Oklahoma softball: Freshman Tiare Jennings Big 12 Player of Week
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma softball freshman Tiare Jennings is the Big 12 Co-Player of the Week.
It is the fourth time this season that the sensational Sooner freshman has been named outright or shared Player of the Week honors in the conference, the most of any Big 12 player.
Jennings wielded a hot bat in Oklahoma’s series last weekend against Texas. She had four hits in seven official plate appearances, including three home runs and five runs batted in. She homered in all three games in the series.
Her weekend numbers included 13 total bases, an on-base percentage of .545 and 1.845 slugging percentage.
This past weekend was a microcosm of the 2021 season as a whole. Through Sunday’s games, she ranked second in the country behind teammate Jocelyn Alo in both runs batted in (60) and slugging percentage (1.190), third in home runs (20) and total bases (123) and fourth in batting average (.514).
Jennings has had three or more hits in eight of her 35 games this season.
The 2019-20 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year in California plays second base on an Oklahoma team that ranks second in NCAA Division I with a .987 fielding percentage.
Jennings shares top Big 12 honors this week with Texas Tech junior Yvonne Whaley. Texas Tech senior Molly Zoch is the Pitcher of the Week in the conference.
Oklahoma and Texas Tech play a three-game series in Norman this weekend.
An OU player has been named Big 12 Player of the Week or Pitcher of the Week in six of the 10 weeks the awards have been conferred this season. Jennings was Player of the Week Feb. 16, March 10, April 6 and this week. Alo received similar honors the week of March 16 and 30. OU’s Shannon Saile was Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Week March 10.