Oklahoma Softball 2022 Preview: Behind the Plate

Patty Gasso has a stellar pair of catchers to choose from headed into 2022.

SI Sooners’ five-part series counting down the days until OU softball returns to action continues today with the catchers as the Sooners look to repeat as National Champions.

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The Oklahoma Sooners return not one, but two impact catchers in 2022.

Hailing from Norco, CA, Kinzie Hansen quietly was one of the most dominant hitters in the country in 2021.

Hansen ranked third on the team last year in home runs, but her 24 bombs was good enough for fifth in the entire nation last year.

More than just a power hitter, Hansen finished the season with a .438 batting average, driving in 66 RBIs.

On defense, Hansen was just as dominant.

Only three runners stole a base on the Sooner catcher all year long, and she finished with a .990 fielding percentage.

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Oklahoma Softball Season Preview:

• In the Circle

• The Infield

• The Outfield

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Hansen’s teammate Jocelyn Alo said the OU catcher is supremely motivated, and that she’s not only a leader on the field, but that she helps push the team off the field as well.

“She’s definitely a go-getter,” Alo said of Hansen last week during a preseason Zoom press conference. “… She has a very big presence behind the plate.

“… She’s hilarious off the field and on the field, too. She’s just a presence. You’ll feel her, that’s for sure.”

Patty Gasso and Kinzie Hansen  :: Pool photo by Ty Russell / OU Athletics

The combination of her sure-handed defense and her game changing offense saw Hansen named an All-American, a member of the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team, the 2021 Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and most recently Hansen was named to the USA Softball Women’s National Team for 2022.

Hansen is versatile too, as she was moved to first base plenty of times to make way for another stellar catcher.

Chickasha, OK, product Lynnsie Elam returns for her super senior year in 2022, and was voted a team captain for the second straight year.

Last year, Elam hit 12 home runs and was credited for 44 RBIs, finishing the season with a .346 batting average.

But Elam is perhaps even more impressive behind the plate.

In 2019, Elam went 43 straight games without allowing a stolen base, and has been credited with nearly 900 putouts and 59 assists throughout her career, only committing eight errors.

Lynnsie Elam :: Ty Russell / OU Athletics

A vocal leader as well, Elam will be relied on to help bring along Oklahoma’s pitching staff which includes sophomore Nicole May, true freshman Jordy Bahl and transfer Hope Trautwein, all of which have reportedly impressed in the run up to the season.

“Lynssie Elam’s our captain, she wants to lead this team,” OU head coach Patty Gasso said during a preseason Zoom press conference last week.

But with another great option at catcher, Gasso said Elam is ready to fight, like many other players on the team, for more and more playing time in 2022.

“They’ve got some young players that are knocking on their door ready to push them out of the way,” Gasso said. “And they’re fighting. They’re having to fight for their spots.

“Nothing is given to these guys.”

Sophia Nugent will also be waiting in the wings, hoping to rack up some playing time in her true freshman year. Nugent was rated the No. 3-overall player in the 2021 class, and was ranked as the top catcher recruit in the country.

Regardless of where she turns, Gasso will have plenty of excellent options behind the dish to help not only do more damage on offense, but keep opposing base runners on their toes all season long. 

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