One thousand swings per day.
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That's what it takes to become the greatest home run hitter the college softball world has ever seen. Everyone witnessed just how good Jocelyn Alo was when she stepped on the diamond for the Oklahoma Sooners.
The human energy plant supplied power in Norman since the day she stepped foot on campus back in her 2018 season. Since then, all she did was win two national championships, take home the 2021 and 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and break the NCAA all-time career home run record — one that she continued to make tougher to break in the 2022 Women's College World Series when she ended with 122.
Alo's 122 home runs wouldn't have been possible had it not been for her parents, namely her father, Levi Alo. The two have a special bond as he made endless sacrifices for her to help her become a superstar.
Jocelyn Alo's Father Levi Committed His Time and Money to Her Dream
Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Jocelyn Aloha Pumehana Alo's story began on the fields of Hauula, Hawaii.
That's where she and Levi would take 1,000 swings a day together. They broke it up into two 500-swing sessions (hey, a girl can get tired). Jocelyn told KHON2 that's when her dad began to notice her potential.
In fact, Levi was so committed to Jocelyn's softball career that he would save up $10,000 to rent out an apartment in California so she could play better competition. She got that when she played for the So Cal Pumas and Batbusters travel teams at 13 and 14 years old, respectively.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know how I did it," Levi told Holly Rowe in an mid-game interview. "We made it happen. We don't have a lot of money by any means. We make it happen. It was a great sacrifice for us. She's reaping the benefits and it's been a fun ride. I wouldn't do it any other way."
Levi Alo talks to @sportsiren about @78jocelyn_alo's upbringing and how she's giving back to her community.
📺 @espn#WCWS x @OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/FOeueG1OQ0
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 6, 2022
Jocelyn's family — which includes father Levi, mother Andrea and three sisters, Sabrina, Lorraine and Sophia — moved to Kaneohe when she was 7 or 8. They still live there, but they were her biggest fans in Norman and Oklahoma City, where Jocelyn powered the Sooners to the 2022 WCWS Final against the rival Texas Longhorns. They were all wearing shirts with Jocelyn's face on them, thanks to her NIL deal with the school.
Jocelyn's relationship with her dad is a two-way street, because she's also his biggest fan.
She Wore His College Football Number at Oklahoma
Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
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Levi is a big dude, and it should surprise nobody that he played college football at Laney College in Oakland, California, where he met Andrea, who was a softball player.
He introduced Jocelyn to a number of sports, the first of which was wrestling. She was so good at it — and so strong — that she became a state champion at Campbell High School.
When she chose the University of Oklahoma over California and Oregon, she needed to pick a number. She chose to don the No. 78 on her back, the same one Levi wore when he played offensive lineman in college.
"It's always been my dad's number and I proudly wear 78 and now girls around the world wear 78 so I just find that a little crazy," Jocelyn told KHON2. "Who wants to wear an O-line number, you know?"
She's right. Little girls across the country are wearing her number. They're emulating her swing in hopes of being the next Jocelyn Alo. But it takes a dad or a coach or a family member to put in the work alongside the athlete to make that happen. Jocelyn Alo wasn't created overnight. It was a long, time-consuming, sweat-filled journey, one that was spent mostly with her dad.
Happy Fathers Day Dad♥️ @HAUULA007 https://t.co/9FotZGkJsf
— Jocelyn Alo (@78jocelyn_alo) June 21, 2021
"We've literally been through everything together," Jocelyn Alo told KHON2. "He's my best friend and I seriously wouldn't have it any other way."
The moment that captured that all? When she won a national championship over Florida State in 2021. Jocelyn couldn't help but tear up when she hugged her dad.
"I starting crying and I was just like, 'We did it, Dad,'" Jocelyn said. "It was just a really cool moment for us to have and he's been with me through a lot of stuff so just to finally have that 'on top' moment was awesome."
Jocelyn added another ring after the Sooners beat Texas in the 2022 WCWS Finals. She also was drafted first overall in the inaugural Women's Professional Fastpitch Draft by the Smash It Sports Vipers. However, she was traded to the Oklahoma City Spark in November 2022, which will let hometown fans see her hit home runs. In the year since she made history, she's also come out with her own signature bat with Rawlings that little girls around the country can use.
None of what she's accomplished would've been possible without the love, support and dedication of her father, Levi.
