Oklahoma softball was well-represented by four former national softball champions who competed at the MLB Home Run Derby X finale in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Friday and Saturday. Jocelyn Alo made it all the way to the grand final, while Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman and Sydney Romero fell in the quarterfinals.
Three of the final eight teams featured at least one former Sooner in their lineup, which also made Oklahoma the program with the most participants from a college softball program.
Jocelyn Alo takes second place in MLB Home Run Derby X finals
Alo reprised her spot on the Yankees, where she teamed up with two retired players in third baseman Todd Frazer and first baseman Nick Swisher throughout the playoffs. Her team won a rematch of the Des Moines regional finals against the St Louis Cardinals on Friday and defeated the Washington Nationals in the semifinals on Saturday, but the run was stopped by tournament champions Los Angeles Dodgers by only one point in a close 72-71 score.
Living up to her record as the all-time home run leader in NCAA history, Alo delivered the winning walk-off dinger against the Cardinals. She also scored 19 homers in her two games at the plate that totaled to 58, including the regional stages in Oklahoma City and Des Moines.
Jennings batted for the Kansas City Royals while Coleman and Romero qualified for the playoffs via Team Wild Card. Both teams were eliminated in the first round by the Nationals and the Dodgers, respectively. Romero was the highest scoring contributor to the Wild Cards with 13 homers, while teammate Coleman nailed and Jennings smacked eight on the Royals.
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