As the younger sister of worldwide softball star Jocelyn Alo, Sophia Alo grew up surrounded by excellence. While Jocelyn was meticulously honing her perfect swing, Sophia was eager to get her own journey in the sport started.
After graduating from Campbell in 2017, Jocelyn Alo went on to star at the University of Oklahoma from 2018 to 2022, winning two national championships while becoming the NCAA's all-time home runs leader with 122.
"She raised the family's bar for greatness. I love living up to that every day," Sophia Alo told Aloha State Daily on Wednesday morning. "People think it's hard living up to it. I love the challenge. It's amazing to have a sister that's recognized, and she's made it easier for me, because now I don't have to go through the struggle [alone], because she understands the struggle, and she can relate to me on that and just be there for me as my sister, my teammate, my coach sometimes too, but I don't like listening."
On Wednesday morning, as part of a signing day ceremony at the Sheraton Beach Resort in Waikīkī, Sophia Alo's time to sign with a school arrived. The Campbell senior signed with the University of Texas at San Antonio on a softball scholarship, relieved that the recruiting process is over as well as excited to forge her own path at a new school.
"I'm very relieved because I don't have to worry about applying to college. I'm just so relieved that this part of my process is done so I can just finish my season and graduate, and I can get started," she said. "I love it because it's the start of my journey, and I can't wait to see where this takes me as a player and a person. I can't wait for my senior year and I can't wait for my freshman year. It's so exciting, and I'm so happy."
During Jocelyn Alo's career at Oklahoma, each home run provided more inspiration to youth around the country hoping to make it big in the sport. Count Mililani senior Jerrell "Ori" Mailo as one of her fans. Mailo, one of the country's top sluggers, will enroll at Oklahoma in January to get a head start on her collegiate career.
"I watched Jocelyn all the way through her junior year (at Campbell). Then I saw her go off to Oklahoma, and it just became a dream from there," Mailo said of playing for the Sooners. "It was a feeling of relief being able to know that my parents wouldn't have to pay for me to go to college, and the fact that it was my dream school, it's just a surreal moment."
When Mailo joins the Sooners, she'll be joined by Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and Ailana Agbayani as other Hawai‘i natives on the OU roster.
Enrolling in January means Mailo will skip her senior season of softball at Mililani, winners of two straight HHSAA Division I state titles.
"It was an emotional decision, but we knew that since softball was what I wanted to pursue, we knew that there was sacrifices to be made, and we made them," Mailo said.
Local athletes in baseball, basketball, softball, indoor and beach volleyball, cross country, track, golf, swimming and water polo all signed with their future schools.
A common theme that arose among the diamond sports signees on Wednesday, in addition to Sophia Alo, were multiple athletes that came from prominent families in the sport.
Punahou senior Kahaku Harrison signed with Rice University, following his father and brothers on the path to big-time baseball. His father, Kenny, played collegiately for the University of Hawai‘i before a brief stint in the minor leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Kahaku's brother, KJ, starred at Oregon State from 2014 to 2017 before six seasons in the minor leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals organization. Another brother, Kalae Harrison, played for Texas A&M and North Carolina State before three seasons in the minor leagues with the Pirates from 2023 to 2025. Meanwhile, Kaikea Harrison is entering his senior season at Tulane in 2026.
"Super valuable," Kahaku Harrison said of leaning on his family for advice. "Super grateful and thankful for it, because having them as my mentors and having them by my side through all of this, it's so valuable and so key. It just makes this whole process so much easier. It's really nice just having my brothers throughout all of this."
University Lab School senior Alika Ahu, a 6-foot-4 shortstop, signed with Stanford. While he's considered a legitimate prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft and could go straight to the pros out of high school, signing with the Cardinal went from a pipe dream to a dream come true.
"It's always been a far off dream that you never thought would happen," Ahu said. "I guess it's always been my mom's dream, of course. And then the summer going into my junior year, the call came and they offered me a full scholarship."
Ahu's father, Jamie, was a former baseball player at the University of Hawai‘i. So, too, is Matt Inouye, whose son, Kaiser senior Hayzen Inouye, signed with Cal Poly on Wednesday at the same ceremony.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
