Kinzie Hansen

Last updated

Kinzie Hansen
Oklahoma City Spark
Catcher
Born: (2001-10-12) October 12, 2001 (age 22)
Norco, California
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Women's softball
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Birmingham Team

Kinzie Hansen (born October 12, 2001) is an American professional softball player for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Association of Fastpitch Professionals (AFP) and is a member of the United States women's national softball team. She played college softball at Oklahoma where she won the Women's College World Series championship four consecutive years.

Contents

Early life

Hansen was born to Jason and Nicole Hansen. She played travel ball for the OC Batbusters, and finished the 2018 summer with a .460 batting average, 37 hits, 23 RBIs, 21 runs, 11 home runs and a .990 fielding percentage, and helped lead her team to a national runner-up finish. [1]

High school career

Hansen attended Norco High School in Norco, California. During her freshman year in 2016, she hit .426 with seven home runs, a team-best 37 RBI, 18 walks and a .525 on-base percentage. Following the season, she was named to the Big VIII League first team, and was the only underclassman to be named to the Riverside Press-Enterprise All-Inland first team. [2] She was also named CalHiSports State Freshman of the Year. [3] During her sophomore year in 2017, she had the team’s second-best batting average at .470, and led the team with 43 RBI. Following the season, she was named CalHiSports State Sophomore of the Year. [4] As a junior in 2018, she posted a .596 batting average, 31 hits, 29 RBIs, 11 runs scored, four home runs and a .992 fielding percentage and helped lead her team to the CIF Championship. [5] Following the season she was named CalHiSports State Junior of the Year and HSGameTime Softball Player of the Year. [6] She was also named a first-team All-American, the CIF MVP, the league MVP and the Press Enterprise Softball Player of the Year. [7] [8]

College career

Hansen made her collegiate debut for Oklahoma on February 6, 2020, in a game against Nevada, where she went 2-for-5 with four RBIs. [9] She finished her freshman year in a season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic with 24 starts, including 22 at first base, and led the Sooners with 26 RBI, ranked second on the team with 31 hits and 11 walks and fourth on the team in batting average at .413. She also had a perfect fielding percentage and 152 putouts at first base. [1]

During her sophomore year in 2021, she started 58 games, and batted .438 with 24 home runs, nine doubles and 66 RBIs. Her 24 home runs ranked fifth in the country. Defensively, she recorded 279 putouts and 21 assists with just three errors for .990 fielding percentage. [1] On February 11, 2021, she went 5-for-5 in a game against UTEP, with two home runs, and three RBI. Her five hits tied the single-game program record for hits. [10] During the 2021 Big 12 Conference softball tournament, she recorded five home runs in three games, with eight RBI and a 2.100 slugging percentage. [11] She was subsequently named to the all-tournament team and the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Tournament. [12] During the 2021 Women's College World Series she batted .357 with three home runs, one double and eight RBI, to help lead her team to the Women's College World Series championship. She was also named to the All-tournament Team. [13]

During her junior year in 2022, she started 41 games, after missing part of the season due to injury. She finished the season with a .273 batting average, 33 hits, 29 RBI and eight home runs. [14] During the 2022 Women's College World Series title-clinching championship game, she went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run to help Oklahoma win their second consecutive national championship. [15]

During her senior year in 2023, she appeared in 49 games, with 44 starts at catcher or designated player after missing the first two weeks of the season due to injury. She finished the season with a .409 batting average, seven doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 57 RBI. Her average of 1.16 RBIs per game ranked seventh in the country. Defensively she had a .993 fielding percentage with 268 putouts and nine assists to just two errors and was named the Johnny Bench Award winner. [16] [17] During game two of the Norman Super Regional at the 2023 NCAA Division I softball tournament, she hit a game-tying three-run home run in the seventh inning against Clemson to help Oklahoma advance to the Women's College World Series. During the 2023 Women's College World Series she hit .357 with a double, home run and four RBIs, to help Oklahoma win their third consecutive national championship. She was subsequently named to the All-tournament Team. [18] [19]

During her graduate student year in 2024, she appeared in 58 games, with 55 starts at catcher or designated player. She finished the season with a .400 batting average, nine doubles, 11 home runs and 41 RBI. Defensively she had a .990 fielding percentage with 282 putouts and 24 assists to just three errors and was named a unanimous All-Big 12 first team selection and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. [20] [21] During the 2024 Women's College World Series she had three hits with a double, home run, two RBIs, and three runs scored to help Oklahoma win their fourth consecutive national championship. She was subsequently named to the All-tournament Team. [22] [23]

Professional career

On June 17, 2024, Hansen signed with the Oklahoma City Spark of the AFP. [24] [25]

National team career

On January 7, 2022, she was named a member of the United States women's national softball team for the 2022 World Games. [26] [27]

Related Research Articles

Stacey "Nuvey" Nuveman-Deniz is an American, former professional softball player and current head coach at San Diego State. She played for the UCLA Bruins at the catcher position on-and-off from 1997 to 2002, winning a National Championship in 1999. She also won two Olympic gold medals and one silver medal for Team USA.

