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St. Anthony alum and 2020 The562.org All-City Athlete of the Year Tiare Jennings made history recently, winning her fourth NCAA title as a star with the Oklahoma softball team. Jennings helped lead the Sooners to the first-ever softball four-peat in NCAA history, ending every one of her collegiate seasons with a national championship win.
The numbers boggle the mind. The Sooners, coached by former LBCC coach Patty Gasso, went 235-15 over the last four seasons. Jennings was a huge offensive and defensive force for Oklahoma in that time. She proved herself one of the best power hitters in NCAA history, with nearly 100 career home runs, more than 300 hits, and more than 300 RBIs. She was named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year finalist and was drafted third overall in the AUPS Draft.
Jennings was just as big of a star in high school, earning Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for California in her senior season, batting .710 with six home runs in just four games of a COVID-shortened senior season. She was the No. 2 recruit in the nation for the Saints.
Jennings’ big 2024 isn’t over yet, either. She was named to the USA Softball National Team and will compete in the WBSC World Cup Finals. While softball isn’t an Olympic sport in Paris this Summer, it will be in Los Angeles in 2028, and Jennings will have a shot to keep her spot on the team and play in the Olympics in Southern California. This year the team will compete in the WBSC World Cup in Italy.
