There was a lot of pressure on her, and it looked like it was miserable. After all, she said, theyve already proved they can do it on TV. ", Stith's program runs a conveyor belt directly to Oklahoma; nine of its summer-ball players are on the nation's best team. 78, Levi's number when he played junior college football at Laney College in Oakland. The network paid $500 million in 2010 for the right to broadcast the two events, along with the womens basketball tournament and nearly two dozen other championships, until 2024. 2022 (Redshirt Senior) April 24, 2023 Softball. 2023 college softball conference tournaments: Schedules, brackets, auto-bids . Womens College World Series teams typically play north of 60 games a year. One of those accommodations: bringing in large tents to serve as temporary locker rooms in the tournament facility. Home Runs; B Saviola Howard (TX) 30: R Harris-Thorpe Salt Lake 28: T Rowley Seminole State (OK) 27: . But on television, the Womens College World Series draws nearly as many viewers as baseball. '", Alo says she can, and has, hit a softball 395-400 feet, citing the homer against Alabama as Exhibit A. A lot more home runs to come for Jennings. Along the way, she became an object of fascination. Copyright 2023 University of Oklahoma Athletics. "Kids come out of this world and they don't know how to think on their own," she says. The current NCAA home run record is 95, set by Lauren Chamberlain (who also played for Oklahoma). One softball coach, asked if she remembered a massage day for her players, answered, Jesus God in heaven, no way.. Thats the name of the game. Team Leaders: Home Runs Allowed; Player High; Home Runs Allowed; Bernero, Ellie: 4: Guercio, Stefanie: 4: Fielding. They go into college and as good as they are, a lot of them are broken. This home run occurred during the semifinal round of the 2019 Women's College World Series against Alabama, and the hitter -- maybe the best hitter in the history of college softball -- was . PREDICTIONS: 8 teams that we could see in OKC in 2022. She also leads the Sooners in RBI. St. Catherine (17-17, 11-7 MIAC) jumped out to a big early lead with a six-run first inning on its way to a 10-4 . They werent sure, exactly, what kinds of facilities baseball players had at the College World Series. She lashed out. Game Program. "They're dependent, they're robotic, they lose their soul sometimes. Remove yourself from social media while you're at it, Gasso told her. Given the physics involved -- a bat that weighs just 25 ounces with a 2-inch barrel connecting with a ball with a 12-inch circumference -- that distance seems preposterous. ", GASSO MAKES THE point, repeatedly, that she is not speaking directly about the Alo family when she decries the state of the for-profit development system in youth softball. In 2019, the mens tournament offered a team dinner for all eight teams, including meals for 20 additional VIPs at each school. Her swings and misses are somehow more frightening than her massive homers; as soon as the bat crosses the plate, she backhands it back to the beginning, like a hyper-speed rewind, as if the bat's no heavier than a fly swatter. World Series Results Archives. 100 in a 20-0 win over Iowa (3/20) Broke the NCAA Career Home Run Record in her home state of Hawaii, hitting career No. The stadium remains the countrys premier softball facility. Perhaps no disparity frustrates softball leaders as much as their events ultra-condensed schedule: just seven days, compared with 12 for the men. Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes)/MA/MD/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OH/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Sammey Bunch is tied with Barnard with 19 home runs this year. Charlotte, NC 28262 And so I dont think its going to be a concern.. 'Oh, you lost your $300 bat? NORTHFIELD, Minn. - The St. Olaf College softball team won game two on a walk-off wild pitch after dropping game one of its Senior Day doubleheader against St. Catherine University on Saturday afternoon at Mabel Shirley Field. |, Bill Evans | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com A lot of family events, a lot of time with her sisters. Now, I'm like, Hey, watch this. She has smashed 25 home runs this season and she leads the country in that category. The members of the womens team had been wronged. Lewis and Northwestern are putting together a great season. Alo hit the most home runs in D1 softball history so this is kind of a non-negotiable. Nothing could be accomplished with less, her entire career had proved that much. There is no room for weather delays, and there are no days of rest before the final series. Mia Davidson at Mississippi State has been known for her power for years and is theAll-Time SEC career home run leader. Duke biggest winner in latest D1Baseball rankings. Yes. "I wouldn't say she had lost her love for the game, but she'd been hitting home runs forever and when they weren't coming, she put too much pressure on herself.". On top of that, she has helped lead Wichita State to a great season, ranked in the top 25 heading into the last month of the season. Im just so thankful to be here with my teammates and finish it out with my senior group. So she is not only hitting a ton of home runs but she is hitting them in very clutch moments. She appeared to be conducting