OU Softball: Florida State Coach Calls Coleman a 'Special Player' After Highlight Home Run Robbery

The only person at Love's Field who wasn't shocked when Jayda Coleman plucked a Florida State home run over the outfield wall wasn't in the Sooners' dugout.

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

NORMAN — Patty Gasso didn’t believe Jayda Coleman had a real play on Jaysoni Beachum’s would-be home run as it hung in the Friday night sky above Love’s Field.

“We do this at practice all the time, and (Coleman) acts like she’s going to catch it,” the Sooners’ 30th year head coach said after Friday’s super regional win against Florida State. “And so everyone, like, tags up, but the ball’s going over the fence, like she fakes us all out.

“So I’m looking, and I’m like ‘It’s out.’ I’m thinking, here she goes,” Gasso said.

This time, Coleman wasn’t running a bit. As she stretched her glove above the left-field wall to thieve what would have been Beachum’s second home run of the night in front of a sold out crowd, Gasso was overcome with emotion.

JAYDA COLEMAN HOME RUN ROBBERY 😱 pic.twitter.com/hNqrbSoZHh

— ESPN (@espn) May 25, 2024

“I saw her jump, and then I saw her fall with the ball in the glove, and I’m not kidding you; I know this is weird, but I just kind of had a little tear,” Gasso said, “because I’m so expecting of it, but that was unbelievable.”

Later that night, Cydney Sanders made no less of an impressive catch (albeit, with less on the line) as she dashed from her post at first and dove to secure a catch in shallow foul territory.

“And then I look over and Cyd’s making a great play, like it just bled right all over our team in a wonderful way,” Gasso said. “But man, she (Coleman) can’t wait to line something up like that, and if it’s coming and it’s staying in, she’s going to do it.”

It seemed the only person in the ballpark who wasn’t surprised Coleman made the catch was Florida State head coach Lonni Alameda.

“I’m sure she (Coleman) has a Florida State highlight reel,” Alameda said. “She’s robbed us many times... I had a chance to watch Jayda in club ball and travel ball and I was one of those coaches in line to recruit her also, and she’s a special player.”

Coleman was asked where Friday’s ranks among several similarly heroic catches she has made during her four-year career at Oklahoma.

“That’s tough,” Coleman said. “I like all my robbed home runs, I’m not even going to lie.”

Hannah Coor caddied. If not for her confident voice guiding Coleman through her backpedal, the catch may not have been possible.

“I had 110% trust in Hannah Coor, ‘cause she was the one that was telling me how much space I had until the wall, because I didn’t even look at the wall at all,” Coleman said. “So having 100% trust in your left-fielder or your right-fielder is key to making those plays, and that was the reason why I was able to make that play.”

Over 4,000 Sooners fans erupted into a JAY-DA, JAY-DA, JAY-DA chant. 

“Just to see (Coor’s) face after I caught it, like ‘Oh my gosh, you actually caught it,” Coleman said, “was the best thing out of it all... The best part about making those type of plays is watching your teammates celebrate and just watching how happy they are.”

“It’s fun to hear the roar of the crowd,” Alameda said. “It’s against us — again — but, you know, for us in softball, moments where the game’s growing, I think it’s just really cool to see that style of athleticism.”

Coleman and her athleticism will be on full display at the Women’s College World Series starting Thursday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, where the Sooners look to win a fourth consecutive national title.