Oklahoma
Hurt feelings: How Texas Tech softball ended the Oklahoma dynasty in the Women’s College World Series
Hailey Toney on Texas Tech softball’s ability to play in the clutch
Hailey Toney on Texas Tech softball’s ability to play in the clutch
OKLAHOMA CITY — “No hard feelings” was not the way Monday night’s semifinals of the 2025 Women’s College World Series were going to end. It would’ve been impossible.
Too much was at stake at Devon Park, so much on the line for two programs in very different positions less than a year ago. Before Gerry Glasco took over the Texas Tech softball team, landed NiJaree Canady through the transfer portal and altered the course of Red Raider history, he was leading the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, an emerging mid-major powerhouse with Division I-level talent dotting the roster.
When he left Lafayette, he took a number of players with him to Lubbock but urged his ace pitcher, Sam Landry, to go to Oklahoma. There wouldn’t have been enough innings for Landry with Canady in the fold, and her best chance at success laid with the Sooners.
Landry made the most of her year in the SEC, being drafted No. 1 in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League and guiding the Sooners to regular-season and co-tournament champion status with a mostly young roster. Glasco has spoken glowingly about his former player throughout the year, even in the lead-up to the WCWS last week.
Landry owns one of Glasco’s dogs. The name of his late daughter, Geri Ann, is written in her glove. When Oklahoma didn’t have her usual No. 12 available as a jersey number, she chose No. 21 to honor Geri Ann. Several of her former Louisiana teammates make up the bulk of Texas Tech’s starting lineup.
Somebody was getting their feelings hurt on Monday. It just wound up being Landry, and the Sooners.
Mihyia Davis’s one-out single, chopped over the head of Landry into center field, started the Texas Tech rally in the bottom of the seventh. Hailey Toney followed with a double to put Davis at third, then Lauren Allred hit a fly ball to right field, deep enough for the speedster Davis to slide in for the game-winning run, sending Texas Tech to the championship series of the Women’s College World Series with a 3-2 win, and ending the Sooners’ reign atop the college softball world after four consecutive national titles.
Two former Ragin’ Cajuns teamed up to end their former Louisiana teammates’ season, and career.
“Sam is a great pitcher,” Allred said of the game-winning at-bat. “Going against her, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, especially with the history we have playing with each other.
“And going to my bat, Coach Hunter (Veach) always says, ‘Doing something really hard, really well, is really fun.’ It reminded me to have fun and just go up there with confidence and trust in all the preparation and training that I had. And I knew Mihyia Davis was probably one of the fastest players in the country, would make something happen as long as I got the ball in play.”
Davis, Texas Tech’s best hitter throughout the season, was hitless in the first two games of the WCWS. She wound up striking out in her first two at-bats against former teammate Landry. Assistant coach Tara Archibald, though, knew Davis was due.
“We kept telling her all week long, ‘Mihyia, you’re going to show up when we need you the most and we know that,’” Archibald said, “and, man, did she ever.”
The Red Raiders didn’t have much time to regroup after the Sooners tied the game in the top of the seventh. Abigale Dayton took an 0-2 offering from Canady for a two-run home run to tie the game. At that point, Canady had appeared to be cruising to another shutout before Sooner Magic took over again.
The best way to combat Sooner Magic, it seems, is with some Raider Power. Toney’s double continued a string of hits the freshman has collected after Canady’s had a (rare) tough inning. She did it in the Lubbock Regional (twice), and again against UCLA with home runs. On Monday, it was her double that put Davis into position for the win.
“That’s the whole team,” Toney said. “We all have each other’s backs no matter what. And she has had our back for the whole season and we’re just trying to have hers.”
Somebody had to leave Devon Park with an L, and Texas Tech made sure it wasn’t them. That didn’t make ending their old friend’s career any easier to swallow.
“Definitely strange,” Alexa Langeliers, another former Louisiana player, said. “I’m used to being on the same field behind her, but she gave it her all. She’s a great pitcher. She’s a great person, and tough end of the season. My heart goes out to her, but it is what it is. I love her to death and she’s just an amazing person.”
Langeleiers called it “surreal,” the whole game and the circumstances leading to Tech’s triumph. The senior second baseman admitted she didn’t think getting to the WCWS finals was going to happen, though the feeling is electric all the same.