an investigation, committing the scene to memory for future retellings. ", The best part of seeing my homeruns on video isn't even the fact that I hit them it's seeing my dad reaction, gets me every time We made it dad. The public protests were a model taken directly out of the womens basketball playbook, top volleyball coaches said, and with an eye toward the NCAAs outside investigation. Sami Williams of Iowa State is tied with Hackbarth with 18 round trippers. Women's College World Series statistics (year-by-year) Records Books Softball Records Books (since 2001) Women's College World Series Records (since 2013) Softball Championships Results and Records; Scorebook (PDF) - Includes NCAA Softball Scoring Rules; Softball Rules and Interpretations (from Rule 14 of Softball Rules & Interpretations) These are eight teams that could make an appearance in the 2023 DII softball championship, picked by NCAA.com's Wayne Cavadi. ", There's an aura that surrounds Alo: self-assuredness mixed with a Hawaiian calm and a complete understanding of her place in the game's hierarchy. Tennis doesnt seem to be helping. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. I want to be playing the last game of season. 3 Oklahoma State, first time in 7 years, The 2023 softball field of 64, predicted by D1Softball, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A lot of what's going on is parents living their dream. "Now, if I don't do the things people expect me to do, I know how to handle it better. The NCAA has agreed to keep the softball championship in Oklahoma City until 2035, with no concrete plans to add more seating or facilities, according to a stadium spokesperson. Jake Aferiat | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 96 vs. Hawaii in a 3-for-3 performance (3/11) Was walked a combined 16 times over an eight-game span after tying the NCAA Career HR record (2/25-3/11) Blasted career No. They quickly went public with their concerns, prompting promises from the NCAA to fix some of the issues. Bri Ellis is just a freshman for the Auburn Tigers, but she has blasted 18 homers as of May 6 so far this season. She hit repeated homers off the older folks, too, and was offered a full scholarship by the BYU coach before the week was over. From the first time they journeyed to the mainland, where Levi's suspicions were confirmed by his daughter's performance at the BYU camp, the summers all played out the same way: Levi and Jocelyn would fly from Honolulu to Oakland, California, to pick up a spare Suburban from Andrea's parents in nearby Berkeley, load it with their summer collection of household items (pots, pans, shower curtain, plastic containers, microwave) and make the six-hour drive to Anaheim, California, where they rented a one-bedroom apartment next to the Sports Training Complex, a softball facility run by a nationally known travel-ball coach Mike Stith. Not to mention, they are all hitting .390 or above, led by Gibson who sports a .443 average this season. It was an itinerant life lived deep inside the youth-sports industrial complex, where many enter but few emerge. NCAA's international athletes still facing NIL challenges, The sorcery and science behind Virginia's swimming dynasty, 2021 WCWS: NCAA softball tournament scores, schedule, NCAA softball tournament: Breaking down the top teams and players, Greatness beckoned me back to the stands; fate took it from there, video of Alo winning the 184-pound state final, Author of five books (3 NYT best-sellers). ", "Jocelyn came out of the bad times with more passion, a little more leadership," Gasso says. Jocelyn Alo (30 in 2018, 34 in 2021 and 34 in 2022) is the only player to hit 30 home runs in three different seasons. Arizonaalso known as Home Run Uhas had several players in Harpers shoes before. Hit OU's team home run No. We are headed down the stretch here now of the 2022 college softball season. "She's gone through some tough times. "Sitting out seemed like a good idea to me," Levi says. Addison Barnard set the sophomore record by hitting 33 in 2022. Until 2019, Hall of Fame Stadium could hold only 9,000 people; every year, tickets to the Womens College World Series sold out virtually overnight. Carol Hutchins, the head coach at Michigan, described a longtime sentiment among womens college coaches: The NCAA never asks, Whats the least we can do for the men? With the women, thats always the question. The softball stadium added 4,000 seats in 2020 with funding from a city bond initiative, allowing it to accommodate 13,000. They fly to Oakland, spend a night with Andrea's parents, fly to Oklahoma City the next day. It was there, in Anaheim, as a member of the Orange County Batbusters, that the legend began to acquire layers. CRUSHED #WCWS | @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/642MnZPnEZ, This home run occurred during the semifinal round of the 2019 Women's College World Series against Alabama, and the hitter -- maybe the best hitter in the history of college softball -- was Oklahoma's Jocelyn Alo. Roadrunners jump into the top 3 in latest DIII Softball poll. Preparing for Your Career Olympians Made Here Dear College Sports After the Game Home About Us Our Priorities Our Members Our Students Academics Championships Committees Compliance Finances Governance Infractions Process Outreach Recruiting Archived Stories