UPDATED: Oklahoma freshman lands Big 12, national honors
Tiare Jennings
OU Athletics
Oklahoma’s Tiare Jennings is on her way to a decorated career.
Jennings, an OU freshman just four games into her college softball career, takes home this year's initial Big 12 Player of the Week award after an undeniable debut last week in El Paso.
Later Tuesday, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association named her the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week.
The 2019-20 Gatorade California Softball Player of the Year hit three home runs in her first collegiate game, including a two-run blast in her first at-bat. Her three round-trippers helped the Sooners to an NCAA single-game record 13 home runs in a 29-0 run-rule win over UTEP in the season opener. Additionally, Jennings' three home runs versus the Miners tied a school record for single-game home runs, joining her with her own home run hat trick in the game was junior Grace Lyons.
The San Pedro, CA, native finished the weekend with 30 total bases and eight extra base hits, pacing the Sooners in each category.
Jennings' weekly honor marks OU's first NFCA weekly award since redshirt senior pitcher Giselle Juarez won Pitcher of the Week accolades on Feb. 26, 2019 and the first Player of the Week honor since senior utility player Jocelyn Alo took the title on March 27, 2018.
It marks the first season a freshman has won the initial NFCA Player of the Week since 2008 when Ashton Ward of Tennessee took home the first weekly accolade.
At the Miner Invitational, Jennings was 12-for-13 at the plate with five home runs, 12 RBIs and a .983 batting average. The true freshman from San Pedro, CA, hit three of the Sooners’ NCAA single-game record 13 home runs in the opener against UTEP as OU opened the season with four run-rule victories while outscoring opponents 70-2.
Tiare Jennings
OU Athletics
Iowa State righthander Ellie Spelhaug was named Big 12 pitcher of the week.