Oklahoma's Talented Freshmen Staying Grounded Ahead of NCAA Tournament

Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman and Nicole May are ready for the big stage as OU begins the march back to the Women's College World Series.

Oklahoma’s trio of freshman haven’t looked out of their depth all season, so don’t expect that to change in the postseason.

Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman and Nicole May have shocked even OU head coach Patty Gasso with how well they’ve acclimated to college softball.

And now as the Sooners look to march back to the Women’s College World Series, the top-seeded team in the country will be relying on the newcomers to help push them over the top.

Jocelyn Alo said she’s not worried about the stage being too big for her teammates, but she is helping them prepare for tournament play.

“I’m not too worried about them. When I’m out on the field, it feels like they’ve been in positions like this before,” Alo said in a Zoom press conference on Wednesday. “Definitely just kind of keeping them grounded, but I think that they do a really good job of doing that themselves.”

After getting moved to the top of the lineup during the Bedlam series, Coleman has continued to produce. Hitting .477 for the season, Coleman has hit seven home runs and totaled 43 RBIs on the season. Jennings, who was named to the top 10 for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, is second on the team in home runs with 20, batting .474 on the season.

But the duo hasn’t just paid dividends at the plate.

Jennings has been strong in the field at second base, and Coleman continues to change the game in center field.

“This kid has got more action in the outfield than anyone I’ve ever seen,” Gasso said. “And that’s because she makes plays that others can’t make.”

The converted shortstop helped OU keep all the momentum in last Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, robbing Hayley Busby of a home run and making two other diving catches.

“She has changed the game for us,” Gasso said.

And while Shannon Saile and Giselle Juarez have been good in the circle, May’s late-season emergence has solidified the Oklahoma rotation.

“Nicole May is a perfectionist and that got in her way early,” Gasso said.

But after working on her approach and dealing with the highs and lows of a season, May has grown and taken her game to the next level.

“She really worked on it over theses past couple of months. We put her in the fire a couple times, one was in Georgia, and she had it a little rough,” Gasso said. “But when you put players in those experiences they either walk away saying, 'I’m never gonna let that happen again,' or, 'Wow, look what I just did.'

“I think her attitude was, 'I’m never gonna let that happen again.' ”

May is second on the team in ERA, posting a 1.62 mark and entering the NCAA Tournament with a 12-1 record. May was especially cutch in the regular season Bedlam series, helping the 45-2 Sooners win their ninth straight Big 12 regular season title.

“She’s turned into a woman,” Gasso said. “She was ice. That, for a freshman, is something special.”

Already one of the most experienced teams in the country, the Sooners have three aces in the hole they hope can raise the ceiling of an already record-setting team even higher.

“They do a really good job of keeping themselves grounded," Alo said, "and I think that sets them apart from a lot of other freshman in the country."