Oklahoma Softball dominates All-Big 12 Honors
The Big 12 released its regular season awards and the Oklahoma Sooners cleaned up.
Oklahoma dominated the individual honors, earning four awards, while Texas Tech and Baylor were up next with one a piece.
Oklahoma junior, Jayda Coleman, won the biggest award, Big 12 Player of the Year, which marks the first time one school has won the award in four consecutive years. Jordy Bahl won Big 12 Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore after co-winning the award just last season.
Grace Lyons also won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, which is the first time a player has won the award three years in a row. Patty Gasso was named Co-Coach of the Year in the Big 12, sharing the award with Baylor’s Glenn Moore. It’s Gasso’s 11th consecutive season winning the award.
Kailey Wyckoff is the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year.
Oklahoma also leads All-Big 12 selections at seven named to the first team and eight total across both teams.
Big 12 Player of the Year: Jayda Coleman
Oklahoma’s Jayda Coleman (24) watches after hitting a home run in the first inning of a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Auburn Tigers at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Saturday, March 18, 2023. Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Jayda Coleman’s stats speak for themselves. She’s seventh in the country in on-base percentage at .566, 15th in runs per game and slugging percentage at .820, and then also 15th in batting average at .439. She leads the Big 12 in on-base percentage, runs per game, slugging percentage, and total bases.
She also won Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season and then ranks second in conference play in career batting average at .436.
She’s also still a top 10 finalist for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year to cap off a remarkable season.
Big 12 Pitcher of the Year: Jordy Bahl
Oklahoma’s Jordyn Bahl (98) celebrates after an out during a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Texas Longhorns at USA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 31, 2023. Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
In league play, Jordy Bahl went 7-0 with a 0.70 ERA. She also only gave up four runs in 18 league games this year. She had the most wins of any pitcher in the conference. Her opposing batting average in Big 12 play of .130, was the lowest for any pitcher in league play.
She has a career ERA of 1.13 in the Big 12, which is the fourth-lowest in Big 12 history.
Bahl is also a top 10 finalist for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, joining Paige Parker and Cat Osterman as the only Big 12 players to be named Pitcher of the Year as a freshman and a sophomore.
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year: Grace Lyons
Oklahoma’s Grace Lyons (3) tags out Oklahoma State’s Morgyn Wynne (26) at second base in the fourth inning of a Bedlam college softball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls (OSU) and the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) in Stillwater, Okla., Friday, May 5, 2023. Oklahoma won 8-3. Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Grace Lyons is the main catalyst for a Sooners team that ranks first in the country in fielding percentage at .988.
She had nine double plays to just three errors all season. She also had 42 putouts and 59 assists.
She was also just drafted in the 2023 Women’s Professional Fastpitch draft by the Texas Smoke in the six round.
Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year: Patty Gasso
Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso comes out to talk with an official in the first inning of a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Auburn Tigers at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Saturday, March 18, 2023. Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Patty Gasso’s been a staple with this award because of how successful the Sooners have been. Oklahoma won a league-record 11th straight Big 12 regular season title and their 15th overall with her at the helm.
Oklahoma was 18-0 in conference play, which was the third time in the last five seasons that the Sooners went undefeated in the Big 12.
Overall, Oklahoma is 49-1 and has won 41 straight games, which is tied for the most wins in a row in Oklahoma history and is good for second in NCAA Division I history so far.
First team All-Big 12
Oklahoma’s Kinzie Hansen (9) celebrates after hitting a home run in the first inning of a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Auburn Tigers at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Saturday, March 18, 2023. Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Jayda Coleman, Jordy Bahl, Grace Lyons, Haley Lee, Kinzie Hansen, Tiare Jennings, and Nicole May were selected to the first team. Bahl, Coleman, and Jennings were unanimous selections.
Second Team All-Big 12
Oklahoma’s Alex Storako (8) celebrates after a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and Texas Tech at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., Thursday, April 6, 2023. Oklahoma won 3-0. Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Alex Storako was then named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, which rounds out the eight Sooners that were selected to the two teams.
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