Outfield:
- Jayda Coleman is just about all she was expected to be. She has a .417 BA, .475 OB% and a .653 Slug%. Maybe her power numbers are a bit down after her big 2023 season, but she is hitting the ball hard and her power may be on the upswing. She leads the Sooners in runs with 31 despite not leading off full time. Her defense is still superb and she may be in the leadoff spot more than not the rest of the season.
- Rylie Boone is playing very well. She has a .429 BA, .474 OB% and a .586 Slug% along with great defense and her clutch hitting. Boone is on pace to set a career double and RBI mark for a season. She is very valuable to the Sooners.
- Kasidi Pickering has stepped up to more or less control the final outfield spot at this point. She has impressed in many ways as a freshman. She is hitting .418 BA, .506 OB% and .672 Slug%. She is on schedule to maybe reach double digits in doubles and HRs. She plays a good outfield also. She is fifth on the team in RBIs as well. If she keeps this up, she will have a very impressive freshman campaign.
- Hannah Coor has played in all but two games but only started twice. She has hit her first HR as a Sooner and has hit the ball hard as of late. She is a choice for defense in the outfield late in games and can pinch run for most of the lineup. Her excellent hitting in the fall has not showed up fully so far in 2024, but the potential is still there. I am not sure how she gets more than one at bat a game for now though, it is difficult to get on a roll doing that.
- Maya Bland is starting to impress off the bench. She is the first pinch-runner sent in to steal a base and to score from any base. She has stole 7 of 8 bases. She is hitting .375 and has a .500 OB% in limited at bats. She is helping herself right now to get playing time.
- Alyssa Brito is off to a strong start with the bat as she is hitting .434 BA, .516 OB% and .908 Slug% with 7 doubles, 1 triple and 9 HRs and 25 RBIs. I would say she has struck out a bit lately, but she is still a very good bat for the Sooners. Her defense is primarily very good but she has had a couple moments with 3 errors. She will continue on her good season I am sure. Maybe she can finish 2024 with a new HR mark above the 17 she hit last year. Brito leads the team in runs with 32.
- Tiare Jennings has recently been very hot with the bat and has strong numbers on offense. She has a batting line of .423 BA, .495 OB% and .923 Slug% with 37 RBIs and 9 doubles and 10 HRs. She is climbing up all the offensive career charts in her final year. Her play at SS has been certainly good enough but 'replacing the memory of Grace Lyons' is a very hard thing. I think Jennings is doing well enough and do not worry about her defense. She will make the plays she should I think.
- Cydney Sanders has turned a 10-day hot streak into a good first half of 2024. She is hitting .380 BA, .579 OB% and has a 1.020 Slug%. She has 10 HRs and 30 RBIs. Her 21 walks leads the Sooners. For me, I wish she would swing a some good pitches earlier in the count but that may not be her plan and her plan seems pretty good right now. Her play at 1B has been very strong for the most part. I hope that Sanders can parlay her good first half into a good second half of the season and approach 20 HRs for her as a Sooner.
- Alynah Torres is doing a pretty good job at 2B, especially at the plate. She is hitting .385 BA, .475 OB% and .558 Slug% for numbers that are her highest as a Sooner. She is making the plays she should for the most part and is blending in well at 2B, IMO. I think she gets the majority of the playing time at 2B going forward. I wonder if we could see Torres at catcher in the near future as Hansen and Ludlam has injuries from last weekend.
- Avery Hodge is starting to find some offense while playing good defense at 2B and SS when she plays the field. She is hitting .323 BA with some hits as of late. She has a .371 OB% and a .452 OB%. She will continue to play late for more range at 2B and will run at times for starters before double switches.
- Quincee Lilio has hit not quite got her bat going yet in only 16 at bats, but the potential is still there. She has made the most of her 2 hits with a double and a HR. She is reliable defensively at 2B and in the outfield late in games. it would be nice to see Lilio flip the switch on her good bat the second half of the season with key hits off the bench. I hope that happens.
- Ella Parker has started her Sooner career well. She has been the steady DP and played some at 1B and the OF. She is hitting a team leading BA at .438 with a .543 OB% and a .781 Slug%. She has 30 runs scored and 26 RBIs. She is also leading the team in steals with 8 of 9 SB. That surprises me a bit but I knew she could run. She is on track for double digits doubles and HRs even though her HR stroke has not really been too evident so far. If she gets the long ball going, look out for a big impact from the freshman.
