OU Softball: Tiare Jennings’ Fourth First-Team Honor Headlines Five Oklahoma All-Americans

Five Sooners' landed on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American list that was released on Wednesday afternoon.

Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings (23) / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

By OU Media Relations

Senior shortstop Tiare Jennings becomes the 21st four-time NFCA First Team All-American in the honor’s history and is joined on the top team by senior third baseman Alyssa Brito, who earns her second-straight first-team selection.

High-flying senior centerfielder Jayda Coleman accompanies Jennings as one of just 45 four-time NFCA All-Americans, earning second-team laurels alongside three-time All-America pick Kinzie Hansen.

First-year designated player Ella Parker gathered third-team All-America status, becoming Oklahoma’s first freshman All-American position player since Coleman and Jennings in 2021.

Oklahoma’s five selections share the national lead with Florida while its two first-team nods are tied for first with the Gators, Virginia Tech, Duke and Tennessee.

OU athletes have earned 85 NFCA All-America honors, third-most in NCAA history to Arizona (111) and UCLA (110). Of the Sooners’ 85 selections, 84 have been earned under head coach Patty Gasso.

Jennings is Oklahoma’s sixth four-time first-team pick, joining Norrelle Dickson (2004-07), Keilani Ricketts (2010-13), Lauren Chamberlain (2012-15), Paige Parker (2015-18) and Jocelyn Alo (2018-22).

Jennings leads OU with 21 home runs, 62 RBIs and 14 doubles entering the Women’s College World Series and is the lone Sooner to have started all 60 games this season. She slashes .372/.466/.817 for a 1.282 OPS, drawing walks at a 15.5% clip while scoring 51 runs. In the field, Jennings has played 355.0 of the Sooners’ 370.0 innings at shortstop, converting 170 of her 172 chances for a .988 fielding percentage with just two errors.

Brito slashes .406/.490/.834 for a team-leading 1.325 OPS while adding 18 home runs, 13 doubles, an OU-best four triples and 59 RBIs. The dangerous right-handed bat leads Oklahoma with 71 hits and draws walks in 14.2% of her trips, registering a .553 weighted on-base average (wOBA). One of the nation’s top defensive players, Brito fields a .961 at third base with a 2.46 range factor.

Coleman has started all but one game in center during her final season at OU, batting .394 with a team-leading .532 on-base percentage and 68 runs scored. The leadoff batter has produced 12 home runs, eight doubles and a triple while driving in 42 and generating a 1.214 OPS. Defensively, Coleman paces the OU outfield with a 1.42 range factor and four outfield assists.

Hansen bats .407 and has crushed nine home runs while providing terrific defense behind the plate, earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. She slashes .407/.468/.657 for a 1.125 OPS across 52 games, adding eight doubles and 35 RBIs. The catcher throws out 31.3% of attempted steals and has allowed just 14 wild pitches in over 250.0 innings behind the dish.

Parker has served as OU’s designated player throughout the 2024 season, blasting 12 home runs and 14 doubles while ranking third on the team with 57 RBIs. The NFCA Freshman of the Year finalist currently leads Oklahoma in batting average (.419) and wOBA (.567) while producing a whopping 1.268 OPS.

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