OU Softball: Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings Among 10 Finalists for Player of the Year
By OU Media Relations
NORMAN — University of Oklahoma senior shortstop Tiare Jennings has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the organization announced Wednesday.
The Top 25 Finalists will be narrowed down to three athletes on May 20, followed by the announcement of the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series.
Jennings leads OU with 19 home runs, 57 RBIs and 13 doubles entering the NCAA Regionals and is the lone Sooner to have started all 55 games this season.
She slashes .368/.462/.798 for a 1.260 OPS, drawing walks at a 15.6 percent clip while scoring 46 runs. In the field, Jennings has played 323.0 of the Sooners’ 338.0 innings at shortstop, converting 157 of her 159 chances for a .987 fielding percentage with just two errors.
Over the course of the 2024 season, the All-Big 12 First Team selection established OU’s new career doubles record (62) while recording both her 300th hit and 300th RBI. She is three home runs away from third on the NCAA all-time list and needs three RBIs to move into the NCAA top-five for her career.
The most recent Sooners player to win USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year was Jocelyn Alo in 2022. Alo also claimed the award in 2021.