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I t is certainly fair to say that Oklahoma City, OK, is the heartbeat of soball – both fast-pitch and slow-pitch – in the U.S. In fact, Oklahoma City has also been declared as the Soball Capital of the World. ere are three big reasons that support that statement: 1. USA Soball is based in Oklahoma City. 2. e USA Soball Hall of Fame is located in Oklahoma City. 3. e NCAA Division I Women's College World Series is held each year at the OGE Energy Field, which is part of the USA Soball Hall of Fame Complex. There are also a series of professional fast-soball competitions featuring Women's Professional Fastpitch's OKC Spark in Oklahoma City this summer. Making its debut at the Soball Capital of the World, the OKC Spark are showcasing 12 matchups this summer with contests featuring Texas WPF, Vipers and USSSA Pride. e OKC Spark will feature familiar names on the roster, including U.S. Olympic silver medalist Michelle Moultrie, 2022 Women's National Team member Jocelyn Alo and former Team USA standout Keilani Ricketts. Big events held at the USA Soball Hall of Fame Complex this summer include the USA Soball Gold Nationals, which is USA Soball's most prestigious Junior Olympic event, and the Armed Forces Men's and Women's National Championship, welcoming teams representing the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps. e individual in charge of overseeing all the events and activities at the USA Soball is Craig Cress, the CEO of USA Soball. While Cress realizes that the sport of soball takes on added importance in Oklahoma City, he's pleased with the ongoing growth and development of the sport outside of that town. "All-in-all, I think the sport of soball is headed in a great direction and we at USA Soball are hopeful for the continued im- provement as we aim to provide athletes of all ages the opportunity to compete at the highest level," says Cress. While fast-pitch soball has a large number of avid and accomplished players who compete in Oklahoma City every year, the sport draws an even bigger contingent of fans to the area. When fans visit USA Soball's Hall of Fame Museum, they will be pleasantly surprised to find upgraded Hall of Fame plagues and a redesigned Olympic Room. And, that's not all... According to Cress, a recent $27.5 million renovation by USA Soball and the City of Oklahoma City, USA Soball Hall of Fame Complex now features a walking path from Remington Park that provides fans with a safe path when parking off-site during large events; a "trajectory" art project installation, which is a $200,000 sculpture funded through Oklahoma City's one percent for the Arts Program; a new videoboard has been installed on the USA Soball Hall of Fame Stadium; and ribbon boards were also being installed along the lower part of the upper deck of the USA Soball Hall of Fame Stadium to enhance video/digital features. n GOT HEART Oklahoma City has become the centerpiece of fast-pitch soball in America. By Mike May TEAM SPORTS / SOFTBALL 84 • July/August 2023 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com

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