Before she ever dreamed of putting on an Oklahoma uniform, before she ever landed in Norman, launched her first collegiate home run and emerged as a power-hitting superstar, before she did the unthinkable and broke the NCAA career home run record, Jocelyn Alo was a 10-year-old growing up along the north shore of O’ahu, poised to take the first step in a long and historic journey.
The 45-minute drive that day from her small village of Hau’ula to Waipi’o went by faster than normal as she felt a wave of excitement. They were on their way to CORPS Field, which had 12 new baseball and softball diamonds. But she wouldn’t be playing softball. She was the only girl on the East Side Park Rats baseball team, not that she was bothered by the distinction. She’d recently bought a new bat — a slick, black and silver Easton Omen — and it felt like Thor’s hammer in her hands.
During her first…
