Oklahoma
OU Softball: Five Oklahoma Players Named in Top 26 for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
Five Oklahoma Sooners are in the running for college softball’s top individual honor.
Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Alyssa Brito, Kinzie Hansen and Kelly Maxwell all made the cut as top 26 finalists for the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, USA Softball announced on Wednesday.
Oklahoma’s five selections leads all teams, with Tennessee also adding three selections. Duke, Florida and Miami (OH) were the other three schools who also earned multiple selections.
Jennings is the only OU player to start all 49 games this year, and she paces the Sooners with 18 home runs, 55 RBIs and 12 doubles. She’s batting .386 in 2024, and has drawn 28 walks while striking out just nine times. Jennings made the top 10 a year ago alongside Coleman.
Coleman, the 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year, is batting .488 entering the final weekend of the regular season with a slugging percentage of .722 and a 1.266 OPS. She driven in 77 runs and hammered 11 long balls to pair with her always show-stopping defense in center field.
Hansen leads OU with a .441 batting average and has been nothing short of sensational since returning to the lineup. She boasts a .488 on-base percentage, belting eight home runs, six doubles and 27 RBIs.
Brito was again a steady hand for the Sooners at third base and an explosive bat in the lineup. She’s hit 18 home runs, four triples, three doubles and driven in 50 runs. Brito is batting .417 on the year and has a 1.369 OPS entering Bedlam.
In the circle, Maxwell has dazzled as Oklahoma’s ace. Appearing in 24 games, Maxwell has a 1.66 ERA is 16-1 on the year. She’s thrown seven complete games and four shutouts, striking out 107 batters while allowing 34 walks and holding opposing hitters to a .170 batting average in 2024.
The list of 26 will be cut down to 10 on May 15, and the top three finalists will be announced on May 20. Finally, the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed in the build up to the Women’s College World Series.
A Sooner has taken home the award four times. Jocelyn Alo won the award in both 2021 and 2022, and Keilani Ricketts won in both 2012 and 2013.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma senator renews push for new agency that focuses on child welfare services
Sen. Paul Rosino, R, Senate Health & Human Services Chairman, is renewing an effort to create a single Oklahoma agency focused exclusively on children after similar legislation failed to advance last year.
Senate Bill 1570 passed the Senate but never received a hearing in the House. Sen. Rosino, who is behind the proposal, says growing concerns about child welfare and the well-being of Oklahoma children prompted her to bring the idea back.
A “holistic approach” to children’s services
The proposal would combine several child-focused programs and agencies under one umbrella, including child welfare, foster care, behavioral health services, the Office of Juvenile Affairs and other youth-related programs.
The goal, he said, is to create a more coordinated system that addresses the full range of children’s needs.
“We need to have a sole agency that really concentrates on kids,” said Sen. Rosino. “By having a holistic approach, everything in one agency would be helpful to children.”
Concerns about child welfare
Sen. Rosino says Oklahoma must do more to protect abused and neglected children, noting that intervention doesn’t always mean removing a child from a home.
In some situations, he said, families simply need education, support or services. However, safety concerns can require children to be placed elsewhere.
He also pointed to growing behavioral health challenges facing Oklahoma adolescents as another reason for restructuring services.
DHS already handling broad responsibilities
The proposal is not intended as criticism of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, he said.
DHS currently oversees a wide range of programs, including aging services, childcare, family support and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“DHS is a behemoth,” said Sen. Rosino. “Those people work very hard over there.”
Still, the senator believes child welfare is an area where Oklahoma can improve by creating a dedicated agency focused solely on children.
Not a quick fix
The senator acknowledged the proposal is not a “silver bullet” and would take time to implement.
He said he worked with stakeholders, including foster care advocates, and revised the legislation multiple times based on feedback.
According to the proposal, most existing funding would move with the programs into the new agency, limiting the need for significant new spending outside of administrative costs.
Building support for a long-term change
Sen. Rosino described the effort as a multi-year project requiring lawmakers to understand why a structural change is needed.
While disappointed the bill stalled in the House last year, he said she believes support is growing.
“It’s going to take some time to change hearts and minds,” said Sen. Rosino. “I’m hoping this year we can make some headway there.”
Key Takeaway
Supporters say a standalone children’s agency would give Oklahoma a more focused approach to child welfare, foster care and youth behavioral health, while opponents and lawmakers continue to weigh the costs and logistics of a major government reorganization.
Oklahoma
OKFB pleased with newly proposed settlement in long-running State of Oklahoma poultry case | Oklahoma Farm Bureau
Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Stacy Simunek released the following statement after the State of Oklahoma and 11 Arkansas-based poultry announced Monday, July 13, that a nearly $44 million settlement had been reached in the decades-long lawsuit regarding the application of chicken litter in the Illinois River Watershed.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau members are pleased with the proposed settlement reached between the State of Oklahoma and 11 poultry companies operating in Oklahoma’s Illinois River Watershed over the state’s long-running lawsuit that was based on outdated science and production methods.
The original lawsuit, filed in 2005, created uncertainty for family farmers and ranchers for more than two decades, and this agreement provides a way for Oklahoma farm and ranch families to continue their important work to feed Americans without being unnecessarily burdened.
We appreciate Attorney General Drummond working with the poultry industry to reach a proposed solution that allows the poultry companies and our family farmers to continue to produce the food products we all rely upon while ensuring our shared natural resources are safeguarded for generations to come.
Our state’s farmers and ranchers, including poultry producers in the Illinois River Watershed, are committed to implementing voluntary environmental stewardship practices each and every day to ensure their land is productive and our rural communities are protected.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: July 12, 2026
In this week’s Your Vote Counts, Jason Dunnington and Sen. Paul Rosino discuss the importance of Oklahoma’s runoff election, Oklahoma insurance lawsuits, and mental health issues.
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