Oklahoma Headlines Big 12 Softball Awards
Oklahoma’s conference dominance was reflected in the regular season awards on Wednesday.
OU swept all honors as the top-ranked Sooners capped off a perfect 18-0 season in Big 12 play and are riding a 41-game winning streak into the postseason.
Center fielder Jayda Coleman won Big 12 Player of the Year, Jordy Bahl notched her second straight Big 12 Pitcher of the Year title, shortstop Grace Lyons was unanimously voted Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Patty Gasso was named Co-Big 12 Coach of the Year alongside Baylor coach Glenn Moore.
Coleman took another step forward this year, adding power to her excellent all-around play.
The junior from The Colony, TX, is tied for the team-high in home runs, blasting a career-high 13 bombs through 50 games this year.
She also leads the team in batting average (.439), slugging percentage (.820), on-base percentage (.566) and walks (34) while driving in 40 runs.
More than just an elite leadoff hitter, Coleman’s outstanding defensive play has continued in 2023 as well.
Coleman’s honors might not stop at Big 12 Player of the Year, either, as she was named to the Top 10 for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, which was won last year by Jocelyn Alo.
In the circle, Bahl’s response from her injury at the end of last year was everything Gasso could have asked for.
Bahl posted a 15-1 record during the regular season, pacing the Sooners with 138 strikeouts across 105 2/3 innings pitched.
On March 10, Bahl threw a perfect game against Southeastern Louisiana, and combined with fellow right-hander Nicole May to throw no-hitters against Army on Feb. 18 and Kansas on April 29.
Boasting a 1.19 ERA on the year, the sophomore from Papillion, NE, also made the cut for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year alongside Coleman.
Entering her final season at Oklahoma, Lyons continually showed why she’s tabbed as the the best shortstop Gasso has ever coached.
Lyons’ range at shortstop is unmatched, and she posted a .971 fielding percentage while making highlight play after highlight play.
This season marked the third straight year the senior from Peoria, AZ, won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
It was no shock that Gasso once again took home Big 12 Coach of the Year, as it’s her 15th time to win the award.
Gasso also kept her streak alive of outright winning or sharing the award every season since 2012.
Replacing Alo, Lynnsie Elam, Hope Trautwein, Jana Johns and Taylon Snow was going to be no small task, but Gasso did seamlessly.
Oklahoma’s only loss came in a non-conference showdown with Baylor on the second weekend of the season. Since then, the Sooners have matched the program’s longest winning streak of 41 games set back in 2019.
OU currently leads the country in team batting average, ERA, home runs per game, on-base percentage, scoring, shutouts and fielding percentage, all while playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.
Regardless of the result of this weekend’s Big 12 Tournament, Oklahoma is in great shape to enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1-overall seed while the Sooners look to win their third consecutive national title.
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