Kylie Norwood Leads Four Golden Hurricane with All-Conference Honors
5/11/2022 4:08:00 PM | Softball
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TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa softball team's Kylie Norwood was named to the American Athletic Conference First Team, leading four Golden Hurricane players who picked up conference honors, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon.
"It's a tribute to their hard work off the field that they're recognized for what they do on the field by the AAC coaches," Tulsa head coach Crissy Strimple said.
A senior from Santa Clarita, Calif., Norwood made the switch to first base this year and finished the regular season with a .305 batting average, hitting .377 in conference play. She started all 48 games and recorded 11 doubles, three home runs, a .448 slugging percentage and .392 on-base percentage.
This was Norwood's second all-conference selection after she was also named to the first team in 2021.
"I'm so excited for Kylie to finish out her career with this honor," Strimple said. "I've always looked at her as one of the best hitters in the conference."
Jones became the starting second baseman her junior season, starting in all 47 games she played, only missing one. She finished the season batting .301 with five doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs. The Woodlands, Texas native a .414 slugging percentage and had a team-high 79 assists defensively to go alongside 68 putouts.Abby Jones"It makes me happy to see Abby get second team." Strimple said. "She really bought into things on the offensive side. She put a lot of work in. So, it's nice to see her honored and rewarded for her hard work."
Bearpaw hit .264 as a freshman and slotted comfortably into right field, playing 44 games with 41 starts. The Sapulpa, Okla. native clobbered her first career home run, a grand slam, against East Carolina to secure a win. She finished the season with 34 hits and six doubles.Kailyn BearpawA local talent from Muskogee, Okla., Wood introduced herself to Tulsa fans with a record-setting eight RBI performance in the opening weekend against UAB. She'd go on to bat .268 this season with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs and a team-leading 33 RBIs. She also recorded the team's second-best slugging percentage at .457. Defensively, Wood split time between left field and shortstop.Celeste Wood"Getting the two freshmen on there is great." Strimple said. "We are a young team and those freshmen had to play quite a bit for us. They did a great job and it's nice to see them recognized for their skillset on the field."
Tulsa will meet the Houston Cougars in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship on Thursday morning. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. and will air on ESPN+.