Keilani Johanna Ricketts Tumanuvao is an American softball pitcher for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). She played college softball at Oklahoma from 2010 to 2013, where she was the starting pitcher and helped to lead the Sooners to the national championship in 2013. As a member of the United States women's national softball team she won 2011 World Cup of Softball. Ricketts currently plays for the USSSA Pride in the National Pro Fastpitch. She is the Sooners career leader in wins and strikeouts. She also ranks for career records in both the Big 12 Conference and the NCAA Division I, where she is one three players to win 100 games with 1,000 strikeouts and hit 50 home runs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Romero</span> American softball player

Sierra Joy Romero is a Mexican American professional softball player. She formerly was a volunteer assistant softball coach for the Oregon Ducks softball team. She played college softball for Michigan from 2013 to 2016, where she set numerous records and was a four-time All-American. She holds the Big Ten Conference career Triple Crown, along with the total bases and slugging percentage records, simultaneously leading all of the NCAA Division I in runs scored and grand slams. She was the inaugural winner of both the espnW Softball Player of the Year in 2015 and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Year in 2016, when she also took home the Honda Sports Award Softball Player of the Year and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year awards. She is one of nine NCAA players to hit .400 with 200 RBIs, 50 home runs and an .800 slugging percentage for her career and was named the #5 Greatest College Softball Player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Chamberlain</span> American softball player

Lauren Nicole Chamberlain is an American retired softball infielder. Chamberlain played college softball for the Oklahoma Sooners softball from 2012 to 2015. A collegiate All-American, she was part of the 2013 Women's College World Series championship team. She is the NCAA Division I career leader in slugging percentage. She also holds the school and Big 12 Conference career lead in RBIs, walks, total bases and runs. She was drafted #1 and played professional softball for the USSSA Pride of National Pro Fastpitch from 2015 to 2018, winning a title in her final season in 2018.

Sydney Joy Romero is a Mexican American professional softball player and current assistant coach for Oregon. She previously played college softball for the Oklahoma Sooners, where she set numerous program records and led the Sooners to four consecutive Women's College World Series appearances from 2016 to 2019, and won the national championship as a Freshman in 2016 and Sophomore in 2017. She played professionally for the USSSA Pride of National Pro Fastpitch. She represented Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jocelyn Alo</span> American softball player

Jocelyn Aloha Pumehana Alo is an American professional softball player for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). She played college softball for the Oklahoma Sooners. Alo was named 2018 NFCA National Freshman of the Year, and named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. She is the NCAA Division I career leader in home runs. Alo was drafted first overall by the Smash It Vipers in the inaugural WPF draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Oklahoma Sooners softball team</span> American college softball season

The 2021 Oklahoma Sooners softball team was an American college softball team that represented the University of Oklahoma during the 2021 NCAA Division I softball season. The Sooners were led by Patty Gasso in her twenty-seventh season, and played their home games at OU Softball Complex. They competed in the Big 12 Conference, where they finished the season with a 56–4 record, including 16–1 in conference play.

Tiare Rose Jennings is an American former college softball player for the Oklahoma Sooners. As a freshman in 2021, she was named NFCA National Freshman of the Year and Softball America Freshman of the Year. While at Oklahoma she won the Women's College World Series championship four consecutive years.

Bailey Marie Hemphill is a former American All-American softball player for the Alabama Crimson Tide. She currently holds the Alabama record for the most career home runs hit with 64, as well as the SEC record for most career walks with 237.

Marshaylee Knighten is an American former professional softball player for the USSSA Pride and current assistant head coach for the San Diego Toreros softball team. She previously played college softball for Oklahoma, where she led the team to four consecutive Women's College World Series appearances from 2016 to 2019, and won the national championship as a freshman in 2016 and sophomore in 2017. She was named WCWS Most Outstanding Player in 2017.

Jayda Coleman is an American professional softball player for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Association of Fastpitch Professionals (AFP). She played college softball at Oklahoma where she won the Women's College World Series championship four consecutive years. She also represented the United States at the 2019 U-19 Women's Softball World Cup and USA Softball International Cup.

Amanda Lorenz is an American professional softball player and member of the United States women's national softball team. She played college softball at Florida, where she was named NFCA National Freshman of the Year in 2016. Following her college career, she played professionally for USSSA Pride. She most recently played in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball league where she won the 2024 championship as the top individual points leader.

Nicole Rangel Mendes is an American professional softball player for the New York Rise of the Association of Fastpitch Professionals (APF) and is a member of Mexico women's national softball team. She played college softball at Oklahoma where she helped lead the Sooners to four consecutive Women's College World Series appearances from 2017 to 2021, and won the national championship as a freshman in 2017 and redshirt senior in 2021. She represented Team Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She is also a softball analyst for ESPN.

