Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo is on a tear to start the 2022 season with seven home runs in 37 plate appearances. Tied with Lauren Chamberlain for the NCAA all-time home run record, Alo will likely set the new standard this weekend and put it far out of reach for any home run challengers. Her start has been incredible and there’s not much the opposition can do about it.
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The lineup the Oklahoma Sooners are rolling out has hitting depth up and down the order. With Alo typically hitting second in the order, leadoff hitter Tiare Jennings gets a boost as teams have to pitch aggressively to her in order to try and get an out before Alo comes to the plate. And Jennings is making teams pay.
The sophomore out of San Pedro, Calif. is hitting .440 with five home runs and 15 RBIs on the season. She’s second to Alo in just about every offensive category, building off of a tremendous freshman campaign that saw her win freshman of the year honors in 2021.
And as Alo continues to set a new standard for power hitting, she’s also getting the added benefit of a lineup that’s producing behind her.
To start the season, the most typical lineup Patty Gasso was rolling out had Jennings batting leadoff, Alo hitting second, and catcher Kinzie Hansen hitting third. Since the opening week, there’s been a bit more variation but wherever Alo hits, there’s a player hitting behind her that’s having a nice start to the season as well.
Hansen’s hitting .440 with two home runs and six RBIs. Jana Johns spent much of the Houston Classic batting behind Alo is hitting .400 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Jayda Coleman has worked her way up in the lineup and is hitting .348 with eight RBIs and an on base percentage of .515.
Grace Lyons, who’s hit clean up for the Sooners for much of 2022, is hitting .440 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
There isn’t an easy out in the Oklahoma Sooners lineup. The Sooners put constant pressure on opposing pitchers as they attempt to work through a lineup that returned much of their record-setting 2021 team.
As the Oklahoma Sooners look to defend their national championship, they’ve gotten off to a hot 10-0 start. The numbers really speak for themselves.
The 2022 Oklahoma Sooners softball team by the numbers through Week 2:
• Unanimous No. 1 in the nation
• 10-0 W/L record
• 95 total runs scored
• 2 runs allowed
• 8 shutouts
• 8 run-rule wins
• 25 home runs
• 12-game active win streak— Seth Oliveras (@SethOliveras) February 20, 2022
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