OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The University of Oklahoma softball program swept both national individual awards as redshirt senior Jocelyn Alo was crowned the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and freshman Jordy Bahl took home NFCA/Schutt Sports Division I National Freshman of the Year. USA Softball and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced the awards at a team-only banquet Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.
Alo becomes the fifth player to win the national player of the year award in consecutive seasons and the second Sooner to accomplish the feat, joining Keilani Ricketts (2012-13).
Bahl makes it consecutive seasons and three of the last four that OU has had a frosh claim NFCA Freshman of the Year. Additionally, a Sooner has won the award four times in its eight-year history (Paige Parker, 2015; Jocelyn Alo, 2018; Tiare Jennings, 2021; Bahl, 2022).
Oklahoma has swept the two major awards in consecutive seasons, becoming the first program to do so. In 2021, OU was the first school to claim both in one season.
The back-to-back USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Alo, has had another season for the record books in 2022. Alo broke the NCAA career home run record in early March in her home state of Hawaii, hitting career No. 96 vs. Hawaii on March 12. The Hauula, Hawaii, product now has 117 career home runs and 29 on the season to go with 72 RBIs and 11 doubles. She ranks second in the country with her .497 batting average, first in the NCAA with a 1.163 slugging percentage and .634 on-base clip, drawing 49 walks on the year. Alo has five multi-homer games on the year including one game with three blasts.
In NCAA postseason play, Alo is batting .643 with four home runs and 10 RBIs, slugging 1.500 with a .750 on-base percentage. She has not struck out in five postseason games and drawn five walks and one HBP. Alo has homered in four of OU’s five postseason games and six of OU’s last eight games.
Recently collecting her second straight Big 12 Player of the Year honor, Alo also claimed All-Big 12 First Team accolades for the fourth time of her career and NFCA All-Region accolades for a fourth time.
The freshman phenom, Bahl, has taken college softball by storm in her first-year campaign with the Sooners. In 132.1 innings pitched, Bahl holds a 0.95 ERA with 199 strikeouts to 29 walks. Her earned run average ranks fifth in the country. She has allowed just 18 earned runs on the season (23 runs total) and is allowing opponents to bat just .137. Bahl has surrendered 16 extra-base hits, with only three being home runs.
In conference play, Bahl held a 1.30 ERA in 53.2 IP to go with 71 strikeouts to 13 walks. She surrendered nine extra-base hits in Big 12 play, and no homers for a .157 opponent BA.
The Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Co-Pitcher of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team selection has one individual perfect game and one solo no-hitter on the year, along with combining on one perfect game and two no-hitters. Additionally, Bahl, a First Team All-Region honoree, has six double-digit strikeout performances, including a career-high 16 vs. Tennessee on Feb. 26 and a 15-K game at Texas (4/14).
The top-ranked and top-seeded Sooners look to defend their title at the 2022 Women’s College World Series beginning Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CT versus nine-seed Northwestern (45-11). The game can be seen on ESPN and heard in Oklahoma on 107.7 The Franchise and nationwide on The Varsity app.
Single-session tickets for the WCWS are still available via NCAAtickets.com.
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