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There are some great backstories to the Oklahoma Sooner sweep on Tuesday of the National Player of the Year award, won by Jocelyn Alo, and National Freshman of the Year, given to Tiare Jennings.
Some things we observed:
- a nice Polynesian connection between the two Oklahoma National Players of the Year, Alo and Keilani Ricketts (who won twice, 2012 and 2013) as both are of Samoan descent. They also know each other–through the connected heritage, sure–but also because Keilani has been a volunteer coach at OU and worked up close and personal with and next to Jocelyn!
I am one proud Aunty🥺NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR!! It has been an honor to watch you grind it out through the highs & lows & have such a special season w/ your teammates thus far. That award means a heck of a lot more when there’s a natty trophy next to it so go get u 1 now🤪 pic.twitter.com/y7Lo8gckVo
— Keilani Ricketts Tumanuvao (@laniricketts10) June 2, 2021
- Tuesday’s sweep for Patty Gasso’s players marks the first time in the history of the two awards that one program has captured both national honors.
- Tiare’s win of the Freshman of the Year honor means OU has taken the trophy three times in the seven-year history of the award! The others: Paige Parker in 2015 and Alo in 2018.
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Tiare with her family in her OC Batbuster days. Jocelyn also played for the travel ball powerhouse. Only twice before has a university had two of the three players up for Freshman of the Year at the same time. Along with Jennings, Jayda Coleman was also up for the honor. Notice in the video below that Jayda (second from the left) is sitting next to Tiare and when the announcement is made is sincerely and enthusiastically happy for her friend and teammate, despite not getting it herself. Sure she’s disappointed personally, as any competitor would be, but you can see that she is truly and unselfishly happy and that is one reason OU is the #1 seed!
- Interestingly, Tiare was #2 in our 2020 Extra Elite 100 rankings… guess who was #1? Yep, Jayda! We’re thinking Tiare is happy that she came out on top last night in this friendly competition!
- Extra Inning Softball did a podcast in November of 2019 with these two crazy talented and classy players… you can listen to it by Clicking HERE.
- Both OU winners yesterday–Jocelyn and Tiare–play for Mike Stith and the powerhouse OC Batbuster program.
Below are more excerpts from a great piece the Oklahoma softball program released with details of the ceremonies including video of when both Alo and Jennings realized they both were winners!
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Sooners Sweep: Alo, Jennings Claim National Awards
Originally published June 1, 2021 on SoonerSports.com
On Tuesday, Oklahoma softball senior Jocelyn Alo was named the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and freshman Tiare Jennings claimed NFCA/Schutt Sports Division I Freshman of the Year. Here is more info on each:
JOCELYN ALO
Alo collects OU’s third USA Softball Player of the Year Award, joining 2013 alum Keilani Ricketts (2012, ’13) as the only Sooners to win the award.
Alo, the Big 12 Player of the Year and First Team All-Big 12 and All-Region selection, has paced the explosive Oklahoma offense in 2021, holding the nation’s lead in home runs (30) and slugging percentage (1.135) and ranks second in RBIs (82) and fourth in batting average (.487). Her 30 home runs entering the World Series is tied for the program record she set herself in 2018, along with Lauren Chamberlain in 2012 and ’13.
The senior slugger has homered in 28 of OU’s 52 games, including two grand slams and two multi-home run games. Alo is averaging 0.58 home runs per game and a home run ever 5.2 at-bats. The Hauula, Hawaii, native has registered a hit in 47 of OU’s 52 games, including going on a program record 40-game consecutive hit streak dating from Feb. 21, 2020 to April 3, 2021. The streak was just three games shy of the all-time NCAA record.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ♥️ @78jocelyn_alo pic.twitter.com/kWEEGSTPwe
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 2, 2021
Alo tied the NCAA record for consecutive games with a home run at seven from March 7 vs. Sam Houston through OU’s first matchup with Iowa State, March 26. The Hauula, Hawaii, native has 84 career homers, just 11 shy of the OU and NCAA career record (95), set by 2015 OU grad Lauren Chamberlain.
TIARE JENNINGS
Also the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Jennings has hit 25 home runs to go with 84 RBIs in her first-year campaign. Her RBI mark leads in the nation and she’s tied for second in the country for home runs, just five behind fellow national award winner Alo’s 30.
She holds an exceptional slash line of .485/.537/1.059.
The San Pedro, Calif., product has homered in 21 of OU’s 52 games and hit multiple homers in a game three times, beginning with the season opener at UTEP where she tied a single-game program record with three home runs in her first collegiate game. The frosh has started every game of the season at second or third base and holds a .972 fielding percentage with 55 putouts and 48 assists to just three errors.
𝐓𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ♥️ @_tiarejennings pic.twitter.com/BPVzQTCYqY
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 2, 2021
Oklahoma freshman Jayda Coleman was also a finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year. OU is one of two programs in the award’s history with two of the three finalists for the award, joining Florida’s Amanda Lorenz (winner) and Kelly Barnhill in 2016. The third finalist for this season’s honor was Clemson’s Valerie Cagle.
The other two finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year were UCLA’s Rachel Garcia and Washington’s Gabbie Plain. OU’s Jennings was a top-10 finalist for the award earlier in the season.
Alo, Jennings and the Sooners set their sights on the Women’s College World Series, beginning Thursday in Oklahoma City. Top-seed OU meets James Madison Thursday morning at 11 a.m. for the WCWS opener.