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Sunday was big for clutch home runs that helped put UCLA and Oklahoma into the Championship Series
Rachel Garcia again showed why she is the two-time USA Softball National Player of the Year coming up with the biggest home run of her prolific career as her walk-off homer to beat Washington in the first game of the day put UCLA into the WCWS final for the first time since 2010… sit back, turn up the audio and enjoy this one a few times (unless you’re a Husky fan… sorry!):
A WALK OFF TO HEAD TO THE 'SHIP!
Player of the year Rachel Garcia took matters into her own hands in the 10th 😤 pic.twitter.com/5pMm71w7Qn
— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2019
In Game 3 of the day, after Alabama had a walk-off home run to win Game 2 and force an IF game, several Sooner players got into the home run mode but Jocelyn Alo hit one that may still be travelling to help Oklahoma make it to the final scheduled for Monday… here’s her blast which cleared two fences!:
CRUSHED 💪#WCWS | @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/642MnZPnEZ
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 3, 2019
Woof.
These home run queens were clearly two of the stars of Sunday, but what’s interesting is that almost exactly a year ago–on May 30, 2018–both received Player of the Year honors… Garcia for her FIRST USA Softball Player of the Year (click HERE for the article on #2 awarded last week) and Alo as the National Freshman of the Year.
And now this dynamic duo will face off for at least the next two days… will be a fun battle, certainly, and let’s see if one or both can hit more big bombs like what we say this weekend!
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2018 College Honors: UCLA’s Garcia Named National POY, Oklahoma’s Alo Freshman POY
originally published on Extra Inning Softball on May 30, 2018
There’s still plenty of Women’s College Series Softball to be played, but two players on teams in the Final 8 got great news today…
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UCLA’s Rachel Garcia named USA Softball 2018 National Collegiate Player of the Year
USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced today that UCLA’s Rachel Garcia has been named the 2018 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year. The award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women’s softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
This season, the redshirt sophomore helped lead UCLA to its fourth-consecutive NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS) and the 28th overall for the program.
“I’m honored,” said Garcia on being named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. “This whole season I’ve had my team’s back and they’ve had mine in return. To win this award, I’m just very honored and humbled.”
The 2018 Pac-12 Player of the Year, Garcia leads the Bruins’ pitching staff with a 1.02 ERA, a 27-3 record and 273 strikeouts in 185 innings in the circle.
In addition to her pitching accolades, Garcia boasts a .356 batting average, 11 home runs and 53 RBI. In just her second season in the circle at UCLA, Garcia has racked up two First-Team All-Pac-12 honors and was recently named the espnW Player of the Year.
Garcia has pitched 18 complete games this season and has been a part of 11 shutouts, including nine solo blankings, adding two saves and limiting opponents to a .129 batting average.
“What an honor to be able to have this opportunity to be named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year,” said UCLA Head Coach, Kelly Inouye-Perez. “It’s also an honor that the trophy was modeled after Lisa Fernandez, her coach and somebody that I believe Rachel will have the same type of career as.”
“Rachel’s a fierce competitor and has a hard work ethic. I think what truly defined her is when she came into UCLA. She came off being a phenomenal senior, Gatorade National Player of the Year and then she ended up getting hurt and went down for her freshman year, but it was a defining year for her. “
“I got to see her and learn more about her in that off year. She worked hard and never gave up – it was hard, and that’s what makes me so proud. Her work ethic, attitude and her ability to stay committed to her team it all came full circle because now she’s back on top of her game. She’s part of the USA Softball Women’s National Team and led her team back here to Oklahoma City with the opportunity to do great things. I’m just proud of her because through all of that she never quit.”
“What she’s become and what she’ll continue to do in this sport, I’m excited because she now has a different layer of toughness than just being a softball player. She has learned to appreciate the hard work that it takes to get her to be where she is. She’s very humble and I think that’s why her teammates love to play for her. She’s somebody who I believe will have a phenomenal career and she’s only a sophomore.”
The other finalists for the 2018 award were 2018 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Pitcher of the Year Kelly Barnhill, 2018 SEC Player of the Year Amanda Lorenz and 2018 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Paige Parker.
Now in its 17th year, Garcia is the first UCLA athlete to win the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award since Stacey Nuveman won the honor in the inaugural year in 2002.
Other previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award:
- Cat Osterman (2003, 2005 and 2006 – Texas)
- Jessica Van der Linden (2004 – Florida State),
- Monica Abbott (2007 – Tennessee)
- Angela Tincher (2008 – Virginia Tech)
- Danielle Lawrie (2009 and 2010 – Washington)
- Ashley Hansen (2011 – Stanford)
- Keilani Ricketts (2012 and 2013 – Oklahoma)
- Lacey Waldrop (2014 – Florida State)
- Lauren Haeger (2015 – Florida)
- Sierra Romero (2016 – Michigan)
- Kelly Barnhill (2017 – Florida)
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is voted on by coaching representatives of 11 Division I Conferences in the 10 USA Softball Regions, members of the media who consistently cover Division I Softball across the country as well as past winners of the award.
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Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo named 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year
Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo has been named the 2018 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year announced at the NCAA Women’s College World Series banquet, Tuesday evening from the OKC Farmers Market event center.
Alo, a first-team All-Central selection, is having a monstrous rookie season at the plate. The utility player leads the NCAA with 28 home runs and in long balls per game at 0.48. Additionally, Alo ranks third nationally in slugging (.970), second in total bases (159) and fourth in RBI (71) and RBI per game (1.20).
The Big 12 Freshman of the Year finished conference play first in home runs (9), walks (17), runs scored (18), RBI (25), total bases (46) and slugging percentage (.979), while second in on-base percentage (.554). Alo, a product of Hauula, Hawai’i, leads the Sooners with a .415 batting average and .545 on-base percentage.
Alo is the second Sooner to win the award as current teammate, senior Paige Parker took home the honors in 2015. Along with the Parker, 2016 recipient Amanda Lorenz of Florida and 2017 winner Rachel Garcia of UCLA are all participating in this year’s Women’s College World Series.
Joining Alo as finalists is Michigan pitcher Meghan Beaubia and Arkansas hurler Mary Haff.
In its fifth year, the Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. The top three and the finalists are voted on by the NFCA’s Division I All-American Committee, consisting of one coach from each of the Association’s 10 regions.
Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year
- 2018 – Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma
- 2017 – Rachel Garcia, UCLA
- 2016 – Amanda Lorenz, Florida
- 2015 – Paige Parker, Oklahoma
- 2014 – Annie Aldrete, Tennessee & Kasey Cooper, Auburn