Sooners Head to Hawaii

Thursday, March 10

Honolulu, Hawai'i

7:30 PM CT

University of Oklahoma

Baylor

March 09, 2022 | Softball

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¹ Oklahoma

Rainbow Wahine Classic

March 10-12 / Honolulu, Hawaii / Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium

SoonerSports.tv & ESPN+ / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

WEEKEND BASICS

• No. 1 Oklahoma (16-0) makes its third trip in program history (2009, 2015) to the state of Hawaii for the Bank of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine Classic at the University of Hawaii.

• OU meets Baylor, Cal and host Hawaii twice on the island, beginning Thursday with a 7:30 p.m. CT contest vs. Baylor. Friday the Sooners play two, starting with Cal at 7:30 p.m. CT before its first of two vs. Hawaii (10 p.m.). The trip concludes with a 4 p.m. contest vs. the Rainbow Wahine on Saturday.

• OU's first three games of the weekend can be seen via subscription on SoonerSports.tv, while Saturday's game vs. UH will be shown on ESPN+.

• All games can be heard on The Franchise 2 (103.3 FM/1560 AM) in Oklahoma and nationwide on the TuneIn app with OU play-by-play announcer Chris Plank on the call.

• After 16 games played, the Sooners are batting .380 as a team with 40 home runs, 146 runs scored on 149 hits and 134 RBIs. They are outscoring opponents 146-17 with the only nine runs given up being earned. The team is slugging .739, holds a .483 on-base clip and has swiped nine bases on 14 attempts. The pitching staff holds a 0.68 ERA and has 148 strikeouts.

• The Sooners have run-ruled 12 of their 16 opponents.

HOMECOMING

• The weekend marks the much-anticipated return of redshirt senior Joceyln Alo to her home state.

• Full name Jocelyn Aloha Pumehana Alo hails from Hauula, Hawaii, located about 30 miles north of the capital Honolulu.

• The Sooner slugger was a two-time Gatorade Hawaii Player of the Year at Campbell High School. She led the Sabers to three state championships and was named the state tournament's Most Outstanding Player her junior season.

• As a senior at JCHS, she hit .571 with 12 home runs, 27 RBI and a 1.449 slugging percentage.

• Alo also claimed one state title as a wrestler, winning the crown at 184 pounds.

• By coincidence, Alo and the Sooners meet the school she first committed as a high school freshman, California, on Friday. It marks the first meeting of the schools since Alo has been a Sooner, with the programs last meeting in 2012.

ALO CHASING NO. 96

• Jocelyn Alo, the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and NFCA First Team All-American, tied the NCAA Career Home Run Record with homer No. 95 on Feb. 20 vs. Texas State in Houston.

• Alo hit five home runs in five games at the Houston Classic, including hitting career No. 95 to tie OU alum Lauren Chamberlain as the NCAA Career Home Run Leader.

• Since No. 95, opponents have pitched around the Sooner slugger. In six games since hitting the record-tying blast, Alo was walked 13 times, including two intentionals and one HBP.

• Alo hit the 95 mark in 215 games and 634 at-bats, reaching the record in less games than Chamberlain (220) and anyone else in the all-time top 10. Chamberlain registered 607 at-bats in her career, hitting home run No. 95 in her last career at-bat.

• In 2022, Alo is hitting .474 with 20 RBIs. She's hit seven homers and has 11 extra-base hits, slugging an astronomical 1.132 and holds an NCAA-best .661 on-base clip.

LAST TIME OUT

• OU opened the home slate on Monday, March 7, beating Minnesota 9-1 in five innings in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,531 at Marita Hynes Field.

• The Sooners strung together runs in each inning to beat the Gophers. Oklahoma pushed one across in the first inning before scoring three runs in both the second and third innings and putting the game in run-rule territory with a pair in the bottom of the fourth.

• Four Sooners registered two runs batted in on the night in seniors Grace Lyons and Jana Johns, junior Rylie Boone and sophomore Tiare Jennings, while senior Taylon Snow brought in one.

• Freshman Jordy Bahl collected her seventh win of the season in the circle, going three innings and striking out three, surrendering one run on three hits and three walks. Sophomore Nicole May relieved for the final two innings and struck out three, giving up just one hit and one walk.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS

• The Sooners meet Big 12 foe Baylor in a non-conference contest to open the Rainbow Wahine Classic on Thursday. The Bears come to the islands 11-6 and are led at the plate by McKenzie Wilson, batting .491 with nine extra-base hits and 17 RBIs. Reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week Kaci West paces the Bears in the circle with a 2.41 ERA, while Aliyah Binford leads the team with 45 K's.

