Sooner Softball Heads to Houston

Friday, February 18

Houston, Texas

12 PM CT

University of Oklahoma

McNeese State

Tickets

February 17, 2022 | Softball

SoonerSports.tv ESPN+Radio Live Stats Trophy Club #LaunchPad Game Notes

¹ Oklahoma

Houston

McNeese

Texas State

Feb. 18-20 / Houston, Texas

Tickets / ESPN+/SoonerSports.tv / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

WEEKEND BASICS

• No. 1 Oklahoma (5-0) continues its start to 2022 in Houston this weekend, Feb. 18-20, playing in the Houston Classic featuring five games against host Houston (4-1), McNeese (5-1) and Texas State (2-1). The Sooners play two against both Houston and McNeese on Friday and Saturday before a Sunday morning game vs. Texas State.

• OU's two contests vs. Houston can be seen on ESPN+, while the Sooners games against McNeese and Texas State are available via SoonerSports.tv.

• The action can be heard on The Franchise 2 (97.7 FM/1560 AM) in Oklahoma and nationwide on the TuneIn app with OU play-by-play announcer Chris Plank on the call.

• After five games played, the Sooners are batting .360 as a team with nine home runs, 40 runs scored on 45 hits and 35 RBIs. They are outscoring opponents 40-1 with the only run given up being unearned. The team is slugging .664, holds a .450 on-base clip and has swiped seven bases on eight attempts.

LAST TIME OUT

• The preseason No. 1 Sooners opened 2022 with a bang in California, sweeping opening weekend with five wins including a big early-season win over No. 3 UCLA.

• OU opened the weekend with a perfect performance in the circle from freshman Jordy Bahl, sophomore Nicole May and redshirt senior Hope Trautwein. The trio struck out a combined eight batters in the five-inning run-rule, helping the Sooners to a 14-0 win. The offense looked much like the 2021 version, blasting four homers, led by sophomore Tiare Jennings two blasts and senior Jocelyn Alo's 89th career home run.

• The Sooners traveled south of Los Angeles for the inaugural Mark Campbell Collegiate Invitational the remainder of the weekend in Irvine. The tournament honored longtime travel ball coach Mark Campbell who passed in 2019 due to cancer. Many Sooners played under Campbell as part of the OC-Batbusters organization.

• OU went 4-0 in the tournament, highlighted by a Saturday night win over No. 3 UCLA in front of a sold out crowd of over 1,000 people at Bill Barber Community Park.

• In the Sooners' win over the Bruins, Bahl struck out 14 batters in a complete-game performance, marking the most strikeouts by a Sooner pitcher since 2019 and the most by a freshman since Keilani Ricketts struck out 16 as a freshman vs. Texas A&M in 2010.

• The OU bats continued their hot start, totaling nine homers on the weekend and batting a combined .360 with 40 runs scored. Jennings blasted four to lead the team while Alo hit two to bring her to 90 career home runs.

• OU outscored its opponents 40-1 on the weekend with the only run that was given up being unearned.

• For their performances, Bahl was named NFCA DI Pitcher of the Week and Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and Jennings claimed Big 12 Player of the Week honors.

A LOOK AT THE FIELD

• Houston: The Cougars are led by 2006 OU alum and All-American Kristen Vesely who is in her sixth year with the program. The Coogs are batting .344 as a squad and are led by Becca Schulte's 9 RBI and two home runs (.357 BA). Kenna Wilkey paces the pitching staff with a 0.53 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched to go with 13 strikeouts and two walks.

• McNeese: The Cowgirls come to Houston 5-1 after a 8-4 midweek loss to No. 9/11 Texas. The team is batting .273 with 33 runs scored and one home run. Josie Willingham leads the team with a .471 batting average, while Alayis Seneca paces the team with six RBI. In the circle, Ashley Vallejo has pitched 20 innings and holds a 1.80 ERA with 14 strikeouts.

• Texas State: The Bobcats enter the weekend 2-1 are hitting .366 as a team with six home runs. Sara Vanderford leads the team with a .500 batting average, while Dani Elder has hit two home runs to pace the team. In the circle, Jessica Mullins holds a 1-1 record with 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched to go with a 3.50 ERA.

LAST TIME THEY MET

• Houston: The Sooners and Cougars were familiar foes a season ago, meeting three times in 2021 with OU sweeping UH. The teams met twice at Houston, 12-4 (6) and 5-3 OU victories, before meeting at the Hall of Fame Classic in OKC with the Sooners run-ruling the Coogs, 9-1, in five innings. OU leads the all-time series 11-1 and holds a 7-1 advantage in Houston.

