softball America has released their positional rankings and the Sooners catcher ranks No. 1.

We are just two weeks away from it being softball time in Oklahoma. The back-to-back-to-back national champions start their season on the road at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

It’s not an easy start for the Sooners either. They start the season with two of their three games being against teams ranked in the top 10. Their all-time leading 53-game winning streak will be put to the test early.

But the Sooners returned a lot of their star power from a year ago. One of those is catcher [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] who was named the top catcher in college softball by Softball America (subscription required) earlier this week. In a tweet, Softball America said Hansen “sets the standard” for being an all-around catcher behind the dish and in the box.

Hansen absolutely does. She is arguably the best defensive catcher in the sport and then last season her bat came alive. She batted .409 with 57 RBIs and 13 home runs. Her most memorable moment wasn’t a great defensive play she made, although she made plenty of those as well, it was actually a clutch hit she made.

In Oklahoma’s second game in the Super Regional against the Clemson Tigers, Hansen came to the plate with the Sooners down 7-4 in the top of the 7th inning and their winning streak on the line. There were two people on base and arguably the best player in softball was staring at her on the mound.

She got down 0-2 in the count before rocketing a ball to deep left field for the game-tying home run. The Sooners would go on to win 8-7, advance to the Women’s College World Series and the rest is history.

Showing once again why the Sooners are lucky to have her behind the plate for one more ride.

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6 Sooners named to USA Softball’s Preseason National Player of the Year Watch List

6 Oklahoma Sooners were included in USA Softball’s preseason National Player of the Year watch list.

The Oklahoma Sooners are about to embark on another incredible journey when the 2024 season gets started. Owners of a record 53-game winning streak, they’ll have a chance to further extend their historic achievement deep into the year.

They’ll have a couple of top 10 battles with Washington and Duke on the first weekend of the season in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But if they can pass those tests, there’s no telling when the streak could come to an end.

The Sooners will get everyone’s best shot yet again in 2024, but they’ve got the talent to withstand every salvo, just like they did last year. Though they’re replacing Jordy Bahl, Grace Lyons, and Haley Lee, they brought in a talented freshman class and a number of impactful transfers to retool the roster.

But there’s more than enough talent to have another magical season and it starts with the six Sooners that were named to USA Softball’s National Player of the Year watch list.

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.

7 Oklahoma Sooners named to preseason All-Big 12 first team

The Oklahoma Sooners led the way with seven players selected to the 2024 preseason All-Big 12 team

The Oklahoma Sooners led the way with seven preseason All-Big 12 selections. Texas was the only other school with multiple selections to the All-Big 12 team with five.

The Sooners are about to embark on a season that could continue to provide historic moments.

When Oklahoma opens the year, they’ll look to extend their record 53-game winning streak as they look to be the first team in college softball history to win four straight national titles.

The Sooners were the preseason No. 1 team in the Big 12 and in the nation, according to D1Softball.

It’s a talented squad despite some transfer portal departures. Here’s a look at the seven Sooners selected to the preseason All-Big 12 team.

Oklahoma Sooners ranked No. 1 in D1Softball’s 2024 preseason poll

Surprise, surprise, the Oklahoma Sooners softball team is ranked No. 1 in a preseason poll. But how does the rest of the top 10 teams fall?

It’s Oklahoma’s world and the rest of the softball world is just living in it. The Sooners are coming off a 61-1 record, a 53-game winning streak and winning their third straight national championship.

With us being just a few weeks away from the start of the softball season, preseason polls are starting to come out. Surprise, there has been a unanimous No. 1 team so far.

But how does the rest of the top 10 shape up? Where does a team like Stanford that gave Oklahoma fits with freshman pitcher NiJaree Canady rank? What about a usual powerhouse UCLA? Let’s take a look at where D1Softball ranks these teams. 

Athletic Director Joe Castiglione gives update on OU Softball’s Love’s Field

Everything seems to be on schedule as Joe Castiglione gives an update on Love’s Field before opening day.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team is less than a month away from the beginning of the 2024 season. They’ll have a shot to extend their NCAA record 53-game winning streak. The Sooners have also won three straight national titles, which has only been done one other time (1988-1990 UCLA Bruins).

No program has ever won four straight national titles, but the Sooners have all of the ingredients to be the first. Oklahoma also has some more exciting news to look forward to this year. They are opening a new stadium, [autotag]Love’s Field[/autotag].

Last week, Athletic Director Joe Castiglione spoke about the progress of the stadium and whether it will be ready for opening day. “I drove through there with one of my deputies yesterday (Thursday) and they are working feverishly and have a March 1st functional occupancy deadline,” Castiglione said. “That everyone knows because that’s the first official game that will be played at Love’s Field.”

Castiglione added the workers were out putting in seats and the scoreboard recently. The Sooners played at the OU Softball Complex since it opened its doors in 1998. It was later named [autotag]Marita Hynes Field[/autotag] in 2004 for all of her contributions to the program.

Marita Hynes seats about 1,400 people, whereas Love’s Field is going to seat 4,200 people. That’s three times as many in attendance for your national champion softball program.

It’s a much-needed upgrade for one of the best programs of all time and for a sport that continues to grow in the state of Oklahoma.

The Sooners start the season on Feb. 8, 2024, with a couple of tournaments before they play their first home game in their new stadium on March 1, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. CT against Miami (OH).

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