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OUInsider – Oklahoma in poll position of Softball America's 2024 Preseason Top 25 poll

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OUInsider  –  Oklahoma in poll position of Softball America's 2024 Preseason Top 25 poll


Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners are in a familiar position heading into the 2024 softball season as they’ll enter the year as the preseason favorite to hoist a trophy at the conclusion of the Women’s College World Series in June.

The three-time defending national champions will enter the year as the No. 1 team in the Softball America Preseason Top 25 Poll.

The Sooners ride a 53-game winning streak into the 2024 season after making a perfect run through the 2023 NCAA Softball Tournament. Jordy Bahl etched her name into softball lore forever with one of the best postseason performances the sport has ever seen, but then shocked the world by opting to return home to Nebraska after the year ended.

Despite losing their ace, Oklahoma returns a ridiculous amount of experience and talent, while also making some very intriguing portal additions to offset the loss of the top pitcher in the country.

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A nucleus of seniors that includes All-Americans Kinzie Hansen, Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Alyssa Brito, and Rylie Boone leads a star-studded cast of players who bring back plenty of championship experience, and the Sooners bullpen might just be as deep as it has ever been.

Nicole May and Kierston Deal return after great years in 2023, but Coach Gasso and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha went out and added some huge names from the portal, with RHP Patyn Monticelli (Wisconsin), RHP Karlie Keeney (Liberty), and two-time All-American LHP Kelly Maxwell (Oklahoma State).

The Sooners are loaded once again and look primed to make a run at history, hoping to be the first team to win four national titles in a row, but also eight of the last 10 national championships.

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Plans for Oklahoma City’s Legends Tower still alive, but developer says demand is biggest hurdle

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Plans for Oklahoma City’s Legends Tower still alive, but developer says demand is biggest hurdle


OKLAHOMA CITY –

Plans for Oklahoma City’s proposed Legends Tower are still alive, but the developer says the biggest challenge may not be federal approval, it’s whether there’s enough demand to fill it.

Developer Scot Matteson told News 9 that while discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration are ongoing, his primary concern has shifted to the market.

“We’re excited to get going,” Matteson said.

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The Boardwalk at Bricktown project has been years in the making, with progress slowed in part by uncertainty surrounding its centerpiece, a proposed 1,907-foot tower that would rank among the tallest buildings in the country.
In a 2024 report, the FAA called the massive structure a potential “hazard to air navigation.”

Matteson pushed back on those concerns, saying the site is outside protected airspace zones.

“We are not in the flight pattern,” he said. “We’re outside of that zone, just like Devon Tower is.”

Still, he said the tower’s future may ultimately depend less on federal approval and more on market realities.

“It does have a lot of residential units in it, for sale and for rent,” Matteson said. “We’ll just see how the market plays out before we start construction on that.”

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For now, developers are moving forward with Phase 1 of the project, which does not include the tower. That phase is expected to feature an underground parking garage, approximately 150,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, apartments, and a dual-branded Hyatt hotel. All planned buildings in the first phase would stand under 500 feet tall. He’s hopeful for a phase 2.

“We just felt that there was market demand when we looked at it and we think that demand will keep growing,” he said. “The city, population and job growth are all trending in the right direction.”

Matteson said surrounding developments could help drive demand for the project, from the future Thunder arena and MAPS 4 soccer stadium to the convention center and Riversport facilities.

“I think it’s more of a sports and entertainment district now than it was before. We believe we’ll be able to have a lot of synergies within that district.”

Groundbreaking for phase 1 is expected later this summer. Matteson said the project could eventually get a new name as developers look at rebranding.

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Boom News! | ’27 WR Malahn Green Commits to Oklahoma! | The Football Brainiacs

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Boom News! | ’27 WR Malahn Green Commits to Oklahoma! | The Football Brainiacs


Boom News! | ’27 WR Malahn Green Commits to Oklahoma!

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The Sooners pick up a commitment from ’27 WR Malahn Green, as we have been expecting.

Malahn Green’s recruitment to Oklahoma happened in a hurry, but it is a good example of how quickly things can move when both sides feel the fit is right. The Sooners identified the St. Louis product as a priority target after evaluating him closely this spring and summer, extended an offer, got him back on campus, and quickly moved him to the top of the board following a pair of wide receiver departures in the 2027 class. Within days, Green went from a prospect with a growing offer list to a Sooners commitment.

Part of the reason Green remains somewhat under the radar nationally is because he did not play during his junior high school season. Missing that year limited his exposure on the camp and evaluation circuit and slowed down his recruiting momentum. As more schools were able to evaluate him in person this offseason, however, his stock began to rise.

At roughly 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, he is an explosive athlete with legitimate home-run speed. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands, can create after the catch, and has the type of sudden acceleration that allows him to turn short touches into long gains. Green projects as a player who can be moved around the formation, utilized on screens, jet sweeps, and manufactured touches while also stretching defenses vertically.

His biggest strengths are his burst, change of direction, and ability to make defenders miss in space. He is the kind of player who can flip field position with one touch and gives offensive coordinators flexibility in how they deploy him.

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The areas for development are fairly typical for a player with his background. Because he missed his junior season, there is less game film available than many of his peers, and he will need continued refinement as a route runner. His smaller frame also means he will have to prove he can consistently win against bigger, more physical defensive backs and handle contested-catch situations. Improving the finer details of route pacing, releases against press coverage, and overall polish as a complete receiver will be important as he progresses toward college.

For Oklahoma, though, the upside is easy to see. Green brings a dimension of explosiveness to the Sooners’ receiver room, and his quick commitment gives Emmett Jones another prospect with nice upside as OU reloads the wide receiver position in the 2027 class following a couple of decommitments.

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OSU Baseball: Utah Transfer Pitcher Kaden Soder Commits to Oklahoma State

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OSU Baseball: Utah Transfer Pitcher Kaden Soder Commits to Oklahoma State


Kenny Gajewski picked up a transfer from Utah on Saturday, and so did Josh Holliday.

Right-handed pitcher Kaden Soder announced he has committed to Oklahoma State.

Listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Soder was a junior this past season. In 22 1/3 innings, Soder had a 4.84 ERA with a 3-0 record and a save. He struck out 28 while walking a dozen.

This season was his first playing at the Division-I level, as the Las Vegas native spent the previous two seasons at the College of Southern Nevada (JUCO). He had a 6-3 record in his time in JUCO with a 3.68 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings. He was named his conference’s pitcher of the year as a sophomore, earning first team honors for the conference and the region.

Prior to that, Soder spent the 2023 season at Oregon but didn’t play. That was the year before OSU pitching coach Blake Hawksworth got to Eugene, but there could be a connection there nonetheless.

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