Alo a Top-25 Finalist for Freshman of the Year

EUGENE, Ore. — University of Oklahoma utility player Jocelyn Alo has been named one of 25 candidates for the 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year, the NFCA announced Thursday.

Alo currently leads the Big 12 in home runs (19), home runs per game (0.46), RBIs (53), RBIs per game (1.29), slugging percentage (1.009) and total bases (113) this season. Nationally, Alo ranks second in home runs and homers per game, third in slugging percentage, fifth in RBIs and sixth in RBIs per game and total bases.

Additionally, she leads the Sooners with an on-base percentage of .568, which ranks second in the conference and seventh nationally. Her .446 batting average is fourth-best in the league and No. 14 in the nation.

The Hauula, Hawaii, native has started in all of No. 2/2 Oklahoma's 41 games this season. Alo primarily competes as the designated player but has also spent time in the outfield this year.

A highlight of Alo's freshman campaign came in the first conference series of her career, March 23-25 against Texas Tech. She was 4-for-5 (.800) with all four of her hits going out of the park. Alo finished the weekend with a slugging percentage of 3.200 over three games with 16 total bases. She drove in 10 runs and scored six over the weekend, and in game three, Alo recorded her second career game with multiple home runs as she drilled a pair of three-run blasts to record a single-game career-high six RBIs. Alo was named the Big 12 Player of the Week and the Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division I National Player of the Week following her performance in the series.

Alo is one of just two freshmen from the Big 12 to be named a finalist for Freshman of the Year, joining Texas' Janae Jefferson.

This is the fifth season that the NFCA will name a Freshman of the Year. In 2015, now-senior Sooner Paige Parker was named the winner.

The top 10 finalists will be unveiled on May 10, while the top three will be revealed on May 23. The 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year will be announced on May 29.