Get to know the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners softball team and schedule
NORMAN — OU softball opens its national championship defense Feb. 9 at the Mark Campbell Invitational in Irvine, California.
The Sooners lost several key pieces from last season’s team, including Jocelyn Alo and Hope Trautwein. But OU remains loaded, adding a handful of transfers to the already strong group of returners.
Here’s a look at the Sooners’ softball roster:
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Catcher
Kinzie Hansen
Senior, Norco, Calif.
Due to injury, Hansen’s average dipped last season to .273 after hitting .431 during her first two seasons, but she still was a sterling defender, with just two errors all season in 41 starts. The highlight of her year was a three-run home run in the fifth inning of Game Two of the WCWS championship series.
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Infielders
Avery Hodge
Freshman, Richmond, Texas
The No. 4 middle infielder in the 2022 class according to Extra Inning Softball, Hodge hit .776 with eight home runs, 48 RBIs, 48 runs and 21 stolen bases as a junior in high school.
Tiare Jennings
Junior, San Pedro, Calif.
In two seasons with the Sooners, Jennings has 56 home runs, putting Jocelyn Alo’s NCAA career record of 122 at least in play. Last season, Jennings hit .401 with 29 home runs and 87 RBIs.
Grace Lyons
Redshirt Senior, Peoria, Ariz.
Lyons continued her upward trajectory offensively last season, hitting .401 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs while continuing to play excellent defense at shortstop.
Cydney Sanders
Sophomore, San Marcos, Calif.
Sanders started 54 games at first base last season at Arizona State, leading the team in home runs (21), slugging percentage (.952), RBIs (63) and walks (45). She set the Sun Devils’ program record in home runs.
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Outfielders
Rylie Boone
Senior, Owasso
Boone started 48 games last season, mostly in left field, finishing third on the team in batting average at .408, and striking out just seven times. In the Women’s College World Series, she hit .500 with four RBIs and nine total bases with a .556 on-base percentage.
Jayda Coleman
Junior, The Colony, Texas
In two seasons, the Sooners’ centerfielder is hitting .435 with 17 home runs and 93 RBIs. Last season, she had a .584 on-base percentage, good for third in the country. She was also perfect in the field, with 49 putouts and four assists with no errors. She robbed a pair of home runs in the second game of the WCWS championship series vs. Texas and threw out a runner at second base.
Hannah Coor
Sophomore, Yorba Linda, Calif.
Coor was a pinch-running specialist last season, with 19 runs and six stolen bases in 40 games. She drew four walks in six plate appearances. In the WCWS, she scored three runs.
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Pitchers
Jordy Bahl
Sophomore, Papillon, Neb.
The right-hander was everything she was cracked up to be last season, going 22-1 with a 1.09 ERA and 205 strikeouts, throwing a perfect game early in the season. Bahl battled an arm injury in the postseason, but came back in the WCWS to earn the win in game two of the WCWS Championship Series after appearing in two games earlier in the series.
Kierston Deal
Freshman, Winston Salem, N.C.
The left-hander was the No. 1 player in the 2022 class by Extra Inning Softball. As a junior at East Forsyth High, Deal struck out 292 in 136 innings pitched with a 0.64 ERA.
SJ Geurin
Freshman, Leander, Texas
Geurin was the No. 20 recruit and No. 7 pitcher in the 2022 class by Extra Innings Softball. As a junior, the lefty was 23-1 with a .093 ERA and 272 strikeouts in 158 innings and helped her team to a No. 1 ranking nationally by MaxPreps. Geurin’s father, Robert, played football at Tulsa while her mother, Angela, played softball for the Golden Hurricane. Geurin is expected to redshirt in 2023.
Nicole May
Junior, Pleasanton, Calif.
The right-hander improved greatly last season, going 15-1 with a 1.30 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings. She allowed just six hits in three WCWS appearances and allowed just 17 extra-base hits all season in holding opposing batters to a .170 batting average.
Alex Storako
Redshirt Senior, Frankfort, Ill.
The righty transferred from Michigan in the offseason after going 25-8 with a 1.71 ERA and 300 strikeouts in 200 1/3 innings as a senior last season. Her strikeout total was good for sixth nationally. She was the unanimous selection as the 2021 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year after going 22-3 with a 1.05 ERA that season.
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Utility players
Alyssa Brito
Junior, Tustin, Calif.
In her first season with the Sooners after transferring from Oregon, Brito hit .368 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs. She made 50 starts, including starting OU’s last 27 in left field. She went 4 for 9 with three doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs in the WCWS Championship Series.
