Seven Oklahoma softball student-athletes were named to the 2023 Big 12 Softball Preseason Team, the conference announced the 12-player team Thursday.
Redshirt seniors Haley Lee and Grace Lyons, juniors Alyssa Brito, Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings and sophomores Jordy Bahl and Cydney Sanders were among the 12 players chosen to the squad by the league’s head coaches. Bahl and Jennings were two of five unanimous selections to the team.
Oklahoma paced the conference with seven of the 12 named to the team with the next-closest school being Oklahoma State with two selections. Baylor, Kansas and Texas each had one representative. Student-athletes were chosen regardless of position and coaches could not vote for their own players.
Lee, one of OU’s four transfer additions this offseason, comes to Norman with 47 career home runs throughout her time at Texas A&M. A versatile player that was an NFCA Third Team All-American in 2021, Lee looks to contribute behind the plate for the Sooners in 2023.
OU’s defensive anchor at shortstop, Lyons returns for her super senior year in 2023 as the two-time defending Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and two-time NFCA All-American. Lyons had a career year at the plate in 2022, hitting 23 homers and batting in 70 runs.
Brito returns for her second season in the Crimson and Cream after solidifying a spot in the outfield as a sophomore last season. Brito was named an All-Big 12 Second Team selection and NFCA All-Region honoree after hitting 14 home runs and 46 RBIs.
A two-time NFCA First Team All-American, Coleman led the team with 13 stolen bases a season ago and ranked second with a .424 batting average and .584 on-base clip to go with eight home runs, nine doubles and 40 RBIs.
Jennings, a twice unanimous NFCA First Team All-American, looks to continue her dominance at the plate, hitting 56 home runs in her two seasons in Norman and pacing the country in RBIs back-to-back seasons.
The reigning Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Year and NFCA National Freshman of the Year, Bahl had a dominant first-year campaign for the Sooners. The Papillion, Neb., product finished with a 22-1 record in 2022 to go with 205 strikeouts. Bahl surrendered just 22 earned runs in 141.1 innings pitched en route to NFCA First Team All-America honors.
Another addition via the portal, Sanders transfers to the Sooners after an exceptional freshman season where she was one of three finalists for NFCA National Freshman of the Year and named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and All-Pac 12 first team. The San Marcos, Calif., native started all 54 games at first base for Arizona State in 2022 and hit a program single-season record 21 home runs.
The Big 12 preseason favorite Oklahoma begins their national title defense in Irvine, Calif., Feb. 9 vs. Duke at the Mark Campbell Invitational.
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