OU Softball: Oklahoma Dominates Preseason All-Big 12 Selections

Seven of the 12 members of the 2023 Preseason All-Big 12 team are Sooners.

The preseason awards keep rolling in for Patty Gasso’s Oklahoma Sooners.

Wednesday, OU was picked first in the Big 12 by the conference’s coaches, and on Thursday the Sooners headlined the All-Big 12 Preseason Team.

Seven of the 12 selections will don the Crimson and Cream this season, with Oklahoma also landing a pair of unanimous selections.

🥎 2023 #Big12SB Preseason Team 🥎

📰 https://t.co/CxldZRisuG pic.twitter.com/BGm6A87dFB

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 19, 2023

Dominant right-handed pitcher and reigning NFCA Freshman of the Year Jordy Bahl was one of OU’s two unanimous selections, and she was joined by star second baseman Tiare Jennings.

Last year Bahl appeared in 33 times, winning 22 games and striking out 205 batters in 141 1/3 innings pitched. The phenom finished the season with a 1.09 ERA, only allowing 27 runs and 34 walks on the season while holding opposing hitters to a .145 batting average.

Jennings followed up her Freshman of the Year season in 2021 with another outstanding showing last year.

The Sooner second baseman set a new career-high with 29 home runs, driving in 87 RBIs and batting .401 behind Jocelyn Alo in Oklahoma’s lineup.

A pair of OU outfielders in Jayda Coleman and Alyssa Brito were also named to the preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Coleman’s defense was on full display during last year’s Women’s College World Series, as she made a number of plays in the outfield to keep runs off the board in the Championship Series against Texas.

She was also a major piece of the Sooner offense, batting .424 as OU’s leadoff hitter last year while, drawing 52 walks and finishing the year with 18 extra-base hits.

Brito transferred to Norman from Oregon last year and immediately slotted into a major role in Gasso’s lineup.

She launched a career-best 14 home runs, driving in 46 RBIs while hitting .368.

The Big 12’s 2022 Defensive Player of the Year in OU shortstop Grace Lyons also made the cut.

College softball’s premier defensive shortstop took another massive step forward at the plate last season.

Posting a .960 fielding percentage, she increased her home run haul from 14 deep shots in 2021 to 23 round-trippers last year. Lyons also set career highs in batting average (.401), hits (71), RBIs (70) and slugging percentage (.864) last year.

A pair of transfer additions rounded out Oklahoma’s representation on the All-Big 12 Team.

Arizona State transfer Cydney Sanders is expected to slot right in for the Sooners, and her talent was recognized by the conference’s coaches.

Sanders was a finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year last year, as she was the engine to the Sun Devil offense.

The 2022 All-Pac-12 First Team selection hit 21 home runs, and was responsible for 63 RBIs as a true freshman. She also posted a .425 batting average last year for Arizona State before opting to make the move to Norman.

Former Texas A&M utility player Haley Lee was Oklahoma’s final representative on the All-Big 12 Team.

The fifth-year set Texas A&M’s single-season home run record at 25 in 2021, and smacked another 15 home runs in 59 starts last year.

Lee brings plenty of positional versatility to Oklahoma, as she’s experienced at both catcher and first base, and her bat would always be of plenty of use as the designated player.

Oklahoma enters the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the country by D1 Softball as the Sooners look to win their third straight National Championship in 2023. 

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