- Riley Ludlam has been one of the surprise players for 2024. The Furman graduate, is filling in as the backup catcher and a good pinch hitter for the Sooners. She is hitting .385 BA, .528 OB% and a .564 Slug%. That should please everyone. I think she has worked very hard to become a better catcher and she has done that. She is capable of catching when needed. Her finger issue on her throwing hand might slow her down for a bit, but she can still get the job done for now. Ludlam's role is very important right now as Hansen's status is unknown but hopeful that she returns soon. Keep up the good work, Riley!
- Kinzie Hansen has been on a slow boil to reach her offensive numbers so far in 2024. She is not too far off from the .400/800 marks for BA and Slug% either. She is hitting .367 BA, .435 OB% and Slug% of .767. She has 7 HRs on the season. Her defense has been good as usual despite a couple unexpected errors. Her leadership and handling of the pitching staff is also very important. As we wait to see the outcome of her leg injury at Lubbock we will all wish for the best outcome for Hansen. Her bat can put the Sooners over the top.
- Kelly Maxwell has been, well, better than Kelly Maxwell. Her career ERA at OSU was 1.58. One year, she had an ERA in the 1.20 area at OSU. Her ERA is 1.31 this season and is pitching well for Oklahoma. Her .164 BAA against is the lowest of the team for pitchers with over 7 innings. She is leading the Sooners in strikeouts as well. I also think she is hitting her stride right now and will continue to impress. She looks relaxed and in control when needed. She is 8-0 and has 3 CG with 8 starts. I am not sure we could ask much more of Ms. Maxwell.
- Nicole May has also pitched well overall for the Sooners. There has been a couple of moments when she was not her best perhaps, but that is the life of a pitcher. She is still 9-0 and has an ERA of 1.54 which is not anything but very good. If she can reduce a few of her walks and HB her numbers will look very good. May is a good #1A or a #2 and gives the Sooners an advantage over most teams.
- Karlie Keeney has been used often for the Sooners with 14 appearences in the circle with 12 times as a relief pitcher. She has a 1.37 ERA which is about a run lower than her career ERA at Liberty. Keeney has pitched well except for her low strikeout number. But that is the type of pitcher she is. She relies on limiting walks and HB to minimize base runners and get ground balls for outs. That is what she is doing. I think Keeney will be the go-to reliever in conference games going forward when needed. I expect her to pitch well in that role.
- Kierston Deal has not pitched a great amount of innings but when she has, after that first weekend, she has pitched well. Deal is 7-0 with 7 starts and has an ERA of 1.25. She looks like the 3rd starter for conference series and she may pitch on Saturday after Maxwell on Friday and before May on Sunday. I have good faith in Deal and I believe she will do well in that role. I would also prefer she wear her sunglasses, just to be a bit superstitious.
- Paytn Monticelli has arrived in Norman and pitched better than I thought she would. She has a 0.55 ERA as she has only allowed one run (a HR) in her 12.2 innings and 10 appearences. She will likely continue to be a relief choice when needed. She comes in and throws hard and challenges hitters. Her control is a bit of a concern but with 19 Ks in 12.2 innings, she can be effective.
- SJ Geurin has finally got a chance to pitch after red-shirting last season. She has not disappointed anyone. She has a 0.00 ERA in the 6.2 innings she has pitched. In those innings she has allowed 4 base runners with only 1 hit (a single). Her BAA is .048. She has also picked up two wins in relief. I must admit that I wondered why she did not pitch last weekend in Lubbock, but I understand there are only so many innings to choose from.
The team stats are all excellent for the 2024 Sooners. Here they are:
Hitting: - .394 BA, .491 OB%, .718 Slug% - 54 doubles, 3 triples and 56 HRs - 253 runs for 9.04 Runs/Game - 4.04 EBH/ Game - 2.0 HR/Game - 36-3 in Stolen Bases - 16 Run-Rule Wins
Pitching: - 1.26 ERA, .180 BAA, .266 OB% Against, .263 Slug% Against - 11 doubles and 13 HRs allowed - 1 EBH hit allowed every 7 innings - 15 Shutouts
Fielding% - .985% with 10 errors
Record: 27-1 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12
The Sooners have 6 offensive numbers in the Top 10 of all the D1 teams. The Sooners also are in the Top 10 of 2 pitching stats the fielding stat and the W/L %. That is very good.
Boomer Sooner!
