Three Named to Player of the Year Watch List

NORMAN — Three members of the Oklahoma softball team have been named to the 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, which was released on Wednesday.

Senior infielder Sydney Romero, junior left-handed pitcher Giselle Juarez and sophomore utility player Jocelyn Alo are among the 50 student-athletes on the preseason watch list. All three Sooners were named NFCA First Team All-Americans in 2018.

Three selections tie for third nationally with Arizona and Washington having four representatives and Florida and UCLA also having three.

The top 25 finalists for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced April 24. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the top 25 finalists. The top 10 finalists will be announced May 8 and the top three announced May 22. The 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 28.

In 2018, Romero ranked 16th nationally in hits (77), 19th in strikeout rate (27.9 AB/K), 24th in RBIs (59) and 35th in total bases (127). Starting all 62 games for OU, Romero led the Sooners with 195 at-bats and 77 hits, finishing with a .395 batting average, .651 slugging percentage and .455 on-base percentage.

Juarez enters her first season with the Sooners in 2019 after spending the first two years of her career at Arizona State. In 2018, Juarez finished the season with a 26-6 record and a 1.22 ERA. She allowed just 91 hits and 39 earned runs over 224.1 innings with 13 shutouts, ranking third nationally. Additionally, she registered 305 strikeouts last spring to become one of just nine NCAA pitchers to reach the 300-strikeout threshold.

Alo is coming off an explosive freshman campaign in which she hit a nation-leading 30 home runs, tying the Oklahoma single-season record, the Big 12 single-season record and the NCAA Division I freshman single-season record. She also led the country with 170 total bases and paced OU in home runs, total bases, batting average (.420), RBIs (72), slugging (.977), on-base percentage (.549) and walks (14).

Oklahoma alumna and current volunteer assistant coach Keilani Ricketts was a two-time recipient of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, considered the most prestigious honor in NCAA Division I Softball.

The Sooners begin their 2019 campaign on Feb. 8 as they take on Syracuse at the GCU Kickoff Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz.

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