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Irony, Symmetry and Poetry: Jocelyn Alo's Record Homer Was Destined for Hawaii

If teams had chosen to pitch to her over the past three weeks, Alo's momentous achievement wouldn't have happened in her home state in front of so many admirers.

John E. Hoover

Irony, Symmetry and Poetry: Jocelyn Alo's Record Homer Was Destined for Hawaii
Irony, Symmetry and Poetry: Jocelyn Alo's Record Homer Was Destined for Hawaii /

Wearing celebratory flowers given to her from her teammates, her family — even her opponent — Jocelyn Alo said late Friday night via video call from the Hawaiian Islands that becoming college softball’s new home run queen “hasn’t quite sunk in yet.”

After a three-week chase filled with expectation, anxiety, pressure and a lot of pitches outside the strike zone, Alo finally got something to hit at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu and made history against the host University of Hawaii.

The momentous ball from UH’s Ashley Murphy landed over the wall in right center field as Alo raced around the bases. After being mobbed at home plate by her teammates, Hawaii coach Bob Coolen placed a lei around her neck and gave her a hug.

Jocelyn Alo hits No. 96
Jocelyn Alo hits No. 96 / Courtney Metzger via OU Athletics

Pitching to Alo and a ceremonial lei — two ultimate signs of respect.

“I just want to say shout out to the pitcher,” Alo said. “I don't know her name, but she and the rest of the UH Wahine team for just coming out and competing. Like, that's all a team and myself can ask for, is that you just compete, you know what I mean? And they came out here and they bowed up to us and I mean, just shout out to her for competing.

“Yeah, Bob Coolen, nice guy. And the way it got to be at home — and lei’d me after it happened — just 100 percent class act.”

There’s an irony at play in Alo’s chase, one of those moments in sport that can’t be accounted for.

Alo wanted badly to hit the record home run in Hawaii. But she also had grown frustrated as other teams refused to give her anything to hit. If things truly happen for a reason, this was poetry on symmetry on synchronicity.

If Cal State Fullerton or Long Beach State or Arizona or Tennessee or Utah or Minnesota had given Alo a pitch, the record wouldn’t have been broken in front of all those hometown Alo fans. Last night's moment would have been muted.

Jocelyn Alo's team greets her at home after her 96th career home run.
Jocelyn Alo's team greets her at home after her 96th career home run / OU Athletics

“Super happy that I get to be home and that I got to do it in front of my people,” she said. “ ... I mean, It's cool, don't get me wrong, that it happened at home. But like, a competitor just wants to compete. 

"That's all anyone would want to do. You know what I mean? So I mean, yes, ironically happy that happened here. But I feel like now things are just gonna go back to normal.”

Alo created a vibe in the Islands. That she set the record in the sixth inning of her third game only heightened the excitement. From the local newspaper to Friday night’s “SportsCenter,” Alo brought acclaim to her state and pride to her people. By the time it happened, the entire stadium — jam-packed with more than 1,500 people — had reached a state of euphoria.

She said she’s a different person now than she was when she left home five years ago.

Celebrating on the Islands
Celebrating on the Islands / Courtney Metzger via OU Athletics

“I think back and I was like, ‘There's no way freshmen Jocelyn could have taken on like a role model-type thing' versus like, me now I just feel like I'm such a different player than I was then,” she said. 

“And it's huge, you know, just to inspire the girls. And I feel like this is just gonna have the Hawaii girls just continue to elevate their game. Now we're known on a national sense — and lots of other Hawaii athletes had done it before me.”

Alo — who has another game against Hawaii this afternoon at 4 p.m. CT — reiterated that owning the record still hadn’t hit her.

“No, it hasn't yet,” she said, “but what has hit me is that it's just another bookmark in history for just women's sports in general. This is a win for all of us. And I just feel like people now are gonna start having to pay attention because like, look at the things we can do. You know what I mean? So that's definitely hit me. And yeah, it's just a win for softball and a win for women's sports. So, go girls.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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