College softball's all-time home run leader Jocelyn Alo of
Campbell (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) is still making history despite seeing her Oklahoma career come to an end in 2022. Alo became the first female to sign with the Savannah Bananas barnstorming baseball team on April 26.
Following a high school career where she won wrestling and softball state championships, Alo continued her dominance at Oklahoma from 2018-22, hitting 122 career home runs and winning two national titles.
As she waits for her professional softball season to begin in June, the slugger signed with the Bananas for one month.
The team sells out every game months in advance and the May 3 contest in Fresno was packed to watch Banana Ball. It has some of the same regulations as baseball with a unique set of rules aimed to keep fans involved. If a spectator catches a foul ball, the batter is out. There are trick plays, dancing and non-stop fun.
Last year Alo made a guest appearance with the Bananas as the team played in Oklahoma City. Now she is a member of the team.
Alo has been carving her own path since she was young. When she stepped into the batter's box wearing a Bananas uniform against former Pittsburgh Pirates 2015 ninth-round draft choice Bret Helton, the capacity crowd was ready to explode.
She was looking for her first career hit in a baseball game and when Alo lined the ball into the gap between right and center, the fans went into a frenzy as she rounded first base safely.
It was just another milestone to add to her resume since she started at
Kahuku (Hawaii) as a high school freshman. Wrestling was the first sport she competed in and Alo nearly won the state tournament as a freshman, taking third in the 175-pound bracket. As a sophomore she won the 184-pound state title.
That was the last time she wrestled competitively. Alo wanted to focus on softball and she transferred to Campbell for her junior season. She received her first softball scholarship offer from BYU as a seventh grader and dominated with the bat in her hands at Kahuku. But the winning really started at Campbell. As a junior she hit .612 with eight home runs and 30 RBI. One of those bombs was in the state championship, a 12-2 victory.
As a senior Campbell won another state championship but Alo was intentionally walked in all four of her trips to the plate. That season she was walked in 58 of her 107 plate appearances. When teams did pitch to her, she crushed 12 home runs with a .571 batting average. Her exceptional senior year led to her being named a 2017 MaxPreps All-American.
Alo went to Oklahoma for college and the success continued. In 271 career games, the Sooners won 249 times for a .918 winning percentage. She left Norman as the national leader in home runs, slugging percentage and total bases. Alo is the only player in college softball history to hit over .500 while bashing 30-plus home runs in a single season.
When it came time to break the all-time college home run record, she did it in a place very special to her at the University of Hawaii. It was the same field that she hit a home run in the state title game as a high school junior. Now the Sooners were in Hawaii playing the Rainbow Warriors. It was the first time since high school that many of her family members and community were able to watch her in person and she gave them what they wanted to see.
She got a curveball and powered it over the fence between right and center to break the record. Alo's teammates mobbed her at the plate as she sprinted around the bases. Time seemingly stood still as the crowd gave her a standing ovation for more than a minute. While she wore the away team uniform, it was clear that she was no visitor.
Now fans are rooting for her to hit baseballs out of the park as the Bananas play in California, Oklahoma, Ohio and Georgia this month. All of the Savannah games are streamed on YouTube for free.
