Oklahoma’s Kinzie Hansen Set to Make Her Return in Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
The Sooners will get a huge boost to their lineup this weekend when they take part in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. Catcher Kinzie Hansen is poised to return after missing the first two weekends, head coach Patty Gasso confirmed Wednesday evening.
“She is, yeah,” Gasso said. “I think you’ll see her this weekend a bit. Not catching every game, but you’ll see her in a uniform and likely on the field.”
That’s huge in more ways than one. Not only is Hansen a big bat, but her presence as a backstop and a leader is quite significant as well.
“Yeah, it’ll help,” Gasso said. “You could feel her loss. You could feel her not in the lineup last weekend. So, our team recognized. And she did a good job trying to stay very vocal, but there’s just a presence that she has that also exudes confidence that gives it to the rest of the team. So, it’ll be nice to have her back.”
Hansen battled through injuries throughout what was a frustrating 2022 season because of that, but she still managed to hit eight home runs while recording 29 RBI. The year before, she exploded to the tune of 24 homers and 66 RBI with a .438 batting average. That season, she slugged at an .893 clip while earning NFCA Second Team All-American honors and a spot on the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team during the Sooners’ national title run.
She’s looking to return to more of that form in 2023, and all indications in the offseason were that she was well on track for that. Now Sooner Nation and the rest of the country will likely get to see Hansen for the first time with that goal in mind.