That’s especially true for the players who followed Glasco to Texas Tech. Davis and Allred both said that the head coach believed in them, and they trusted him with their careers.
“Coach Glasco always had faith in me,” Allred said, “and I knew that he helped me get to the position I was going to be in, and I wanted to stay by him no matter what.”
Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — A new program in Oklahoma is giving adults another way to finish high school by allowing them to use past credits and test scores to earn a diploma, an option officials say could help thousands of people and strengthen the state’s workforce.
For years, adults in Oklahoma who did not finish high school largely had one main option: earning a GED. Now, Oklahoma CareerTech is rolling out the Career Readiness Diploma, a pathway designed to build on what students have already completed rather than requiring them to start over.
“So in Oklahoma right now, if you look at the demographics, we have about 279,000 people in our state without a high school diploma. So it’s almost 10% of our population doesn’t have a high school diploma,” said Lance Allee, an adult education and family literacy specialist with Oklahoma CareerTech.
Allee said the program allows adults to apply previously earned high school credit and combine different assessment scores into a single record to qualify for a diploma.
“It allows the student to use previously earned high school credit. So, it’s kind of like a portfolio where you can take multiple assessment scores and put them into one portfolio to get your high school diploma,” Allee said.
The program is open to adults 21 and older. In some cases, officials said, participants can finish in just weeks, depending on how many credits they already have.
CareerTech officials say the program is also aimed at improving job prospects for individuals while helping Oklahoma remain competitive when attracting employers.
“When you’re a company and you’re looking at moving into Oklahoma, you look at the demographics and say, is there a workforce there that we can employ? And you say, well, about 10% of the population doesn’t have a diploma, they may start looking at states that surround us. So, we definitely want to get as many diplomas out there as we can,” Allee said.
The program started issuing diplomas in recent weeks, and officials said dozens more people are already in the process. For more information or to sign up click here.
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NORMAN — Cord Rager’s return comes at a pivotal time for Skip Johnson’s Oklahoma Sooners. Not only do they get their day three starter back in time for big road matchups against Auburn and Arkansas on the horizon, but the Sooners pitching strength, their rotational depth, is primed and ready for the test.
The freshman lefty finished with eight strikeouts and only gave up one hit in only 65 pitches before his day ended in the sixth.
No. 14 Oklahoma earn its first conference sweep of the season, defeating Missouri 8-4. It was OU’s fourth conference series win.
Oklahoma (27-12, 10-8) put their best foot forward as they turn the page to the meat of their schedule where they will do battle against No. 13, No. 20 and No. 16 over the next three weeks — two of those series’ on the road.
Four runs in five hits in the second got things rolling for the Sooners.
Camden Johnson continued his brilliant play of late with a triple in the second. This came after a Brenden Brock solo home run to put OU up 1-0. Deiten LaChance grounded out to short but scored Johnson. Dasan Harris and and Nolan Stevens each found home before the inning ended.
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OU found fortune from the plate again in the fourth. Four runs off of four hits highlighted by a three-run home run by Johnson put Oklahoma up 8-0. It was Johnson’s seventh home run of the season, second on the team behind Brock’s nine.
Trent Collier got the nod in the sixth to relieve Rager.
In the seventh, Missouri finally got on the board for the first time since the ninth inning of Friday night’s Sooner victory. Cam Durnin hit a solo shot — his fourht of the season — to make the score 8-1 in favor of the home team.
The Tigers got their third hit of the game shortly after. From there, Collier’s short day was done. Gavyn Jones came on to relieve
LaChance missed a home run by inches when Tiger center fielder Kaden Peer made a leaping catch, jumping into the fence.
In the eighth, the Tigers continued to chip away. With bases loaded, Blaze Ward hit a basehit to score two Missouri base runners. OU led 8-3 heading into the final inning.
Harris led the Sooners with three hits. His day was accented by an RBI, stolen base and a run.
Oklahoma will travel to Auburn to take on the No. 13 Tigers for a three game series starting on Friday. Before that, they will host Oral Roberts for a midweek game at Kimrey Family Stadium in Norman. The Sooners won 4-0 against ORU earlier this season.
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