• McNeese: Oklahoma leads the all-time series 12-2 over the Cowgirls with the last meeting coming on March 5, 2019 in Norman, a 6-1 OU win. The last time the two programs met in Houston was 1997, with the teams splitting a pair.

• Texas State: OU holds a 5-1 advantage in the series with the Bobcats and Sunday's meeting will be the first in 13 seasons. The last time they met, the Sooners edged the Bobcats 3-2, coincidentally in Houston.

JORDY BAHL-ER

• Oklahoma freshman Jordy Bahl was named Wilson/NFCA Division I Pitcher of the Week for her opening weekend performance, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced Tuesday.

• Bahl took college softball by storm in OU's opening weekend, striking out a combined 24 batters in three appearances (12.2 IP), collecting two wins in the Sooners' five games. The Papillion, Neb., native surrendered just five hits and three walks over opening weekend and gave up no earned runs.

• Bahl shut down No. 3 UCLA Saturday, striking out 14 batters in a complete-game effort and helping No. 1 OU to a 4-1 win. It marked the most strikeouts by an OU pitcher since 2019 and the most by a Sooner freshman since 2010.

• The frosh also combined on a perfect game in the season opener vs. UC-Santa Barbara with pitchers Nicole May and Hope Trautwein. Bahl struck out four of the eight batters she faced in 2.2 innings.

• The honor marks the first NFCA Pitcher of the Week award won by a Sooner since Giselle Juarez on Feb. 26, 2019.

JENNINGS PICKS UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF

• Sophomore and reigning NFCA Freshman of the Year Tiare Jennings picked up where she left off in 2021 during OU's opening weekend in 2022.

• The sophomore hit four home runs over OU's five games, batting .357 with 7 RBIs and 9 runs scored, also drawing 5 walks and stealing two bases on two attempts.

• The San Pedro, Calif., native totaled a .526 on-base percentage and a 1.214 slugging percentage. Jennings struck out just once over the weekend, helping OU to a 5-0 start, including a win over No. 3 UCLA.

ALO CHASING HISTORY

• Jocelyn Alo, the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and NFCA First Team All-American, hit two home runs on opening weekend in California to bring her career total to 90.

• With 90 career blasts, Alo is just five shy of tying and six away from breaking OU alum Lauren Chamberlain's all-time NCAA record of 95 career homers.

• Chamberlain hit No. 95 in her 220th career game. Alo has played 210 career games and would break the record in less games if she hits six in the Sooners' next 10 games, an accomplishable feat for the high-powered Hauula, Hawaii native.

• More on Alo's record-breaking 2021 season: Also the Big 12 Player of the Year, Alo led the nation in home runs (34) and slugging percentage (1.109) and ranked second in RBIs (89) and third in batting average (.475).

• The Hawaii product tied or set numerous records, including program records for home runs (34), batting average (.475) and total bases (203).

• Her four home runs in the 2021 WCWS tied a World Series record, previously only been done four times.

• She helped lead OU to the single-season NCAA record for home runs as the Sooners blasted 161 on the year. Alo hit the record-breaking home run No. 159 vs. Florida State in Game Two of the WCWS Championship Series.

PITCHING TRIO STARTS STRONG

• Oklahoma's trio of pitchers on opening weekend looked dominant in the circle, helping lead OU to a 5-0 start and surrendering just one unearned run.

• Freshman Jordy Bahl (12.2 IP), redshirt senior Hope Trautwein (11.0) and sophomore Nicole May (5.1) allowed opponents just 12 hits in five games, one unearned run and combined for 51 strikeouts and six walks.

• OU opened the weekend with a perfect performance in the circle from Bahl, May and Trautwein. The trio struck out a combined eight batters in the five-inning run-rule, helping the Sooners to a 14-0 win.

• Bahl paced the staff with 24 strikeouts on the weekend while Trautwein fanned 16 and May K'ed 11 in just 5.1 innings of action.

• The trio all hold perfect ERAs of 0.00. Bahl and Trautwein each collected two wins, with both going the distance in one game a piece (Bahl vs. UCLA; Trautwein vs. UCSD), while May had a complete-game effort vs. Mississippi State for her first win of the season. Bahl earned the save vs. Loyola Marymount, striking out six in the final three innings.

UNANIMOUS NO. 1

• Oklahoma holds the unanimous No. 1 spot in the country in both the USA Today/NFCA DI Coaches Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 following week one of competition. OU was chosen as the unanimous No. 1 in both preseason polls.

• Oklahoma's No. 1 spot in the NFCA poll marks the third time the Sooners enter a season in the top spot (2017, '18) and just the second time OU has been the unanimous choice in the coaches poll, joining the 2017 squad.

