SoftballApril 23, 2021
ALO, JENNINGS MAKE PLAYER OF THE YEAR TOP 25
NORMAN — Oklahoma senior utility player Jocelyn Alo and freshman infielder Tiare Jennings have been named two of the 25 finalists for the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, USA Softball announced Friday.No. 1 Oklahoma is one of just five programs in the country to have multiple finalists for the award, considered the most prestigious honor in NCAA Division I softball.
Alo has paced the potent Oklahoma offense in 2021, sharing the nation's lead with 23 home runs to go with an exceptional slash line of .500/.591/1.250. Her 1.250 slugging clip leads the country and she shares the lead in runs batted in with fellow top-25 finalist and teammate Jennings at 60.
The senior slugger has homered in 21 of OU's 35 games, including two grand slams and two multi-home run games. She has successfully reached base in 47 of OU's last 48 games, including going on a program record 40-game consecutive hit streak dating back to 2020. Additionally, 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 77 career homers, just 18 shy of the OU and NCAA career record for home runs, set by 2015 OU grad Lauren Chamberlain.
Jennings has had one of the more impressive starts for a freshman in program and NCAA history in 2021. The San Pedro, Calif., native is one of just two freshmen on the top-25 list. Jennings has hit 20 home runs and batted in 60 runs on the season, sharing the national lead with Alo in the RBI category and ranking third in home runs. She holds a slash line of .482/.519/1.116 and her slugging clip is third in the nation.
Jennings has homered in 16 of OU's 35 games and hit multiple home runs 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 also been exceptional in the field, starting every game of the season at second or third base and holding a .969 fielding percentage with 32 putouts and 30 assists to just two errors.
The Top 25 will eventually be narrowed down to a Top 10 (announced May 5) and Top 3 (announced May 19) before the winner is announced prior to the start of the NCAA Women's College World Series.
Oklahoma alumna Keilani Ricketts was a two-time recipient of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award in 2012 and 2013. Most recently, 2019 graduate Sydney Romero was a top-three finalist in 2019 and current redshirt senior Giselle Juarez was a top-10 finalist the same season.
Oklahoma returns to action April 24-25 in Norman for a three-game Big 12 series with Texas Tech. The teams will meet for a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m. CT before the series finale Sunday at noon. All three games will be available to watch on SoonerSports.tv
