What did Alyssa Brito say to Jayda Coleman before walk-off home run?

Alyssa Brito took a moment with Jayda Coleman before her walk-off home run to reflect on what matters most.

The Oklahoma Sooners fell behind early in their elimination game against Florida but found a way to rally to tie the game and force extra innings. In the bottom of the eighth inning, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] propelled the Sooners to their fifth-straight championship series with a solo home run to win the game.

But that wasn’t the first big moment for Coleman. She had an opportunity to tie the game in the sixth inning, instead hitting a shallow pop fly. Ella Parker did tie the game, which set the stage for Coleman’s heroics, but you could see the frustration settling in for Oklahoma’s star centerfielder.

“Yeah I had been a little frustrated all game,” Coleman said. “I just wanna do anything to help my team, and I wasn’t really able to do that.”

So, before Coleman led off the bottom of the eighth inning for Sooners, fellow senior Alyssa Brito came to her and prayed with Coleman.

Coleman said, “And Brito, you know, she slowed me down, and she prayed over me. And she was just like, surrender it all. Don’t try to control anything. Just go for it. No matter what, I’m not justified by whatever the at-bat is. So even if I hit a home run, Jesus loves me. If I would’ve struck out, Jesus still loves me. I think that just really just put me into my foundation.”

Faith has been at the center of the Sooners’ program for years. The team often has a prayer circle after the game that often includes players from the other team.

Brito and Coleman took a moment in the middle of a high-stakes game, right before a high-leverage situation, to reflect and remember what’s most important to them and where their security lies.

 

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