Oklahoma
OU Softball: How Kelly Maxwell ‘Flipped a Switch’ in Oklahoma’s Rally Over Florida
OKLAHOMA CITY — Nothing came easy for Kelly Maxwell on Tuesday.
In her last outing at the Women’s College World Series, she shut out UCLA and struck out a season-high 11 batters in her most dominant performance of the season.
After three innings against Florida in an elimination game, the Sooner ace had already given up five runs on three home runs.
Patty Gasso wasn’t going to pull the graduate transfer, so she had to find another level.
“I knew today was going to be tough,” Maxwell said after the 6-5, eight inning victory over Florida on Tuesday. “I knew coming out the gate. I didn’t kind of have my best stuff. I knew I was going to make an adjustment middle of the game.
“I flipped a switch, chose my fighter and went to war, I think. Just being able to attack and (not) go out without a fight.”
Maxwell didn’t allow a run in the final four innings, ending the afternoon with eight strikeouts while only allowing four hits and five walks.
Florida coach Tim Walton knew there was a small window to rough up the lefty.
“If you listen to my clips on my radio pregame, I said, ‘You better get Kelly Maxwell early.’ If you don’t get her early, you’re not getting her late,” Walton said. “That’s how she is.
“Whether that’s her DNA, the pitching coach, whatever it is, she’s been like that her whole career. When she gets settled, she can get tough. When she’s unsettled, she can give up some runs.”
Reagan Walsh rocketed the third long ball of the day, a solo shot that put the Gators in front 5-2, in the third inning.
Maxwell got out of the frame, and went straight over to pitching coach Jennifer Rocha to go over the game plan.
“I sat down with Coach Rocha and we had a conversation of kind of what was going on, kind of what needed to happen,” Maxwell said. “I think I took it personally, honestly. I knew this team was going to fight back. I was going to try to keep ’em in as long as we could.”
The conversation may have been between Rocha and Maxwell, but the results resonated throughout the entire dugout.
“It was kind of like something in her that’s like, ‘Stop. I got to stop this. I need to be more competitive.’ You could feel it coming out, and we could feel it as a team,” Gasso said. “I think that kind of helped rally the offense as well. They’d score, we’d score one, they’d score two. Back and forth. It’s really frustrating when you’re on that side, but you got to just trust your pitcher and your pitching coach. We all do.”
Maxwell’s ability to stop the bleeding let Oklahoma creep back into the game.
Freshman Ella Parker leveled the game in the first and did so again in the sixth, and Jayda Coleman walked it off in the eighth.
Oklahoma’s legendary senior class lived to fight another day, and the Sooners will take on Texas in Game 1 of the WCWS Championship Series at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Gasso’s team is still on a quest to capture a fourth straight title. OU has plenty of experience playing for all the marbles.
Maxwell is a rookie on this final stage of the NCAA Tournament.
She previously pitched in the WCWS three times with Oklahoma State, but the Cowgirls fell one game short of taking on OU in the Championship Series in 2022.
Now, she’ll be front and center as the Sooners look to ride off into the sunset atop the softball world once again.
“The fact that Kelly is going to be playing in a national championship game is one of the highlights of our season,” Gasso said.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) — Oklahoma lawmakers have voted to honor country music artist and Oklahoma native Toby Keith.
House Concurrent Resolution 1019 recognizes Keith’s lasting impact on music and proposes renaming a planned turnpike in his memory.
The concurrent resolution was authored by Rep. Jason Blair, R-Morgan, and Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman.
The planned route will extend from Interstate 44 east to Interstate 35, then continue east and north to I-40 at the Kickapoo Turnpike.
Copyright 2026 KSWO. All rights reserved.
Governor Kevin Stitt has said he wants the State Superintendent of Education to be a governor-elected position instead of an elected one. Political analyst Scott Mitchell examines what this would mean for the state.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is urging lawmakers to send a state question to voters that would make the state superintendent an appointed position, as he named Lindel Fields of Tulsa to the role and announced a turnaround team to help implement his education agenda.
Is the State Superintendent an elected role?
Yes, the State Superintendent of Education is still an elected role. Elections are scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
Cons of making the superintendent an appointed position
Mitchell said making this position appointed could cause distrust among some Oklahomans
“Over the years, we’ve seen that capture of regulatory sort of is easy to do when you have term limits, then lobbies become more powerful, and they have all the history. It’s very complicated.
He also said if the position were to be elected, they would likely have the same agenda as the governor.
“Yes, and I think the governor would be absolutely saying, ‘Yes, they’re going to do what I want them to do.’”
Changing how the superintendent is chosen changes what the founding fathers set.
“Voters are going to have to say yay or nay if it gets to them, is whether or not we want to change the way that the founding fathers set up the way that we make sure that power is not concentrated in Oklahoma,” he said.
Is Ryan Walters’ term the reason Stitt wants to make this position appointed?
Mitchell said he believes the former State Superintendent played a role in the government wanting to appoint this position.
During his time as superintendent, Walters was known to have multiple controversies. He resigned in 2025, allowing Stitt to appoint Lindel Fields.
“His impact on this, even though he’s gone, is certainly evident,” said Mitchell. “Walters left midstream, right? And so the governor had a chance to appoint someone. Well, it wasn’t just an appointment; it was chaos before and relative calm and competency after. And that has given the governor an opening for people to see with their own eyes. Yeah, you can put somebody in, we’re talking about Lindel Fields, that appears to get up every day, not trying to find some, get a click on social media, but rather to do his job. And across the board, for the most part, this guy’s getting thumbs up.
Stitt said electing Fields has already given him some leverage since he has been well perceived so far.
“That allows a governor to say, Look, I’ve got some standing, some leverage to go to the voters and say, let’s put expertise as the main reason that a person’s there, not because they were able to win an election because they had some sort of populist or dramatic ideas.”
Who is running for Oklahoma State Superintendent?
Republican Ballot
- Sen. Adam Pugh
- John Cox
- Rep. Toni Hasenbeck
- Ana Landsaw
Democrat Ballot
- Craig Mcvay
- Jennettie Marshall
Independent
To learn more about each candidate, click here.
A full breakdown of candidates in the 2026 Oklahoma State Superintendent race, including party affiliation, background and key education priorities.
An Oklahoma highway could soon be named after the late country superstar, Toby Keith, pending new legislation.
House Concurrent Resolution 1019 would rename a proposed turnpike project the “Toby Keith Expressway.” This roadway is set to be built from Interstate 44 East to Interstate-35, continuing East and North to Interstate 40. This road is a part of the ACCESS Oklahoma Long-Range Plan, which is meant to update and expand the state’s turnpike system.
This resolution was adopted by the House on Wednesday.
“Toby Keith was more than a country music star. He was a proud Oklahoman who never forgot where he came from,” said Rep. Jason Blair, R-Moore. “Naming this turnpike in his honor is a fitting way to recognize a man who represented our state with ultimate patriotism and generosity.”
Keith was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, raised in Moore and resided in Norman. He died on February 5, 2024, in a battle with cancer.
“Over the course of his legendary career, Toby Keith never forgot where he came from or what he stood for,” said Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman. “His Oklahoma roots shaped him, and his love of America defined him. He was a country music superstar and a true patriot. I can think of no better way to honor his memory than by naming this future stretch of Norman turnpike in his honor, creating a lasting tribute to the legacy he leaves behind.”
During his career, Keith sold over 40 million records and more than 20 number-one singles
Legislation authors believe this would commemorate the life and legacy of Toby Keith.
The bill will now head to the Senate.
To read the full House Resolution, click here.
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