Four Sooners Named to Big 12 Preseason Team

NORMAN — Four Oklahoma softball student-athletes were selected to the inaugural Big 12 Softball Preseason Team, the conference announced the 12-player team Thursday.

Redshirt senior Jocelyn Alo, junior Kinzie Hansen and sophomores Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings were among the 12 players chosen to the squad by the league's head coaches. Jennings was one of two unanimous selections to the team.

Oklahoma tied with Oklahoma State with four picks while Texas had three named to the team and one from Iowa State. Student-athletes were chosen regardless of position and coaches could not vote for their own players.

2022 Big 12 Softball Preseason Team
Name	Team	Position	Year
Mikayla Ramos	Iowa State	C	Sr.
Jocelyn Alo	Oklahoma	UTL	R-Sr.
Jayda Coleman	Oklahoma	OF	So.
Kinzie Hansen	Oklahoma	C	Jr.
Tiare Jennings*	Oklahoma	INF	So.
Hayley Busby	Oklahoma State	OF	Gr.
Chyenne Factor	Oklahoma State	OF	Sr.
Kelly Maxwell	Oklahoma State	P	Jr.
Kiley Naomi	Oklahoma State	INF	Sr.
Mary Iakopo	Texas	C	Sr.
Janae Jefferson*	Texas	IF	Sr.
Shea O'Leary	Texas	P	Jr.
*unanimous selection

Alo, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, rewrote the record books a season ago and will have the opportunity to do more damage as a super senior in 2022. A First Team NFCA All-American, 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, the 2021 NFCA DI National Freshman of the Year and unanimous NFCA First Team All-American, had one of the most dominant first-year campaigns in not only Oklahoma, but NCAA history. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year set the NCAA single-season freshman RBI record with 92 and finished with 27 home runs on the season, 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, an 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 a season ago. The playmaking centerfielder led the team with 20 stolen bases and ranked second on the team with a .545 on-base percentage to go with nine home runs, 11 doubles and 53 RBIs.

Another Sooner slugger and NFCA All-American, Hansen, ranked fifth in the country a season ago with 24 home runs as she batted .438 with 66 RBIs. The newly-minted USA Softball National Team Selection was a versatile weapon for OU, starting all but two games behind the plate or at first base. The 2021 Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player allowed just three runners to steal on her, finishing the season with a .990 fielding clip.

The Big 12 preseason favorite Oklahoma begins their national title defense in Santa Barbara, Calif., Feb. 10 vs. UC-Santa Barbara. See the Sooners full schedule here.

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