An investigation directly at Kinzie Hansen’s tenure with the Oklahoma Sooners

If “attitude reflects leadership,” as Julius Campbell from Remember the Titans once said, the Oklahoma Sooners were a reflection of one of their captains in 2024.

Kinzie Hansen’s career experienced its ups and downs. She battled injuries throughout the 2022 season before recovering sufficiently to play a significant role in that year’s championship run. Throughout her five seasons at Oklahoma, the Sooners’ catcher has exemplified toughness and resilience.

She played 243 games with the Sooners. After playing only 24 games as a true freshman, Hansen has averaged 54.75 games each season and started 49.5 games in the last four years. In her career, Hansen batted.390 with 60 home runs and 268 RBIs.

If you exclude the 2022 season, when she battled injuries throughout, Hansen hit.416. Hansen hit.400 or above in four of her five seasons at Oklahoma. Statistically, 2021 was her greatest season, with a.438 batting average, 24 home runs, and 66 RBI.

While his power numbers may not have returned, Hansen’s knack for clutch hitting and heroics remained. She was as excellent as anyone in the country with two strikes and built a reputation for pulling through when the odds were stacked against her.

There is no better example than Hansen’s game-tying home run against Clemson in the 2023 super regionals.

The Oklahoma Sooners were trailing 7-4 to the Clemson Tigers as they sought to make history. At one point, OU led 4-0 before the Tigers scored seven straight runs.

Valerie Cagle, one of the top players in the game, was on the mound, attempting to tie the super-regional series with Oklahoma. It was the moment that every kid who plays diamond sports fantasizes about. Oklahoma had two on and two out when Hansen dug in as the tying run.

After falling behind 0-2, Hansen hit on an up-and-away fastball and drove it deep to left field and past the bleachers at Marita Hynes Field.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐍𝐎 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒. @KINZIEHANSEN pic.twitter.com/MmncgxBI24

— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 27, 2023

Hansen knotted the game with one swing of the bat, sending it to extra innings, where Tiare Jennings gave OU the lead in the ninth to win. The win gave the Sooners their 48th consecutive victory, surpassing Arizona for the longest winning streak in softball. It was a streak that lasted until the 2024 season and stopped at 71 games.

Unless Hansen comes through in the seventh inning, the game will not progress. It was an at-bat that Sooner fans and the softball world will never forget.

That was Oklahoma’s final game at Marita Hynes Field, where they had spent the previous 20 years. In a poetic moment, Hansen also hit the walk-off home run to defeat Miami (OH) in Oklahoma’s inaugural game at Love’s Field.

And, while her contributions at the plate will be recognized for years to come, it is also vital to recognize her role in guiding the pitching staff during the previous five years. In each of the Sooners’ four national championships, Hansen defeated a different frontline starter. In 2021, it was Giselle Juarez. Hope Trautwein made crucial plays in 2022. Jordy Bahl dominated the 2023 season. Kelly Maxwell took the title in 2024.

In 2023, Hansen was selected a first-team All-American. She was also named first-team All-Big 12 in each of the previous two seasons and has appeared for the national team on several occasions. In 2024, she was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Big 12 selection.

Hansen’s tenacity, resiliency, and ability to deliver in critical times have made her a fan favorite over the previous five years. And, with the announcement that she will continue her softball career with the WPF’s Oklahoma City Spark, Sooner fans will be able to continue to watch K-9 perform on the diamond.