College softball’s all-time home run leaders

On March 11, 2022, Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo became college softball’s all-time home run leader, hitting her 96th bomb to surpass fellow Sooner Lauren Chamberlain. She ultimately finished with 122 in her career at Oklahoma. 

Only 13 players have surpassed the 80-home run mark in the history of college softball. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best sluggers in NCAA Division I history.

The complete list of college softball home run leaders

PLAYER TEAM YEARS GAMES HOME RUNS
Jocelyn Alo Oklahoma 2018-2022 267 122
Lauren Chamberlain Oklahoma 2012-15 220 95
Mia Davidson Mississippi State 2018-22 270 92
Jessie Harper Arizona 2017-21 239 92
Katiyana Mauga Arizona 2014-17 239 92
Stacey Nuveman UCLA 1997, 99, 2001-02 264 90
Stacie Chambers Arizona 2008-11 250 87
Leah Braatz Arizona 1994-95, 97-98 271 85
Laura Espinoza Arizona 1992-95 251 85
Shelby Pendley Arizona/Oklahoma 2012, 13-15 236 84
Jessie Warren Florida State 2015-18 253 83
Danyele Gomez Louisiana 2003-06 249 83
Sierra Romero Michigan 2012-15 253 82

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College softball’s all-time leaders in home runs

Jocelyn Alo stands on top of the NCAA as the all-time leader in home runs (122), slugging percentage (.987) and total bases (761), second all-time in RBIs (323) and fifth in runs (281). After tying the NCAA Division I softball record for career home runs (95) on Feb. 20 against Texas State, teams tiptoed around the slugger, walking her 16 times over the next eight games. But Alo finally blasted the record-breaking homer in the most appropriate place — her home state, Hawaii. She ultimately hit 26 more home runs to standalone at the top as the home run queen. Her senior season also broke the record for slugging percentage, as she passed Chamberlain again with a .987 clip. She won back-to-back 2021 and 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year awards. 

Chamberlain accomplished her total in the fewer games. She hit 95 homers in 220 games, as she was limited to just 39 appearances her junior season due to back and PCL injuries. Considering she hit nearly one home run every two games, there were at least another eight or so home runs for the taking. They came anywhere and everywhere, in the regular season, the NCAA tournament, or in a memorable two-home run game in the Women’s College World Series finals.

Arizona’s Katiyana Mauga made a historic run at Chamberlain’s title but still fell three short, as did fellow Wildcat Jessie Harper and 2022 Mississippi State graduate Mia Davidson. That said, Mauga certainly left her mark in the NCAA, conference and school record books. She is the only college softball player with four 20-home run seasons in her career, hitting 20, 26, 21, and 25 from her freshman to senior season. Mauga finished her illustrious career the all-time Pac-12 leader in home runs with 92.

She is tied for the most home runs in Arizona’s program history, which may seem obvious, but is also worth mentioning. Mauga is one of six Arizona sluggers in the top 13 home run hitters of all-time. Stacie Chambers, Leah Braatz, Lauren Espinoza and Harper join her as five of the eight players to hit 85 or more home runs in their careers.

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Stacey Nuveman joins Chamberlain, Mauga, Harper, Davidson and Alo as the only other player to hit 90 home runs over their college softball career. Nuveman had a long tenure with UCLA, redshirting in 1998 with injury, before being granted a second redshirt to help the 2000 US Olympic team earn the gold medal in 2000 (and then playing the following summer for the USA softball team as well). Nuveman led the nation in home runs with 31 in 1999 helping UCLA to yet another national championship, the eighth of 12 WCWS titles for the Bruins. To have the school record in home runs for DI softball’s winningest program is quite a lofty accomplishment.

Now while Michigan’s Sierra Romero may occupy the last spot on our home run leaders list with 82, she has the honor of topping college softball’s all-time leaders in career grand slams. Thirteen percent of her home runs came as grand slams, her 11 the best in college softball lore, as are her 302 runs scored. And while she may be in the bottom of our top 10 here, she is in the all-time top five for slugging percentage, finishing with a .882 career mark. 

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Harper and Alo are the most recent entries to the top 10, breaking through in 2021.

Before that, Jessie Warren was the newest entry. She cranked 21 home runs in her 2018 senior campaign giving her 83 all time. She was also named the 2018 Women’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player in leading Florida State to its first national championship in program history. 

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