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Professional softball players use Bosse Field showcase to grow game for next generation

treasure washington, evansville courier & press
·4 min read

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — McKinleigh Son couldn't wait to see one of her favorite softball players come up to bat at Bosse Field.

"Let's go, Jocelyn!" the 8-year-old exclaimed from the stands.

"Jocelyn" is two-time Women's College World Series Champion and NCAA career home run leader Jocelyn Alo. The former Oklahoma Sooner now plays professionally for the Smash-It Sports Vipers, who were in town this week to play a three-game exhibition series against the USSSA Pride.

The Pride played at Bosse Field last year and thousands of youth softball players and spectators came out and showed their support. Evansville Sports Corp. President Eric Marvin was pleased to see capacity pushed again this week.

Son plays on the local Kevin Brown Eagles 8U softball team, one of 180 youth teams participating in town this week for the Great Lakes Nationals. The Eagles were excited to watch the Vipers and Pride up close.

The USSSA Pride lines up along the third base line for the The Star-Spangled Banner before the Women's Professional Fastpitch game against the Smash-It Sports Vipers at Bosse Field Tuesday evening, July 12, 2022.
The USSSA Pride lines up along the third base line for the The Star-Spangled Banner before the Women's Professional Fastpitch game against the Smash-It Sports Vipers at Bosse Field Tuesday evening, July 12, 2022.

"Most of (the girls) want to see the Pride win, but everybody was super excited to see (Alo) that hits all the home runs," Eagles coach Chad Hoehn said.

Alo never saw professional softball in her home state of Hawaii, but she attended college games at the University of Hawaii and became fascinated with many of the players.

Haley Cruse and Taylor Ellsworth, who play for the Pride, once were girls watching these types of exhibitions in the stands. It sparked their passion to become college stars and now professionals. Without that exposure when they were younger, their lives would likely be different today.

Cruse, who was a standout at Oregon, met Olympic silver medalist pitcher Monica Abbott when she was 9 years old. Earlier this year, they shared a field together.

"I was a fan of the game for as long as I can remember," Cruse said. "It's exciting to see how many dreams come true for these girls that are here."

Dylan Topel, 14, a softball player with the NEMO Hotshots 14U team gets the autograph of USSSA Pride's Casidy Chaumont, a graduate of the University of Missouri, at Bosse Field Tuesday evening, July 12, 2022.
Dylan Topel, 14, a softball player with the NEMO Hotshots 14U team gets the autograph of USSSA Pride's Casidy Chaumont, a graduate of the University of Missouri, at Bosse Field Tuesday evening, July 12, 2022.

Ellsworth, from Texas, used to travel across the country with her mother to watch some of the greats play. She became a fan of fellow Longhorns star Cat Osterman, a three-time Olympic medalist, and Megan Willis, a second-team All-American. She also looked up to her current coach, two-time Olympic medalist Kelly Kretschman.

"There's a lot of (players) that I followed around and luckily now I'm friends with and get to hang out with, too," Ellsworth said. "It's really cool to say that."

With the rise of name, image, and likeness within the college ranks and the 50-year anniversary celebration of Title IX this summer, women's sports have grown larger audiences each year.

Ellsworth and Mary Iakopo of the Vipers represented Texas last month in the Women's College World Series Championship. Delanie Wisz also played in Oklahoma City with UCLA before joining the Pride.

The 2022 WCWS averaged roughly one million viewers per game, and the championship series between Texas and Oklahoma averaged 1.6 million. It became one of the most-watched championship series of all time.

The significant viewership numbers and packed crowds have translated to success across all levels. There was a slew of young children at Bosse Field wearing No. 78 Alo jerseys. Alo is a big softball name and has been nominated for three awards at next week's ESPYs.

Cruse has 823,000 followers on TikTok and was met with loud cheers every time she came to bat. Wisz also made headlines at the WCWS with her personalized catching gear symbolizing her faith and family.

Fans lineup to get either an autograph or a picture with the Smash-It Sports Vipers' left fielder Jocelyn Alo at Bosse Field Tuesday evening, July 12, 2022. Alo played for Oklahoma University and won two World Series rings as well as breaking the all-time record for home runs.
Fans lineup to get either an autograph or a picture with the Smash-It Sports Vipers' left fielder Jocelyn Alo at Bosse Field Tuesday evening, July 12, 2022. Alo played for Oklahoma University and won two World Series rings as well as breaking the all-time record for home runs.

They're proud to keep giving the game they love exposure.

"It's huge for not only softball but for women's sports in general," Wisz said. "I think a lot of the time women's sports are downplayed. For us to get record-breaking numbers on views and attendance is huge for women in general."

The Pride and the Vipers are in the Women's Professional Fastpitch League, which was founded last October. Kretschman, who played for 13 seasons in a now-defunct National Pro Fastpitch, is loving the growth that her sport continues to make.

"I think that we're starting to realize that this sport is fun to watch and it's fast-paced," she said. "It's not just females that like to watch it. You see more men that are watching it because they just love how fast it is. And you get to just see how great of athletes all these women are. Softball has grown as a whole around the country."

Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached via her email, treasure.washington@courierpress.com, and on Twitter @Twashington490.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: USSSA Pride spreads love for softball at Evansville's Bosse Field