• The Cal Golden Bears come into Friday's contest at 15-6. Sona Halajian leads the team with six home runs and 21 RBIs, batting .466 and slugging .845. In the circle, the staff holds a combined .177 ERA with 113 K's. Dual-threat Halajian leads the pitchers with 49.1 IP and 42 strikeouts (2.13 ERA).

• Host Hawaii holds a 5-5 record. Nawai Kaupe leads the Rainbow Wahine with three home runs, batting .364 with seven RBI. Chloe Borges has pitched 37.0 to pace the team, while Brianna Lopez holds a 2.41 ERA with a team-best 28 strikeouts.

LAST TIME THEY MET

• Baylor: The Sooners hold a 66-13 advantage all-time over the Bears, sweeping a doubleheader in Waco last season (7-1, 11-0 [5]). The teams have met just twice outside the states of Oklahoma and Texas, last meeting in Tucson, Ariz., in 2001 (2-1 OU win).

• Cal: The Golden Bears lead the all-time series 11-6 over the Sooners, including an 8-5 neutral site advantage. The teams have not met since a Women's College World Series meeting in 2012, a 3-0 Oklahoma win.

• Hawaii: OU holds the series advantage over the Rainbow Wahine, 4-3, including a 3-1 mark in Honolulu. The teams last met during OU's last trip to Oahu in Feb. 2015, sweeping two games vs. UH (7-0, 8-0 [5]).

HOMER HAPPY

• In 2022, the Sooners currently lead the NCAA with 40 home runs and a 2.50 HR/game average.

• Jennings is currently tied for fifth in the NCAA with nine homers while Alo and Jana Johns follow close behind with seven a piece.

• 12 Sooners have went yard already in 2022 with seven hitting multiple blasts and five hitting four-plus.

• As a team, Oklahoma has hit homers in 12 of its 16 contests, including hitting two or more in 11 games, three-plus in nine games, four-plus in seven games and five home runs in one game.

• The team has hit two-plus home runs in one inning nine times and back-to-back blasts three times on the year.

• Seven times this season a Sooner has hit two homers in one game, Tiare Jennings leads the way with four games of two HRs, while Jocelyn Alo has done so twice and Jana Johns once.

DOMINANCE IN THE CIRCLE

• Oklahoma's pitching staff is not to be overlooked by the potent offense. The OU staff of Jordy Bahl, Nicole May, Hope Trautwein and Macy McAdoo have combined for a 0.68 ERA, allowing just nine earned runs (17 R) in OU's 16 games.

• The staff has thrown two perfect games and one no-hitter. Bahl, May and Trautwein combined on a perfect game in the season opener, Trautwein threw a no-no vs. McNeese on Feb. 19 and Bahl tossed her first career perfect game Feb. 25 vs. CSU-Fullerton.

• The staff has a combined 148 strikeouts in just 92.0 innings pitched, a product of OU's 12 run-rules in 15 games.

• Freshman Jordy Bahl leads the group with 68 strikeouts in 40.2 IP (0.86 ERA), while May (27.0 IP) and Trautwein (23.2 IP) have 42 and 37 K's, respectively.

• Bahl has three games with double-digit strikeouts, including a 16 K performance vs. Tennessee. May has two double-digit strikeout games.

JENNINGS & JOHNS GO LONG

• Sophomore and reigning NFCA Freshman of the Year Tiare Jennings has picked up where she left off in 2021 during OU's start to 2022.

• The sophomore has hit nine home runs over OU's 15 games, batting .391 with 19 RBIs and 22 runs scored, also drawing 11 walks and stealing two bases on three attempts.

• The San Pedro, Calif., native holds a .509 on-base percentage and .978 slugging percentage. She has struck out just once on the season in her 43 at-bats.

• Super senior Jana Johns has started equally as strong in 2022, hitting .415 with seven homers and 21 RBIs. She is slugging 1.000 with a .538 on-base percentage.

• Jennings has blasted two homers in four games on the year, while Johns has accomplished the feat once. The two have combined for 16 of OU's 40 homers.

HOME RUN U

• Oklahoma is officially Home Run University. With Jocelyn Alo's record-tying career homer No. 95, two Sooners sit atop the NCAA record books for career home runs in Alo and 2015 alum Lauren Chamberlain.