• OU received 800 total points and all 32 first-place votes in the NFCA poll to lead No. 2 Alabama (758) and No. 3 UCLA (700). Florida State and Oklahoma State rounded out the top five.

• In the USA Softball Preseason Top 25, the Sooners received 625 points and all 25 first-place votes to hold the top spot. Alabama was voted second with 591 points, while UCLA was third at 549. Oklahoma State (547) and Florida (501) round out the top five.

• Additionally, it's the 11th straight year the Sooners have started in the NFCA's top 10, good for the nation's longest active streak. OU has been ranked in the top five nine of the past 10 years, the most over that stretch.

• Overall, the Sooners rank third with 22 top-10 appearances in the NFCA preseason poll, trailing only Arizona (24) and UCLA (23).

• Oklahoma, Michigan, UCLA and Washington are the only programs to be ranked in every NFCA preseason poll, which dates back to 1995. OU also extended its streak of being the only program ranked every week in the 28-year existence of the NFCA's poll (392 straight).

• It's the 15th straight season and 18th in the 20-year history of the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll that Oklahoma is ranked in the preseason top 10.

THE ALL-AMERICANS ARE BACK

• Oklahoma returns five NFCA All-Americans from a season ago in redshirt senior Jocelyn Alo, senior Grace Lyons, junior Kinzie Hansen and sophomores Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings.

• Alo, the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and NFCA First Team All-American, rewrote the record books a season ago and will have the opportunity to do more damage as a super senior in 2022. Also the 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year, 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.

• Another NFCA All-American, Hansen, ranked fifth in the country a season ago with 24 home runs as she batted .438 with 66 RBIs. The Norco, Calif., product 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.

• Coleman, an NFCA First Team All-American and finalist for the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year, burst onto the college softball scene with her energy and playmaking ability as a freshman in 2021. The OU 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.

• 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 San Pedro, Calif., native 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.

FRESH FACES

• The Sooners reloaded once again via recruiting and the transfer portal for 2022.

• Nine newcomers enter the mix for OU this season, highlighted by consensus No. 1 recruit in the 2021 class, Jordy Bahl, and transfers Alyssa Brito (Oregon) and Hope Trautwein (North Texas).

• Six freshmen will lace 'em up for OU in 2022: Bahl, Turiya Coleman, Hannah Coor, Emmy Guthrie, Quincee Lilio and Sophia Nugent.

• Bahl, the 2020-21 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, posted a 27-0 record with a 0.10 ERA her senior season, surrendering just 27 hits and 15 walks in 137 innings pitched and striking out 316 batters.

• Transferring to Norman from Oregon, Brito joins the Sooners following an All-Pac 12 season with the Ducks. The rising sophomore will have three years of eligibility with the Sooners.

• As a freshman in Eugene, Brito collected Second Team All-Pac 12, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and Pac-12 All-Defense accolades and was named to the NFCA's All-Pacific Region Second Team. She started 53 games at shortstop in her first-year campaign with the Ducks, batting .299 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs, adding five doubles, a triple and 30 runs scored. At shortstop, the Tustin, Calif., product registered 59 putouts, 73 assists and committed just four errors.

• Helping the Sooners reload in the circle is graduate transfer Trautwein.

• Trautwein departed North Texas as its career leader in ERA (2.05), wins (61), opponent batting average (.197) and K/7IP (8.11). Named back-to-back Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and to the first team NFCA All-South Region team in 2021, the Pflugerville, Texas, product made national news in April when she tossed a perfect game, striking out all 21 batters faced in UNT's game versus Arkansas Pine-Bluff, becoming the first pitcher in Division I history to tally 21 strikeouts in a perfect game. She amassed a 46-12 record over the last three seasons and is a four-time member of the C-USA all-conference squad.

FOUR NAMED TO PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST

• Four members of the Oklahoma softball team have been named to the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, the organization announced the 50-player watch list in January.

• Redshirt senior and reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo, junior Kinzie Hansen and sophomores Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings are among the 50 student-athletes on the preseason watch list. The recognition marks Alo's fourth consecutive year on the preseason list, while Coleman, Hansen and Jennings make their first appearance.

• OU's four selections are the most nationally. Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma State and UCLA all have three representatives apiece to tie for second.

• Alo looks to become the second Sooner to repeat in winning the USA Softball award (Keilani Ricketts, 2012-13).

BIG 12 PRESEASON FAVORITES

• The nine-time defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma softball team has been voted by the league's head coaches as the 2022 preseason favorite.

• The Sooners received 36 points in this year's poll and were followed by Oklahoma State with 31 and Texas with 26. OU received six of the seven first-place votes with OSU garnering the other. This marks the 10th straight year and 13th in the last 14 seasons that OU has topped the conference's preseason poll. Baylor was selected fourth (19 points) and Iowa State fifth (18 points). Rounding out the poll was Texas Tech (10 points) and Kansas (7 points).

