OU softball seniors ready to finish historic run
For five Sooners — Kinzie Hansen, Tiare Jennings, Nicole May, Jayda Coleman and Riley Boone — the 2024 OU softball season will wrap up a historic four-year run.
Of the 10 seniors on Oklahoma’s roster, those five are the only ones who have been in Norman all four years. They’ve scored a combined 685 runs, struck out 325 batters, hit 164 home runs and won three national titles. And they’re looking to complete their final season by doing something no team has ever done — win a fourth consecutive national title.
“I think about them more than I ever have,” head coach Patty Gasso said Monday. “Because I know this is like the end of — I don’t want to say that because we have a good freshman class. It’s not the end of a big long string. But it is the end of one of the most elite classes that has ever and may ever play softball.”
All five have been crucial to the dynasty OU has built in recent years. Whether it’s been Jennings’ clutch hits, Boone’s do-it-all mentality, Hansen’s calming presence behind the plate, May’s consistency on the mound, or Coleman’s infectious personality in centerfield, they’ve all had memorable moments in a Sooner uniform.
“I feel like we just truly find joy in the grind,” Coleman said of the group. “It is truly fun to grind throughout the fall and, even during this time. When you get in the World Series, you feel so confident because you know no one has worked harder than you. And just like she was saying, we live for the Lord. And so when we just know that it’s already written, we can just go out there and have a blast. I feel like that’s where we find the joy, the core five.
“I’m adding Brito so it’s the core six.”
As Coleman said, Alyssa Brito does feel apart of this group, having been with the Sooners the last two years after spending her freshman year at Oregon. She’s been as pivotal to OU’s run as anyone. She too will be remembered in Sooner lore when this season concludes.
This entire team, and the run they’ve had, will always be remembered. It doesn’t matter how this season ends — national title or not. And it all started with that core five — plus Brito — who laid the foundation for a dynasty.
Said Gasso: “They’re special. They’re different. And their style of competitive spirit is very infectious on this team. And it’s really infectious to our freshmen which is exactly what I’m looking for. So they have big personalities. They’re great players. Great young women. It’s going to be hard to see them go. I’m not going to think about it. I’m just going to coach the heck out of them and try to get every ounce of softball out of them that we can.”
Their pursuit for a fourth national title begins Thursday, Feb. 8, as OU starts it season playing in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico.