• In addition to Alo and Chamberlain, 2015 alum Shelby Pendley sits at ninth all-time with 84 career blasts.

• More evidence of the Sooners staking claim to HRU is the past two seasons when OU has lit up the record books:

• 2021 saw the Sooners set NCAA records for home runs (161), runs scored (638), runs per game (10.63) and homers per game (2.68), among other records.

• Jocelyn Alo hit 34 blasts in 2021 for second all-time in single-season NCAA history, just three shy of Laura Espinoza's (Arizona) 37 in 1995. Alo's 2018 along with Chamberlain's 2012 and '13 where each hit 30 homers a piece all rank in the all-time top-10.

• Sophomore Tiare Jennings nearly matched Alo and Chamberlain's record (30) for freshman homers a season ago, hitting 27 to come within three of the NCAA frosh record.

HALL OF FAME CLASSIC TICKETS ON SALE NOW

• Tickets for the second annual Hall of Fame Classic played at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, March 18-20, went on sale March 1 via SoonerSports.com/tickets.

• Fans can purchase both all-session passes and single-session tickets for the three-day event. Chairback seats are available for $80 for all-session and $35 for single sessions, while bleacher seats are $60 for all-session and $25 for single sessions. Tickets for youth under 18 or seniors over the age of 55 are available in the bleacher seats for $40 (all-session) and $15 (single-session).

• The host Sooners will play five games across the three days in OKC, matching up against Sam Houston (4 p.m. CT) and Indiana (6:30 p.m.) on Friday, San Diego (1:30 p.m.) and Houston (6:30 p.m.) on Saturday before closing the weekend with Iowa at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

• The OU games will be available to watch via Bally Sports Oklahoma or SoonerSports.tv with official designations to be announced. All OU games can be heard on The Franchise 2 (1560 AM/103.3 FM).

THE ALL-AMERICANS ARE BACK

• Oklahoma returns five NFCA All-Americans from a season ago in redshirt senior Jocelyn Alo, senior Grace Lyons, junior Kinzie Hansen and sophomores Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings.

• Alo, the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and NFCA First Team All-American, rewrote the record books a season ago and will have the opportunity to do more damage as a super senior in 2022. Also the 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year, Alo recorded program records for home runs (34), batting average (.475) and total bases (203) in 2021, including an NCAA-best 1.109 slugging percentage in 2021.

• Another NFCA All-American, Hansen, ranked fifth in the country a season ago with 24 home runs as she batted .438 with 66 RBIs. The Norco, Calif., product was a versatile weapon for OU, starting all but two games behind the plate or at first base. The 2021 Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player allowed just three runners to steal on her, finishing the season with a .990 fielding clip.

• Coleman, an NFCA First Team All-American and finalist for the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year, burst onto the college softball scene with her energy and playmaking ability as a freshman in 2021. The OU centerfielder led the team with 20 stolen bases and ranked second on the team with a .545 on-base percentage to go with nine home runs, 11 doubles and 53 RBIs.

• Jennings, the 2021 NFCA DI National Freshman of the Year and unanimous NFCA First Team All-American, had one of the most dominant first-year campaigns in not only Oklahoma, but NCAA history. The San Pedro, Calif., native set the NCAA single-season freshman RBI record with 92 and finished with 27 home runs on the season, just three away from the NCAA freshman HR record. Jennings also led the NCAA with 25 doubles and was second nationally behind Alo with a 1.000 slugging percentage.

FRESH FACES

• The Sooners reloaded once again via recruiting and the transfer portal for 2022.

• Nine newcomers enter the mix for OU this season, highlighted by consensus No. 1 recruit in the 2021 class, Jordy Bahl, and transfers Alyssa Brito (Oregon) and Hope Trautwein (North Texas).

• Six freshmen will lace 'em up for OU in 2022: Bahl, Turiya Coleman, Hannah Coor, Emmy Guthrie, Quincee Lilio and Sophia Nugent.

• Bahl, the 2020-21 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, posted a 27-0 record with a 0.10 ERA her senior season, surrendering just 27 hits and 15 walks in 137 innings pitched and striking out 316 batters.

• Transferring to Norman from Oregon, Brito joins the Sooners following an All-Pac 12 season with the Ducks. The rising sophomore will have three years of eligibility with the Sooners.

• As a freshman in Eugene, Brito collected Second Team All-Pac 12, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and Pac-12 All-Defense accolades and was named to the NFCA's All-Pacific Region Second Team. She started 53 games at shortstop in her first-year campaign with the Ducks, batting .299 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs, adding five doubles, a triple and 30 runs scored. At shortstop, the Tustin, Calif., product registered 59 putouts, 73 assists and committed just four errors.