Amanda Sánchez is an American softball player of Mexican descent and member of the Mexico women's national softball team. She represented Team Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Suzannah Lillian Brookshire-González is an American professional softball player for the Smash It Sports Vipers of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). She played for college softball for three universities from 2017 to 2021, the San Jose State Spartans, Sacramento State Hornets and the Long Beach State 49ers. Brookeshire was a power hitter joining an elite NCAA Division I club with her career 62 home runs and 201 RBIs. She represented Team Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics where they placed fourth in their first appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordy Bahl</span> American softball player

Jordyn Bahl is an American college softball pitcher for Nebraska. As a freshman at Oklahoma in 2022, she was named NFCA National Freshman of the Year.

Grace Turk is an American former college softball player and a member of the United States women's national softball team. She played college softball for the Oklahoma Sooners where she won three consecutive Women's College World Series from 2021 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jocelyn Erickson</span> American softball player

Jocelyn Erickson is an American college softball player for the Florida Gators. She previously played for Oklahoma. She was named the NFCA National Player of the Year in 2024.

Reese Atwood is an American college softball player for Texas. She was named Softball America Player of the Year in 2024.

Alyssa Brito is an American former college softball player for Oregon and Oklahoma. While at Oklahoma she won the Women's College World Series championship three consecutive years.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kinzie Hansen". soonersports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  2. ↑ Tennis, Mark (June 28, 2016). "More Softball Players of the Year". calhisports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Eric-Paul (June 28, 2016). "Softball: Norco catcher Kinzie Hansen chosen state's top freshman". The Press-Enterprise . Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  4. ↑ Tennis, Mark (June 26, 2017). "More Softball Players of the Year". calhisports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  5. ↑ Eads, Brentt (November 17, 2018). "Signing Recap: Kinzie Hansen… Looking to Close Out Her Career With Two More Titles". extrainningsoftball.com. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  6. ↑ Tennis, Mark (June 22, 2018). "More Softball Players of the Year". calhisports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Eric-Paul (June 15, 2018). "Norco's Kinzie Hansen is the HSGameTime softball player of the year". The Press-Enterprise . Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Eric-Paul (July 5, 2018). "Chino Hills and Norco softball programs garner top state and national honors". The Press-Enterprise . Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Freshmen Shine in Season Opener". soonersports.com. February 6, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  10. ↑ Dunn, Patrick (February 11, 2021). "OU Shatters Home Run Record on Opening Day". soonersports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Oklahoma Wins Fourth Consecutive Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship". big12sports.com. May 15, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  12. ↑ Engelbrecht, Chandler (May 15, 2021). "OU softball: Sooners' Kinzie Hansen named Most Outstanding Player of Big 12 Tournament". The Oklahoma Daily . Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  13. ↑ Helmer, Joey (June 10, 2021). "Host of Sooners make All-Tournament Team". 247sports.com. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ Aber, Ryan (May 20, 2022). "'Enough is enough': How OU softball's Kinzie Hansen is working to turning her season around". The Oklahoman . Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Back to Back: Sooners Win Sixth National Title". soonersports.com. June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  16. ↑ Aber, Ryan (June 28, 2023). "OU softball: Kinzie Hansen wins Johnny Bench Award as college softball's top catcher". The Oklahoman . Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Hansen Wins Johnny Bench Award for Nation's Top Catcher". soonersports.com. June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  18. ↑ Post, J.J. (June 8, 2023). "Oklahoma softball joins elite company with title three-peat". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  19. ↑ Auerbach, Nicole (June 8, 2023). "Oklahoma softball wins third consecutive national title: How Sooners cemented a dynasty". The Athletic . Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  20. ↑ "2024 All-Big 12 Softball Awards Revealed". big12sports.com. May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  21. ↑ Homrok, Daniel (May 8, 2024). "OU softball features 9 players on All-Big 12 teams, Kinzie Hansen named Defensive Player of the Year". OU Daily . Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  22. ↑ Bardahl, Jayna (June 6, 2024). "Oklahoma claims historic 4-peat with WCWS championship finals Game 2 win over Texas". The New York Times . Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  23. ↑ Curtright, Austin (June 6, 2024). "Oklahoma softball wins fourth straight championship: Social media reactions to Sooner dynasty". The Oklahoman . Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  24. ↑ Chapman, Ryan (June 17, 2024). "OU Softball: Oklahoma City Spark Signs Oklahoma Trio to Professional Contracts". si.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  25. ↑ Young, Mason (June 17, 2024). "OKC Spark signs OU softball's Kinzie Hansen, Jayda Coleman and Rylie Boone". Tulsa World . Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  26. ↑ "USA Softball announces 2022 Women's National Team World Games Roster". teamusa.org. January 7, 2022. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  27. ↑ Sweet, Randall (February 18, 2022). "OU softball: For Sooners' Kinzie Hansen, USA Softball Women's National Team selection 'a dream come true'". The Oklahoma Daily . Retrieved June 23, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.