Jocelyn Erickson
Freshman, Phoenix, Ariz.
Erickson was the No. 10 player and No. 4 catcher in the 2022 class by Extra Inning Softball. She was injured in 2021, but helped her team to a 2019 state title, hitting .530 with eight home runs and 50 RBIs.
Grace Green
Redshirt Senior, Oakdale, Calif.
Green is a career .343 hitter, though hit just .207 as a senior in 2022. She was most impactful as a freshman, when she made 61 starts and hit .359 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs.
Haley Lee
Redshirt Senior, Kingwood, Texas
Over the last two seasons, Lee has 40 home runs with 96 RBIs and a .413 batting average. She split time between catcher and first base. In 2021, Lee set Texas A&M single-season records in home runs (25) and slugging percentage (.955).
Quincee Lilio
Redshirt Freshman, Oceanside, Calif.
Lilio redshirted last season but was the No. 5 players in the 2021 class by Extra Inning Softball.
Sophia Nugent
Sophomore, Seal Beach, Calif.
Nugent made 23 appearances last season, including one start at catcher. She hit .294 with a home run and five RBIs. Out of Los Alamitos High School, Nugent was ranked as the No. 3 player in the 2021 class by Extra Inning Softball and Softball America.
Alynah Torres
Senior, Glendale, Ariz.
In three seasons at Arizona State, Torres has 37 home runs and 105 RBIs, hitting .327. She primarily played shortstop for the Sun Devils but figures to be used in various spots with the Sooners.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
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2023 OU softball schedule
Feb. 9: Duke, 5:30 p.m.*
Feb. 9: Liberty, 8:15 p.m.*
Feb. 10: Stanford, 9 p.m.*
Feb. 11: Washington, 8:15 p.m.*
Feb. 12: San Jose State, 2 p.m.*
Feb. 17: Longwood, 12:30 p.m.^
Feb. 18: Stephen F. Austin, 12:30 p.m.^
Feb. 18: Army, 5:30 p.m.^
Feb. 19: Baylor, Noon^
Feb. 24: Cal State Fullerton, 2:20 p.m.$
Feb. 24: Texas A&M, TBD$
Feb. 25: Utah, 11:30 a.m.$
Feb. 25: Loyola Marymount, 2 p.m.$
Feb. 26: UCLA, 11:30 a.m.$
March 3: vs. Kentucky, 5:30 p.m.&
March 4: vs. Kentucky, 3 p.m.&
March 4: vs. UIC, 5:30 p.m.&
March 5: vs. UIC, Noon&
March 10: Saint Louis, 12:30 p.m.#
March 10: Mississippi State, 6 p.m.#
March 11: Mississippi State, 5 p.m.#
March 12: Omaha, 10:30 a.m.#
March 14: vs. Florida State, 6 p.m.
March 17: Weber State, 4 p.m.@
March 17: Northwestern, 6:30 p.m.@
March 18: Auburn, 4 p.m.@
March 19: Auburn, 12:30 p.m.@
March 24: at Iowa State
March 25: at Iowa State
March 25: at Iowa State
March 31: vs. Texas, 6 p.m.
April 1: vs. Texas, 2 p.m.
April 2: vs. Texas, Noon
April 6: vs. Texas Tech, 6 p.m.
April 7: vs. Texas Tech, 6 p.m.
April 8: vs. Texas Tech, 1 p.m.
April 11: at LSU, 7 p.m.
April 15: Louisville!
April 15: Oakland!
April 16: Miami (Ohio)
April 21: at Baylor
April 22: at Baylor
April 23: at Baylor
April 25: at Wichita State, 6 p.m.
April 26: at Tulsa, 6 p.m.
April 28: vs. Kansas, 6 p.m.
April 29: vs. Kansas, 2 p.m.
April 30: vs. Kansas, Noon
May 4: at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m.
May 5: at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m.
May 6: at Oklahoma State
May 11-13: Big 12 Softball Tournament, Oklahoma City
May 19-21: NCAA Regionals
May 26-28: NCAA Super Regionals
June 1-9: Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma City
* Mark Campbell Invitational, Irvine, Calif.
^ Getterman Classic, Waco, Texas
$ Marry Nutter Collegiate Classic, Cathedral City, Calif.
& OU Softball Tournament, Norman
# Bulldog Invitational, Starkville, Miss.
@ Hall of Fame Classic, Oklahoma City
! Miami (Ohio) Tournament, Oxford, Ohio
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball: Oklahoma Sooners roster, schedule for 2023 season
