It’s been a good week for Oklahoma Softball. On Tuesday the Sooners were unanimously voted as the top team in the country going into the season. On Wednesday four members of the 2022 squad were named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Among the 50 players listed are OU’s Jocelyn Alo, Kinzie Hansen, Jayda Coleman, and Tiare Jennings.
This marks the fourth consecutive season that Alo has been on the watch list as she looks to become the second Sooner to repeat in winning the award since Keilani Ricketts did so in 2012 and 2013. A First Team NFCA All-American in 2021, Alo recorded program records for home runs (34), batting average (.475) and total bases (203) in 2021, including an NCAA-best 1.109 slugging percentage in 2021.
Jennings wasthe 2021 NFCA DI National Freshman of the Year and unanimous NFCA First Team All-American selection. She had one of the most dominant first-year campaigns in not only Oklahoma, but NCAA history. Jennings set the NCAA single-season freshman RBI record with 92 and finished with 27 home runs on the season which was just three away from the NCAA freshman HR record. Jennings also led the NCAA with 25 doubles and was second nationally, behind Alo, with a 1.000 slugging percentage.
Coleman, another NFCA First Team All-American and top-three finalist for the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year, was an All-Big 12 and all-freshman team selection last season. She led the team with 20 stolen bases and was second on the team with a .545 on-base percentage.
Hansen may be the most “under the radar” player in America. She ranked fifth in the country a season ago with 24 home runs as she batted .438 with 66 RBIs. Starting all but two games behind the plate or at first base for the Sooners, she was named the 2021 Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player allowed just three runners to steal on her.
The top 25 finalists for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced April 20.
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