OU Softball Dominates the All-Big 12 Awards in 2023 !

[OUBeliever56A]

The Oklahoma Sooners dominated the Big 12 Conference Softball Awards that were announced today. OU placed 7 players on the 1st Team All-Big 12 Team for the season.

Jayda Coleman was the Big 12 Player of the Year.
Jordy Bahl is the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.
Grace Lyons is the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Coach Patty Gasso is the Co-Big 12 Coach of the Year with Glenn Moore of Baylor.

Additional 1st Team players from Oklahoma are; Kinzie Hansen, Haley Lee, Tiare Jennings and Nicole May. (Coleman, Bahl and Lyons are also on the 1st Team.)

Additional 2nd Team players from Oklahoma are: Alex Storako.

Here is the Staff writers article about the Oklahoma All Big 12 Selections.

https://soonersports.com/news/2023/5/10 ... rly-awards

Congratulations to the each of the Sooners for their selections to the All Big 12 Teams and POY awards.

Here is the Big 12 Softball Press Release:

https://big12sports.com/documents/2023/ ... df?id=6980

Boomer Sooner!

[TN Sooner]

Great to see the ladies get recognized. Well deserved.

Hard to imagine Brito not even making second team. I know you have to be inclusive, but 24 better softball players in the Big 12 than Alysa Brito? No blanking way.

[VNSooner]

Totally agree with TN's assessment of Brito. I do not think there is a better defensive 3rd base period. She hits well (above .400) with power and is clutch. It is infuriating that she has not received the official recognition she deserves!

[OUBeliever56A]

The thing you have to remember is that the position a player plays makes no difference in the All-Big 12 Teams. Each Coach has to choose the Player of the Year, the Pitcher of the Year and the Defender of the Year and then list 12 players. Any player can be chosen by a coach from the other 6 teams.

So Coach Gasso had to find 12 players that were NOT Sooners.

The other six coaches probably had 6 or 7 players from OU and they probably could not get themselves to list more than that of the 12. The want to spread things around.

Then the 12 players with the most votes from 7 coaches (6 selections is unanimous) is on the 1st Team. The next 12 players are on the 2nd. The same process is used for the All-Big 12 Freshman team with a "1st Place Team".

For the other six coaches, once you write down Coleman, Jennings, Lyons, Bahl, Hansen, Lee and May you have 5 spots for players from the other four teams. there is at least one player from every team that is probably deserving. Scott and Morgan from Texas. Probably Orme and Govan from Baylor, Maybe Wycoff, Bailey or Fritz from Tech, Becker, Maxwell, Naomi, Factor, Wark from Okla State. The Ochoa from Iowa State, maybe Spelhaug or Ramos from I-State and Maybe, Bruno and Hamilton from Kansas.

It is a terrible way to select a conference team IMO. At some point, Brito and Boone who could start at every other Big 12 team, just run out of spots.

And yes, some coaches only look at Big 12 Stats or conference games to select. I do not know if that is required or not, but IMO, the season is the season. All '50-ish' games so far this season. If two players were 'tied' to make my list as a coach, I would look at the season stats to break the tie.

If positions were used, it would be tough to not have a Sooner at every position and 3 pitchers except for 1B and RF. Boone in LF should be at least 2nd team probably.

Boomer Sooner!