By Lance Tominaga, ESPN Honolulu Web Editor.
History was made this past Friday night at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Hauula’s own Jocelyn Alo cranked her 96th career home run, making her college softball’s all-time home run queen. Alo, the reigning USA Softball Player of the Year, was in town with the top-ranked and defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are now 20-0 after taking all four games in the Rainbow Wahine Classic by a combined score of 40-3.
Here are 10 interesting tidbits about Jocelyn Alo:
♦ Jocelyn Aloha Pumehana Alo started learning the game of softball when she was four years old, when her father Levi began taking her to a park in Hau‘ula and let her hit balls. The Alos said young Jocelyn would take a thousand swings a day.
♦ As an unsung seventh-grader, Alo showed up at a softball camp on the campus of BYU. By the end of the camp, the BYU coaches already offered her a scholarship.
♦ Before transferring to Campbell, Alo attended Kahuku, where as a sophomore she captured the state wrestling championship in her weight class.
♦ Alo led Campbell to back-to-back state softball titles. In the 2016 12-2 championship win over against Kapolei, Alo batted 2 for 3, including a triple and a home run, and drove in four runs. She was the game’s Most Outstanding Player. In 2017, in the title victory over Mililani, Alo was intentionally walked in all four of her at-bats. The Sabers shut out the Trojans, 2-0. In that state tournament, Alo was intentionally walked 13 times in her 17 plate appearances.
♦ Alo, a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, signed to play at Oklahoma After originally commuting to Cal. In her debut against Weber State on Feb. 9, 2018, Alo went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a HR.
♦ As a freshman, Alo started all 62 games for the Sooners, batting .420 and blasting 30 home runs (tops in the nation and tying the school’s freshman mark). She also led her team in RBIs (72), slugging percentage (.977), on-base percentage (.549) and walks (14). For her efforts, she was named First-Team All-American and the NFCA Freshman of the Year. The Sooners advanced to the WCWS but we’re knocked out in the semifinals.
♦ In 2019, during her sophomore season, Alo fell into a slump. Her head coach, Patty Gasso, instructed her to take two weeks away from both the team and the game of softball. “It was hard to watch her play the game without passion, with frustration, with anger. That’s not how she plays,” Gasso told ESPN.com. “There was a lot of pressure on her, and it looked like she was miserable.” Despite her two-week absence, Alo was still named to the All-Big 12 First Team.
♦ During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Alo started all 24 games for Oklahoma and led the team in total bases (61). She batted .427 with 8 HRs and 21 RBIs. She was also walked a team-leading 12 times.
♦ Last season, Alo started all 60 games for the Sooners, batting .475 with 89 RBIs and 34 homers (a new Sooners single-season record). More importantly, she helped Oklahoma capture the program’s fifth national title. Her solo HR in the first inning sparked the Sooners’ 5-1 victory over Florida State in the Women’s College World Series championship game.
♦ Alo wears #78 in honor of her father, Levi. That was his jersey number when he played junior college football at Laney College in Oakland.
In case you missed it, here is Alo’s record-setting 96th homer from Friday night, courtesy of David Croxford: