A local star will arrive at Oklahoma a year early.

Juliana “Goose” Hutchens, the No. 1-rated player in the 2027 recruiting class per Softball America, is reclassifying. She will join the Sooners this fall, and will be eligible to start her five years in Norman for the 2027 softball season, Hutchens and the program announced on Thursday.

Hutchens played third base, catcher and shortstop at Wagoner High School, and her ability with the bat turns heads every time she steps onto the field.

Hutchens originally committed to Oklahoma on Sept. 11, 2025.

“Wow it’s so surreal to be here now,” Hutchens wrote at the time of her commitment. “This is one of the moments every little girl dreams of getting to experience. Words couldn’t describe how thankful I am for The Oklahoma coaching staff. They are taking a chance on me that I’ll forever be grateful for. BOOMER!!”

Hutchens will be able to fill a major need immediately.

The Sooners need a backup catcher behind Kendall Wells after Isabela Emerling graduated from the program.

OU added Loyola Chicago catcher Abbie Gregus out of the transfer portal, but Hutchens is SEC-ready.

Hutchens will be in the mix to serve as OU’s designated player from day one, and can back up Wells to prevent the star catcher from having to catch every single inning behind the plate for Patty Gasso in 2027.

Hutchens played travel ball for Iowa Premier Fastpitch, and she also played for the 2026 United States U-18 Women’s National Team. The national team won the World Baseball Softball Confederation gold medal, and Hutchens was the MVP of the tournament. She finished the tournament batting .800, and totaled eight RBIs with two home runs.

OU already had the top-rated 2026 recruiting class, a group that will only be bolstered by the addition of Hutchens.

The No. 2 player in Softball America’s 2027 player rankings, outfielder Finlee Williams, is also pledged to Gasso’s Sooners.

Oklahoma also signed the No. 1 player in the 2026 recruiting class, per Softball America, in outfielder Payton Westra. Westra will immediately compete for playing time in left field after the graduation of Abby Dayton and Kasidi Pickering’s departure via the transfer portal.

Both Kai Minor and Ella Parker will return to OU’s outfield next season.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — A recent state inspection and recorded jail phone calls from a former inmate are offering two perspectives on conditions inside the Oklahoma County Detention Center.

An unannounced inspection conducted May 5 by the Oklahoma State Department of Health found the jail was “not in substantial compliance” with multiple standards, citing deficiencies involving staffing, inmate safety, sanitation, food service, maintenance, and medical reporting.

At the same time, FOX 25 obtained recorded phone calls made by former inmate Brent Swadley while he was being held at the jail awaiting sentencing after his fraud conviction. Swadley has since been transferred to another facility.

The inspection provides an official snapshot of conditions inside the jail. Swadley’s recorded calls provide one inmate’s firsthand account.

The Health Department’s inspection identified numerous concerns throughout the facility.

Among the findings:

• Just seven detention officers were assigned to supervise 1,502 inmates on the day of the inspection.
• Inspectors found 2,471 required inmate safety checks had not been documented.
• Investigators cited sanitation concerns, including grime, pooled liquid, damaged flooring in the kitchen and dirty mop buckets stored near food preparation areas.
• The report found deficiencies involving food service and adequate diet.
• Inspectors documented multiple inmates sleeping on the floor because of insufficient beds.
• Investigators also found several instances where inmates required outside medical treatment but the Health Department was not notified as required.

In recorded calls obtained by FOX 25, Swadley described what he says he experienced while housed at the jail.

“It ain’t good people here that’s the problem at all,” Swadley said in one call. “It’s the rules and the policies and the mindset that they’re forced to adapt.”

In another call, he expressed sympathy for detention staff.

“I say all the times to the staff, the nurses, the guards… I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know how they put up with, I mean, literally honey, this would break your heart if you saw it and witnessed these inmates treat them like crap,” he said.

While inspectors documented sanitation concerns throughout the facility, Swadley described additional conditions he says he witnessed, including mice, maggots and odors he compared to an animal kennel. Those specific allegations were not documented in the state inspection report.

The inspection also found deficiencies involving food service. In multiple recorded calls, Swadley described being served cold meals.

“The grits and everything came… it was cold, like room temperature,” he said. “They need so much help in there.”

He also complained about the nutritional quality of the meals.

“We don’t get any dairy of any kind. No milk, no nothing. And of course, no fresh fruit or vegetables at all,” Swadley said in another call.

Along with suffering a severe injury to his finger after getting stuck in a jail door, Swadley described other health concerns while incarcerated, including elevated blood pressure and an incident in which he said he passed out after visiting the jail’s medical unit.

In another series of calls, Swadley described hearing a mentally ill inmate scream for hours overnight and said the experience left him wanting to comfort the man.

“I just want to go up there and give him a hug,” Swadley said. “Even God loves you.”

He also described the challenges unique to county jails, where inmates are constantly arriving and leaving while awaiting trial.

“They’ve got so many people moving in and out of here so quick that you don’t know what’s up or down,” he said.

Despite his criticisms, Swadley repeatedly said he believes conditions could improve.

“They have the capability of making this place effective,” he said.

FOX 25 asked both the Oklahoma County Detention Center and the Oklahoma State Department of Health about the inspection findings and the conditions described in Swadley’s recorded calls.

Jail officials declined to comment on Swadley’s time at the facility, citing a court order.

“With respect to the comments attributed to Mr. Swadley, we are under a court order not to discuss or release any information on Mr. Swadley’s time in the facility,” Oklahoma County Detention Center Communications Director Mark Opgrande said in a statement.

Regarding the inspection, Opgrande said the detention center is preparing a comprehensive response for the Health Department but is “not in a position to comment on specific findings, corrective actions, staffing, or operational matters related to the inspection at this time.”

The Oklahoma State Department of Health told FOX 25 it has not conducted a follow-up inspection since May and therefore cannot determine whether any deficiencies have been corrected.

Agency spokesman Erica Rankin also said Oklahoma law does not require detention facilities to submit corrective action plans following an inspection.

According to the Health Department, inspectors will review previously cited deficiencies during the jail’s next inspection, and any enforcement decisions will be based on the results of that review and the agency’s statutory authority.

The Oklahoma County Detention Center continues to undergo renovations while county officials move forward with plans for a replacement jail facility.

The Oklahoma Sooners will face a difficult challenge trying to return to the College Football Playoff in 2026. That road starts on Sept. 4 against the UTEP Miners.

After the season opener, Oklahoma’s schedule quickly becomes one of the most difficult in college football. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), which is designed to project a team’s future performance, ranks Oklahoma’s schedule as the second-toughest in the country behind only the Arkansas Razorbacks.

That challenging schedule is one of the reasons some analysts remain skeptical of Oklahoma heading into the 2026 season. The FPI predicts a 7-5 season for the Sooners. However, On3’s J.D. PicKell believes Oklahoma has the talent to overcome its schedule and remain one of the nation’s best teams.

“The schedule is brutal,” PicKell said. “The schedule was brutal last year. You had a quarterback with nine fingers and no run game. Find your way to the College Football Playoff. I’m going down with the ship here. I think Oklahoma is going to be a wagon once again.”