Jennifer Rocha - Associate Head Coach - Softball Coaches

Jennifer Rocha

Title:
Associate Head Coach

Jennifer Rocha was hired as the program’s associate head coach and pitching coach in the summer of 2018, and recently concluded her sixth season with her alma mater in 2024.

Once a student-athlete (1996-98) and graduate assistant (1999-2001) for the Sooners, the former Jennifer Jaime led one of the most successful pitching staffs in the country in her first year on the coaching staff in 2019 and has assisted the Sooners to six consecutive trips to the Women’s College World Series since her return to Norman, including back-to-back-to-back-to-back national titles in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Entering the 2026 season, Rocha’s OU pitching staff owns a 1.74 ERA and 158 shutouts since her hiring, striking out 2817 hitters in 2469.2 innings (8.0 K/7) and walking just 2.2 per 7.0 innings. Her hurlers have earned three Big 12 Pitcher of the Year awards, 24 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors and three NFCA Pitcher of the Week nods. In OU's first regular season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), right-handed pitcher Sam Landry was named SEC Pitcher of the Week three times and SEC Newcomer of the Year. Landry was also tabbed to the SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive Team.

The Sooner pitching staff helped Oklahoma to a 52-9 record and SEC Regular Season and Tournament Co-Championship in 2025. The Sooners made their ninth consecutive trip to the Women's College World Series, as well as ninth consecutive WCWS Semifinals appearance. The OU staff held hitters to a .219 batting average, producing a 2.66 team ERA, 340 strikeouts and 14 shutouts. Righty Sam Landry had a breakout season in her lone year with the Sooners, going 25-6 with a 1.94 ERA, 191.2 innings pitched and 186 strikeouts. Landry was named SEC Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defensive and a Second Team NFCA All-American. Three times she picked up SEC Pitcher of the Week recognition.

The Rocha-led OU pitching staff again led the nation in shutouts during the 2024 season, registering 23 while going 59-7 (.894) and winning the program’s NCAA-record fourth straight national title. Oklahoma claimed the Big 12 tournament championship and saw six of its seven pitchers record ERA marks below 2.00. Kelly Maxwell was named WCWS Most Outstanding Player while Kierston Deal joined her as an All-Big 12 honoree.

Named the NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023, Rocha’s staff anchored a 61-1 national championship season by leading the NCAA in ERA (0.96) and shutouts (35). The quartet of Jordy Bahl, Kierston Deal, Nicole May and Alex Storako held ERA marks below 1.15 and combined for 460 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .162 batting average. The staff threw four no-hitters and one perfect game, surrendering just 53 earned runs.

Three Sooner pitchers were named All-Big 12 in Jordy Bahl, Nicole May and Alex Storako, while Bahl was named an NFCA First Team All-American, Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and Most Outstanding Player at the Women’s College World Series.

Throughout OU’s dominant 59-3 campaign in 2022, Rocha mentored a pitching staff that paced the country in ERA (1.05) and shutouts (33) and recorded eight no-hitters on the season, including two perfect games. The 33 shutouts were good for a school record, while three Sooner pitchers ranked in the top five nationally through the season in ERA: senior Hope Trautwein, sophomore Nicole May and freshman Jordy Bahl.

Bahl collected NFCA Freshman of the Year honors and NFCA First Team All-America honors for her dominant 22-1 campaign, including 205 strikeouts and 1.09 ERA. Trautwein was named All-Big 12 and to the WCWS All-Tournament Team after an impressive showing in OKC that included a 4-0 record in 22.1 IP and 16 strikeouts.

In 2021, the OU pitching staff recorded two perfect games, three no-hitters and 22 shutouts, while senior Giselle Juarez was named the WCWS Most Outstanding Player following a 5-0 record (three complete games), one shutout, 38 strikeouts and just four runs allowed (0.89 ERA) in the World Series. Juarez and fellow senior Shannon Saile were both All-Big 12 honorees and Saile was named NFCA First Team All-Central Region.

Under Rocha, the Sooners led the nation in ERA (1.40), shutouts (28) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.50) in 2019. Individually, all three of OU’s primary pitchers ranked in the top 20 nationally in ERA, hits allowed per seven innings pitched, strikeout-to-walk ratio and strikeouts per seven innings pitched.

Juarez was named the 2019 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, and she was joined by Shannon Saile on the All-Big 12 Teams. Juarez and Mariah Lopez each earned NFCA First-Team All-Central Region honors, and Juarez went on to become an NFCA First-Team All-American.

Rocha returned to Oklahoma after most recently spending 13 years at Florida, where she began in 2006 as an assistant coach and was elevated to associate head coach after the 2017 season. During her tenure, the Gators won two NCAA titles (2014, 2015) and made nine Women’s College World Series appearances (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018). Additionally, Florida claimed seven SEC regular season titles (2008, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and four SEC Tournament tiles (2008, 2009, 2013, 2018) with Rocha on staff.

Leading the Gators’ pitching staff, Rocha coached seven All-Americans.

In 2015, Rocha was named NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year. She was part of five NFCA Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year selections and the 2015 NFCA DI National Coaching Staff of the Year.

Prior to her time at Florida, Rocha was an assistant coach at Wichita State University from 2003-05. She was an assistant at Oregon for one year before joining the Shockers.

Beginning her playing career at Long Beach City College in 1995, Rocha transferred to Oklahoma in 1996 and was a three-year letterwinner. She finished her Sooner career with a 43-17 record (.721) and a 1.46 ERA.

Rocha played professionally for the Virginia Roadsters in the Women’s Professional Softball League in 1998 before returning to Oklahoma as a graduate assistant coach from 1999-2001. Overall, Rocha was part of six straight NCAA Regional appearances with the Sooners, three Big 12 regular season crowns, two Big 12 Tournament titles, two WCWS appearances and one national championship.

Rocha earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from OU in 1999 and a Master of Arts in human relations in 2001. She married Paul Rocha in November 2006, and the couple has one daughter, Eliana.