• Helping the Sooners reload in the circle is graduate transfer Trautwein.

• Trautwein departed North Texas as its career leader in ERA (2.05), wins (61), opponent batting average (.197) and K/7IP (8.11). Named back-to-back Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and to the first team NFCA All-South Region team in 2021, the Pflugerville, Texas, product made national news in April when she tossed a perfect game, striking out all 21 batters faced in UNT's game versus Arkansas Pine-Bluff, becoming the first pitcher in Division I history to tally 21 strikeouts in a perfect game. She amassed a 46-12 record over the last three seasons and is a four-time member of the C-USA all-conference squad.

ALO, COLEMAN, HANSEN JENNINGS NAMED TO NATIONAL TEAM ROSTERS

• Four members of the Oklahoma softball team were named to USA Softball rosters for international competition this summer, the organization announced the rosters in early February.

• Senior Jocelyn Alo, sophomore Jayda Coleman, junior Kinzie Hansen and sophomore Tiare Jennings will all compete in tournaments with USA Softball this summer. The four will compete in one tournament as a group at the 2022 Japan All-Star Series.

• Already announced as a member of the 2022 Women's National Team for the World Games in Birmingham, Ala., this July is Kinzie Hansen. The Norco, Calif., product was also named to the Japan All-Star Series roster Wednesday afternoon.

• Alo and Coleman were both named to the 2022 Canada Cup and Japan All-Star Series rosters while Jennings will join her Sooner teammates for the Japan series.

• Selected by the Women's National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC) following the selection trials held in January, Alo, Coleman and Jennings make their first appearances on a Women's Senior National Team roster.

• The World Games are set to be held July 7-12 in Birmingham, while the 2022 Canada Cup will take place in Surrey, BC, Canada, June 20-26. The Japan All-Star Series is scheduled for August 1-9 in Fukushima, Japan.

THE TROPHY CLUB

• The Oklahoma softball program has announced the launch of its restructured booster club under a new name, The Trophy Club.

• The Trophy Club replaces the former Diamond Club as the program's premier booster initiative to continue to enhance the student-athlete experience at Oklahoma, both on and off the field.

• Softball fans can join now and take part in exclusive events, including the annual golf tournament, coaches luncheon and more.

For membership details and how donations will be utilized, visit The Trophy Club landing page on SoonerSports.com.

• Gifts to the Trophy Club and Oklahoma softball will be utilized for: resources for the development of our student-athletes, facility upgrades to enhance recruiting and student-athlete experiences and improved quality of travel to increase academic participation by our student-athletes.

THE #LAUNCHPAD IS BACK

• The #LaunchPad is back in 2022! Cheer on your Sooners and support our student-athletes in a fun, new and creative way by joining the #LaunchPad. The #LaunchPad is all about #homers. Pledge to donate your own customized dollar amount for every #homer that OU Softball hits in 2022!

• All donations are 100% tax deductible and will be directed to help fund the facility project of your choice - the new Love's Field - OU Softball Stadium Project and/or the OU Baseball Stadium Renovation Project.

How It Works

• Donate an amount to be charged per home run for softball for the 2022 season.

• Include if you'd like to make a gift for every home run hit in the 2022 season or start your pledge as of today.

• Watch the Sooners and cheer us on to victory while supporting future OU facility projects for baseball and softball.

• #Homers hit prior to your gift date will be included in your pledge. Monthly updates on the Pledge Per Home Run Campaign and other important Sooner Club information will be shared throughout the season.

• All donations from the Pledge Per Home Run Campaign will be treated as charitable donations supporting either the OU Softball Stadium Project or the OU Baseball Stadium Renovation Project and are tax-deductible.

Payment Dates

• Each month, we will charge your card on the first business day of the proceeding month for the amount you have elected to pledge per home run multiplied by the number of home runs in that month. For example, if OU Softball hits 20 home runs in March after you pledged $10 per #Homer, on April 1 we will charge your card $200.

Monthly Payment Dates:

Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Friday, April 1, 2022
Monday, May 2, 2022
Wednesday, June 1, 2022

• Have fun along the way by interacting with @OU_Baseball & @OU_Softball on social media with your favorite term to use for #homers! Some of our favorites include #dingers #taters #bombs #ruthianblast #yack #fourbagger #jimmyjack

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.