OU softball's Jayda Coleman adds to her WCWS legacy
OKLAHOMA CITY – It’s not like OU softball’s Jayda Coleman can’t bring it at the plate. She added so much strength following the 2022 season to help her power numbers in 2023. She hit 17 home runs this season.
But there’s something special about watching her play centerfield. There’s a chance no matter what game you attend that Coleman is going to make a jaw-dropping play.
It just so happens she likes doing it on the biggest stage possible. Coleman robbing Florida State of a three-run home run was crucial in OU’s 3-1 victory over FSU to claim the Women’s College World Series.
It is Oklahoma’s third straight national championship.
OU starting pitcher Alex Storako was doing OK through the first two innings. However, she was having some issues in the third. Two on, one out, and FSU’s Kalei Harding gave it a ride.
“Immediately I was like, go get it,” Coleman said. “Immediately run to the fence.”
Coleman tracked the ball, raced to the wall and leapt to bring it back home. It would have been a 3-0 lead for the Seminoles.
Instead, it became just a long out.
“Coleman doesn’t rob that home run, who knows? It’s a game of inches,” FSU head coach Lonni Alameda said.
It doesn’t happen by accident. Coleman explained the process and how communication with the other outfielders becomes key in that.
There’s Rylie Boone letting Coleman know where the wall is, how many steps, when is it time to jump? Coleman picked the perfect time, as she’s done before at the WCWS.
“It’s really exciting to make those plays,” Coleman said. “I practice them all the time. But like I say every single time, the best thing out of those plays is watching your teammates react and watching them just be so happy for you.
“They know how hard we work. I know how hard they work. So when things like those plays come into play on this big stage, I mean, it’s so joyful to watch.”
Coleman was a defensive difference maker in each of OU’s wins over FSU. It wasn’t a catch in Game 1, but it was her arm.
With FSU trying to mount a rally, Coleman had an outfield assist. That doesn’t do it the justice of how Coleman was able to read the ball off the wall and fire it in to get, funny enough, Harding by multiple steps.
Head coach Patty Gasso mentioned that play Wednesday. Coleman can do the little things, but she can do the biggest of things too.
Thursday night was just another moment.
“Everything else is the Lord watching over me ’cause I didn’t even know it was going to be in my glove until I looked,” Coleman said. “Oh, it’s in there.”
Because it’s always in there. It’s what Coleman does.
