23 in ’23: The Sooners, Better Than Ever
Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman/USA TODAY Network
Oklahoma Sooners softball came into 2023 carrying a legacy that could have felt like a burden: The Sooners had won back-to-back championships. They had also just graduated the best player in program history—NCAA home run queen Jocelyn Alo—and had been tasked with integrating a few high-profile transfers.
Led by shortstop Grace Turk (formerly Lyons), the national defensive player of the year, they rose to the challenge. The ’23 Sooners became the first team ever to lead the NCAA in batting average (.366), fielding percentage (.987) and ERA (0.96). (Yes, that’s right, they hit above .350 while allowing less than one run per game.) They won a third straight title. And built the longest win streak in D-I softball history at 53 games—and counting.