Home About Us Our Priorities Our Members Our Students Academics Championships Committees . In the womens tournament, teams get a single rest day and are asked to play doubleheaders if they lose an early game. That (offseason) was the longest that Ive gone without seeing my teammates, which is a crazy thing because were here grinding it out every single day together. ", Alo was the national freshman of the year, and in the following season she became acutely aware of the attention generated by her talent. Along with the attention came pressure, and expectations, and in her sophomore season what Alo loved to do most in the world -- unleash that swing and watch the ball fly -- became a torment. She leads her team with a .455 batting average and .945 slugging. Weve got another Boomer Sooner in Tiare Jennings. Keynes Drive - Suite 450. |, Mike Gurnis | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 8 Kentucky (3/22) Hit career home run No. [Editor's note: This college softball story was originally published on May 28 before the start of the 2021 Women's College World Series.]. Afreshman, and third in the country in home runs. In other words, just keep being the free-swinging shortstop that she is. Her power has just gotten better at the plate year after year, and she is putting together a spectacular season. National Junior College Athletic Association. Opening Round Records. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 5/1/2021). Eligibility restrictions apply. Caught Stealing When a runner attempts to steal but is tagged out before safely attaining the next base. She has 30 as of May 6, which is already the Wichita State single-season record, breaking the mark previously set by no one other than herself last season. Championship Records. 12 Arkansas shuts out No. With one pandemic-gifted season of eligibility remaining, she is 14 homers away from breaking the all-time NCAA record of 95, held by Oklahoma's Lauren Chamberlain. Started all 24 games for the Sooners across the outfield and as designated player Finished the year with a team-leading 61 total bases and a slashline of .427/.813/.506 to go with eight home runs, 21 RBIs and 22 runs Lead the team with 12 walks Stole two bases on two attempts Registered a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, 26 putouts and three assists Went 2-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs vs. Long Beach State (2/7) Went 2-for-3 with two home runs and 4 RBIs vs. Bryant (2/14) Had a 4-for-5 showing at the plate with a double, home run and four RBIs vs. North Texas (2/29) Helped the Sooners to a come-from-behind victory going 3-for-3 with one home run and 2 RBIs vs. Wichita State (3/4). I thought she had potential, and that's why I pushed her and why we sacrificed. Now that I'm older, I realize -- man, Jocelyn missed a lot. "Her dad sacrificed a lot of time and money because she had more opportunity on the mainland, and he understood that. The home run record was, and still is, an afterthought. This article was published more than2 years ago. Skaggs has blasted 20 homers so far this season to go along with a .377 average at the plate. Caught Stealing When a runner attempts to steal but is tagged out before safely attaining the next base. Full name is Jocelyn Aloha Pumehana Alo daughter of Levi and Andrea Alo has three sisters, Sabrina, Lorraine and Sophia father (football) and mother (softball) each competed at Laney College chose OU over Cal and Oregon last name pronounced like "ALL-oh". They get to a point where they are really struggling.. After the controversy played out on Twitter, Wise said, she got a call from a top SEC official, who asked for her input on gender equity issues and what the NCAA could do to improve the tournament. Espinoza (30 in 1994 and 37 in 1995), Lauren Chamberlain (30 in 2012 and 30 in 2013) and Alo are the only players with two 30-homer seasons. We all say play the game one pitch at a time but its so true. CS. 23, 2023 2 Buena VistaBVUSB 5-22 Score By Periods W: Hemm, Ashlyn(7-4) L: Cyrah Rasmussen (1-5) National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, The experts in the business of small college athletics. Unlike basketball, softball and baseball are different sports, with different venues and requirements, making direct comparisons more difficult. SB. The pressure of such a pursuit can be staggering. Probably, to some degree, both sides. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. She has a .941 slugging percentage and is hitting .368. 31 vs. Georgia (6/5) to break the single-season program record Went 3-for-3 with one home run and three RBIs vs. Washington (5/29) in the Norman Super Regional final Went a combined 4-for-5 in the two Supers games vs. Washington, hitting two homers and batting in four runs Hit the run-rule, walk-off RBI single vs. Oklahoma State (5/15) in the Big 12 Tournament championship game, finishing 3-for-5 with three RBIs Hit two home runs vs. Iowa State (3/26) in the Big 12 opener, her second multi-HR game of the season and her seventh consecutive game with at least one home run Blasted two homers vs. UT-Arlington (3/10) in a 2-for-3, three RBI performance Hit home runs in 19 of the first 23 games Opened the season going 2-for-3 with a home run and double and three RBIs vs. UTEP (2/11). 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