The 2022 Division 1 college softball season is officially underway! Thursday saw a number of D1 games played across the country – and even internationally – as a lot of teams kicked off their seasons.
Before even more teams begin the 2022 campaign, here are ten things you might have missed from Thursday’s action.
1. Oklahoma’s perfect game
Highly-touted freshman Jordy Bahl got the start for Oklahoma’s season opener against UC Santa Barbara, and she began her career in impressive fashion, throwing 2.2 innings with four strikeouts to her credit. The Sooners used three pitchers in the game, with transfer Hope Trautwein also making her Sooner debut in the opener. In an unsurprising happening, the Sooner offense was clicking on all cylinders from the outset. Reigning National Freshman of the Year Tiare Jennings led off the game with a home run and added a second roundtripper later in the game. Speaking of home runs…
2. Jocelyn Alo hits #89
In the midst of her team’s overall-impressive performance to start the season, Jocelyn Alo got one home run closer to the all-time record with a grand slam that marked #89 for her career. Alo began the season seven home runs shy of fellow Sooner Lauren Chamberlain’s all-time record, needing eight home runs to hold the record all for herself. She is one “dinger” closer after Thursday.
https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1491910271329132544
3. UCF walks off Georgia
A terrific game in Orlando had just as spectacular of an ending, and had a little bit of everything sprinkled in along the way. UCF hosted Georgia in both teams’ season opener under the lights. A crowd of more than 1,000 enjoyed the game at the UCF Softball Complex, a game that also marked the head coaching debut of Georgia coach Tony Baldwin. A 6-6 ball game by the end of regulation, the game saw a controversial runner’s interference call on a play at second base in the top of the eighth inning. The game’s real heroics took place in the bottom of the eighth inning – third-year sophomore Shannon Doherty hit a walk-off home run off of Georgia pitcher Madison Kerpics to give the Knights the victory and a 1-0 start to the year. Doherty’s moonshot had plenty of distance, and a question of “fair or foul?” was quickly solved.
Don’t miss UCF head coach Cindy Ball-Malone‘s facial expression as her team celebrates the win:
https://twitter.com/TheNoahGoldberg/status/1492005468583178268
4. Arkansas wins with a Side(s) of small ball
As a team, Arkansas stole four bases all season in 2021. In the Hogs’ season-opener against Rutgers, super senior transfer KB Sides stole two bases all by herself. Sides’ addition via transfer this summer added a new dimension to the Razorbacks’ offense and she proved her worth in the first inning of the first game of her single season in Razorback red. The Hogs did not hit a home run in the opening game, while all three of the team’s top pitchers saw action in the circle in the 4-0 opening win.
5. UNLV beats BYU in Vegas
UNLV vs. BYU was an underrated quality matchup to begin the year, and it was the hungry Rebels who emerged victorious from the matchup. A pair of home runs provided the scoring for UNLV, with a 3-run shot from Mia Trejo and a 2-run blast by Janyssa Martin. The Rebels scored five runs in the fourth inning, while Jenny Bressler turned in a 6-inning performance and notched three strikeouts while earning the win in the circle.
6. Northern Lights | Southern Nights Invitational debuts in Leesburg
Extra Inning Softball is on site in Leesburg this weekend for the inaugural Northern Lights | Southern Nights Invitational, a tournament that includes a plethora of Power Five teams and a pair of Super Regional participants from last season. Kentucky and Wisconsin was the opening act for the tournament, a game that also featured the return to college softball of 2019 B1G Player of the Year Kayla Konwent for the Badgers. Kentucky came from behind to take home the 5-2 victory and begin their season with a win.
7. Olivia Johnson begins Husky career with a bang – or two
The Huskies’ official recap said that freshman catcher Olivia Johnson made a “splash” in her debut, and if the Huskies had been playing in a field surrounded by water, it might have been two splashes. The first-year catcher became the first-ever Husky to hit home runs in each of her first two career plate appearances, with a second-inning solo home run to begin her career and a 3-run home run in her next at-bat. She added an RBI triple later in the game, accounting for five RBIs in her team’s 12-2 victory.
8. Emily Young’s glove, bat propel Stanford to a win
Stanford senior Emily Young came through for her team when it mattered the most, with a diving catch in the 7th inning that ended regulation and sent a 1-1 ball game to extras. In the 8th inning, the Cardinal saw Young show out again, this time on offense. The fourth-year standout hit a 2-run home run on the first pitch she saw in the 8th to give her squad a 3-1 lead that they would not relinquish.
9. Holly Azevedo throws a no-hitter for UCLA, Wisz and Brady lead the offense
A pair of matching 4-4 performances at the plate by Maya Brady and Delanie Wisz led the Bruin offense, while Holly Azevedo kept the CSUN offense in check by throwing the first complete game no-hitter of her career. Azevedo collected eight strikeouts in five innings, while the Bruin offense plated 22 runs on 19 hits and included a pair of home runs.
10. Louisville sweeps doubleheader; Greenwood scores a lot
Returning super-senior standout Carmyn Greenwood showed out in her team’s season-opening doubleheader sweep over Florida Atlantic. In the second game of opening day, Greenwood scored four runs, setting a new single-game high for her career and tying a Louisville program record for a single game. Across the doubleheader, Greenwood batted .500 with three hits, five runs scored, and two RBIs.
