Oklahoma softball: Nine Sooners honored with 2024 All-Big 12 Softball Awards
By Chip Rouse
Nine Oklahoma softball players earned 2024 All-Big 12 Softball honors, including the Defensive Player of the Year Award to graduate catcher Kinzie Hansen.
Hansen becomes Oklahoma's sixth straight and ninth overall Defensive Player of the Year honoree. She is the third Sooner catcher to receive the honor. In 214 innings this season. Hansen has committed just three errors, has a 35.7 percent caught-stealing rate and has allowed just 14 wild pitches.
In her fifth season at OU, Hansen is also having an outstanding year offensively. She has the highest batting average on the team (.415) along with eight home runs and 28 RBI.
A league-most five Sooners were named to the All-Big 12 First Team: Utility Alyssa Brito, OF Jayda Coleman, INF Tiare Jennings, P Kelly Maxwell and Hansen.
For Coleman, Jennings and Maxwell, this is the fourth consecutive year they have received All-Big 12 First-Team selections. Maxwell was a first-team selection in three seasons at Oklahoma State before transferring to Oklahoma after last season. Brito is a first-time All-Big 12 honoree.
Four more OU players were named to the second time: OF Rylie Boone, P Kierston Deal, UTL Ella Parker and UTL Alynah Torres.
Parker and OU teammate Kasidi Pickering also earned All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors.
Oklahoma's nine All-Big 12 honorees are the most since by the program since 10 Sooners were so honored in 1996. Under Gasso, who in her 30th season leading the Oklahoma softball program, 250 OU players have received All-Big 12 honors.
Catcher Reese Atwood of Texas was named Player of the Year in the Big 12 this season. Lexi Kilfoyl of Oklahoma State was Pitcher of the year, P Teagan Kavan of Texas was Freshman of the Year, and Texas' Mike White was Coach of the Year.