You can’t lose a player like [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag] and not feel it in your lineup. The NCAA all-time home run leader carried that much of a presence. And while she’ll be missed for the bombs she launched and the joy in which she played, the Sooners’ offense will still be really, really good.
Will they be 40 run-rule wins good in 2023? Maybe not. However, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] will be the sparks that make that lineup special as well.
Tiare Jennings has been the protection for Alo’s career home run chase for the last two seasons and has been nearly as productive as the two-time Collegiate Player of the Year.
She’s hit over .400 for her career and has 56 home runs and 179 RBIs in her two seasons in Norman. She was absolutely incredible during the Women’s College World Series. She hit .523 with five home runs and 15 RBIs. If it weren’t for Alo’s historic season and postseason, all of the accolades that the super senior won would have gone to Jennings. She was that good.
At the top of the order, Jayda Coleman became the table-setter for the Oklahoma Sooners. Her .584 on-base percentage was second only to Alo’s and her 52 walks were just two fewer than Alo had in 2022. And not only did she get on base, but she was second on the team in batting average, hitting .424 as a sophomore.
And Coleman provided a bit of pop from the top of the lineup as well. She launched eight home runs and drove in 40 RBIs while finishing second on the team with nine doubles as well.
Of course, having Jocelyn Alo hit behind you helps, at the same time, teams wouldn’t want a runner on base for when the living legend stepped up to the plate. Coleman became as important a part of the Sooners lineup as Jennings and Alo in their back-to-back national title run.
And then there’s Grace Lyons who was one of the breakout stars for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022. Her power behind Jennings helped the Sooners offense reach new heights as she hit over .400 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs in 2022. One of the best defensive players coming into the season, Lyons turned herself into a feared hitter that will be a force again in 2023.
The Sooners will also return Alyssa Brito and Rylie Boone who came up huge at the plate throughout the season, and in the NCAA tournament in particular. Their timely hitting in the back half of the order kept the pressure on opposing pitching staffs and helped give the Sooners a dangerous lineup from top to bottom.
Again, you can’t replace Jocelyn Alo and you can’t pretend she won’t be a loss, but the Oklahoma Sooners will still be great at the plate in 2023 as they look for a three-peat as national champions.
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