OU softball notebook: Tiare Jennings' time to shine at shortstop

There is a world of big picture items to discuss with OU softball. Storylines galore. Gunning for the fourth straight national championship. Beginning the 2024 season with a 53-game winning streak after a 61-1 mark in 2023.

Final season in the Big 12, opening Love’s Field. You get the idea. But sometimes you have to dig into the weeds.

And when you’re talking this version of the Sooners under Patty Gasso, you’re wondering how they’re going to replace shortstop Grace Lyons?

One of the best defensive fielders you’re going to find to go along with the heart and soul. Gasso didn’t hesitate – it’s going to be Tiare Jennings’ time to shine. The senior will move from second base to shortstop this season.

“Right now, I think Tiare is going to be working over at shortstop,” said Gasso on Monday. “Alyssa Brito is so good at third, it’s hard to move her out of there and her experience is something else. I’ve got three vying over at second — that’s Avery Hodge, Quincee Lilio and Alynah Torres, but Alynah Torres can do a lot of things. Avery can also play shortstop. Q can also play the outfield, so there’s opportunities for all of them. 

“Jayda Coleman’s in center. Kinzie Hansen behind the plate, Riley Ludlam is a nice backup there. The outfield is still fighting. I mean, there’s really good hitters. Our freshman, Ella Parker, she’s not playing first. It’ll be Cyd Sanders at first, but Ella Parker’s gotta be in this lineup, so that’s one thing that I’m certain. Kasidi Pickering is a big-time hitter as well, and now you’ve got Hannah Coor who had a great fall, and Rylie Boone, who is the starter of everything. 

“So there’s gonna be a lot of movement this first weekend. We’ve gotta get everybody opportunities to see how they handle. But likely, the opportunity is going to be the matchup that fits them from the opponent offensively. I can really put anybody in at any time, so I’m really gonna unload the bench as much as I can throughout each game.”

Countdown to Love’s is on

You don’t want to bypass the first month of the season, and OU is certainly not doing that. But you’ll have to forgive Sooner fans if they’re just crossing off the days until March 1 and the opening of Love’s Field.

Less than a month away from the softball dream becoming a reality. Still a work in progress to really be like home officially home. But OU will open it as scheduled March 1 for the OU Tournament.

“Oh yea. I just got a tour of it today,” Gasso said. “I haven’t seen it in a couple of months. And I actually went with Jenny Love. Her and I were both enjoying it together. And there are things that I did not know were happening so we got down onto the actual field and I’m looking up at the (scoreboard)… That was Joe Castiglione’s idea to create the outline of Oklahoma and I’m like, okay that sounds kind of corny. But when I see it I’m like that is awesome. I think it’s the coolest thing. So I got to see the Love’s family, their logo up there.

“But I was standing on the field right by home plate and looking out into the outfield, and they have grandstands on top of the, what do you call it, walkway. I didn’t know that, so they just added another 500-600 seats. Now I’m standing and going oh my, it’s grand. It is grand. I’m trying to explain to our team, and they are just going nuts. They’re dying to see it. I got to see what their lockers look like. We’re not able to go in it. We’re going to play on it but not able to go in it quite yet because there’s still a lot to do. By probably mid-April, it should be completely done.”

One redshirt planned

Injuries can always change things and always play a role into the redshirt process. Gasso said the plan is for just one to miss the 2024 season.

“We’ve got Nelly McEnroe-Marinas – a freshman out of Hawaii who just had surgery,” Gasso said. “She’s going to be redshirting. If you have sometimes too many pitchers in the bullpen you think about maybe redshirting one. But I think we need all six of these. Right now, that’s the only redshirt that we have.”