• The Sooners finished the Big 12 regular season 16-1 in 2021 en route to their ninth consecutive conference regular season crown. The team completed title sweep for the fourth straight season in Oklahoma City at the Big 12 Softball Championship.

• Oklahoma holds a combined Big 12 record of 144-14 the past nine seasons and has not lost a conference series since 2011.

• Overall, the program has won 20 Big 12 titles (13 regular season titles and seven Big 12 tournament championships) all under head coach Patty Gasso.

• Oklahoma returns nine all-conference selections from a season ago including the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year (Jocelyn Alo), Freshman of the Year (Tiare Jennings) and Defensive Player of the Year (Grace Lyons).

FOUR NAMED TO BIG 12 PRESEASON TEAM

• Four Oklahoma student-athletes were selected to the inaugural Big 12 Softball Preseason Team.

• 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.

ALO, COLEMAN, HANSEN JENNINGS NAMED TO NATIONAL TEAM ROSTERS

• Four members of the Oklahoma softball team were named to USA Softball rosters for international competition this summer, the organization announced the rosters in early February.

• Senior Jocelyn Alo, sophomore Jayda Coleman, junior Kinzie Hansen and sophomore Tiare Jennings will all compete in tournaments with USA Softball this summer. The four will compete in one tournament as a group at the 2022 Japan All-Star Series.

• Already announced as a member of the 2022 Women's National Team for the World Games in Birmingham, Ala., this July is Kinzie Hansen. The Norco, Calif., product was also named to the Japan All-Star Series roster Wednesday afternoon.

• Alo and Coleman were both named to the 2022 Canada Cup and Japan All-Star Series rosters while Jennings will join her Sooner teammates for the Japan series.

• Selected by the Women's National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC) following the selection trials held in January, Alo, Coleman and Jennings make their first appearances on a Women's Senior National Team roster.

• The World Games are set to be held July 7-12 in Birmingham, while the 2022 Canada Cup will take place in Surrey, BC, Canada, June 20-26. The Japan All-Star Series is scheduled for August 1-9 in Fukushima, Japan.

THE TROPHY CLUB

• The Oklahoma softball program has announced the launch of its restructured booster club under a new name, The Trophy Club.

• The Trophy Club replaces the former Diamond Club as the program's premier booster initiative to continue to enhance the student-athlete experience at Oklahoma, both on and off the field.

• Softball fans can join now and take part in exclusive events, including the annual golf tournament, coaches luncheon and more.

For membership details and how donations will be utilized, visit The Trophy Club landing page on SoonerSports.com.

• Gifts to the Trophy Club and Oklahoma softball will be utilized for: resources for the development of our student-athletes, facility upgrades to enhance recruiting and student-athlete experiences and improved quality of travel to increase academic participation by our student-athletes.

THE #LAUNCHPAD IS BACK

• The #LaunchPad is back in 2022! Cheer on your Sooners and support our student-athletes in a fun, new and creative way by joining the #LaunchPad. The #LaunchPad is all about #homers. Pledge to donate your own customized dollar amount for every #homer that OU Softball hits in 2022!

• All donations are 100% tax deductible and will be directed to help fund the facility project of your choice - the new Love's Field - OU Softball Stadium Project and/or the OU Baseball Stadium Renovation Project.

How It Works

• Donate an amount to be charged per home run for softball for the 2022 season.

• Include if you'd like to make a gift for every home run hit in the 2022 season or start your pledge as of today.

• Watch the Sooners and cheer us on to victory while supporting future OU facility projects for baseball and softball.

• #Homers hit prior to your gift date will be included in your pledge. Monthly updates on the Pledge Per Home Run Campaign and other important Sooner Club information will be shared throughout the season.

• All donations from the Pledge Per Home Run Campaign will be treated as charitable donations supporting either the OU Softball Stadium Project or the OU Baseball Stadium Renovation Project and are tax-deductible.

Payment Dates

• Each month, we will charge your card on the first business day of the proceeding month for the amount you have elected to pledge per home run multiplied by the number of home runs in that month. For example, if OU Softball hits 20 home runs in March after you pledged $10 per #Homer, on April 1 we will charge your card $200.

Monthly Payment Dates:

Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Friday, April 1, 2022
Monday, May 2, 2022
Wednesday, June 1, 2022

• Have fun along the way by interacting with @OU_Baseball & @OU_Softball on social media with your favorite term to use for #homers! Some of our favorites include #dingers #taters #bombs #ruthianblast #yack #fourbagger #jimmyjack

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.