How Oklahoma's Jocelyn Alo, Facing Elimination, Found Another Gear

Jocelyn Alo hit a pair of towering home runs on Monday

The super senior punctuated Oklahoma's dominant win on Monday with a grand slam

With the victory, the Sooners advanced to the WCWS championship series for the third straight year

Gasso said she didn’t notice anything different about her star in the dugout either. All Alo brought to the table was the same burning passion she takes into every single contest.

“She gets so fired up for her family, for our team,” Gasso said. “She's the most confident young lady I've ever met in my life, to the point where you are, like, ‘OK, don't say that, Jocy.’ But that's her. She wears it.

“… It’s not to kind of stick it in anybody's face, it's more about her excitement. She's just really raw with excitement and love for the game, and her exuberance just is fun to watch.”

UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez had a front-row seat to Alo’s dominant performance, and all she could do was tip her visor to the OU star.

“It's just impressive,” Inouye-Perez said after the doubleheader. “The strength factor is one thing. There's different types of hitters that have great hands and they have some that are really strong. I think she has both. She has the ability.

“I got a straight view of her home run, and I'm, like, ‘Oh, that's going to — please let it tail foul.’ And, unfortunately, it didn't.

“Just a lot of respect for her. She's a quality hitter. She's a strong girl. She's got great hands. She's a tough out, and she performs on the stage in a big way and she got us today. … Clearly, there's a reason why she's the Player of the Year.”

Alo’s seven RBIs tied the Women’s College World Series single-game record set by Washington’s Niki Williams back in 2009.

With 10 RBIs total at the WCWS, Alo sits just one behind the all-time record set by UCLA’s Andrea Harrison back in 2010.

But in Patty Gasso’s summation, Alo’s impact on the sport goes well beyond helping the Sooners reach their third straight WCWS championship series.

“I think Jocelyn Alo is a big reason why this sport has gone to another level,” Gasso said. “People come here to watch her like she's Babe Ruth. They pay to see Jocelyn Alo, and ... I hope we see another Jocelyn Alo.

“I hope she's a Sooner when we see her, but that's how she — she has a love for the game, a confidence. … If you are around it, it's just to see that and to be around it, it just bleeds all over our team. They all want a little piece of what Jocy has.”

Alo’s career will end one way or another by the time the dust settles on Thursday or Friday night.

And regardless of if she goes out a two-time National Champion or not, Alo’s name will be remembered for years to come.

“It's been such an honor (to coach her),” Gasso said. “(Alo) wants to go out of her way and just leave her mark. She keeps saying, 'I want to leave my mark.'

“She's left her mark. She's done it. Right now it's just icing on the cake for her.”

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