Oklahoma City lands softball team in Women's Professional Fastpitch league

Oklahoma City lands softball team in Women's Professional Fastpitch league

The Women's Professional Fastpitch league announced Tuesday that Oklahoma City will be awarded its newest franchise.

The Oklahoma City Spark will launch its inaugural season in June 2023.

“Oklahoma City is a wonderful community-driven environment that will foster these young ladies in all their endeavors," said team owner Tina Floyd, an Oklahoma native. "As the softball capital of the world, I cannot dream of a better fit for a professional softball team than Oklahoma City.”

Former OU softball star Lauren Chamberlain is the commissioner of the WPF, which currently has two teams in the Pride and Vipers.

“Signing the dotted line on an Oklahoma City team has been a literal dream come true,” Chamberlain said. “If you live here (Oklahoma), chances are you’re a softball fan. To give our young girls the opportunity to witness the professionals of our sport is priceless. We see how Oklahoma supports softball, and I have no doubt that it will do the same with the Spark.”

Seahawks release Carson after running back failed physical

The Seattle Seahawks released former Oklahoma State running back Chris Carson with a failed physical designation on Tuesday, potentially signaling an end to his career because of a neck injury.

Carson’s future was in doubt the entire offseason after he was injured in Week 4 last year and eventually underwent neck surgery. Seattle coach Pete Carroll cautioned that Carson may not be able to return and Tuesday’s move finalized the situation.

Tuesday was reporting day for the Seahawks, with their first on-field practice scheduled for Wednesday.

“Ever since the first time I saw Chris on film, I loved his style, and I was thrilled when we were able to get him when we did,” Carroll told the Seahawks website on Tuesday. “To see him grow and become such an impacting part of our program with such a great style and all of that, it was a thrill to watch. We’ll miss him and everything he brought to our program.”

Carson was a seventh-round pick of the Seahawks in 2017 that quickly developed into one of Carroll’s favorite players. Carson’s reckless, punishing running style was notably similar to former Seattle star Marshawn Lynch and yielded great success while also taking a physical toll.

Carson played more than 12 games only twice in his five seasons. Carson’s best season was 2019 when he rushed for 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games.

Clemson returns to familiar perch as preseason ACC favorite

Clemson is favored to return to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.

The Tigers were the preseason pick to win the league for the seventh time in eight seasons, according to voting results released Tuesday following last week’s ACC media days. Media members picked the Tigers on 103 of 164 votes cast as the favorite.

Dabo Swinney's Tigers had won six straight titles before Wake Forest dethroned Clemson as the league’s Atlantic Division champion last year for a spot in the ACC title game. The Tigers still recorded their 11th consecutive double-digit win season with a 10-3 finish in 2021.

North Carolina State was the second-leading vote-getter for ACC champion with 38 votes, though Dave Doeren's Wolfpack would need to beat Clemson in the Atlantic Division race to play for the title in the final year of the league's two-division format.

Miami was picked to win the Coastal Division under first-year coach Mario Cristobal, who is one of four new coaches in the division.

In the Atlantic Division, Wake Forest was picked third behind Clemson and N.C. State, followed by Louisville, Florida State, Boston College and Syracuse.

In the Coastal, reigning league champion Pittsburgh was second, followed by North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Duke.

Extra points

COLLEGES: Oklahoma State named former basketball coach Barry Hinson as its first full-time NIL administrator. ... The OU men's basketball team will face Nebraska on Nov. 24 in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, Fla.

OKC DODGERS: James Outman racked up a career-high six RBI and the Oklahoma City Dodgers scored in each of their final five at-bats in a 12-3 win against the Sacramento River Cats Sunday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

—Staff and wire reports

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City Spark to join Women's Professional Fastpitch in 2023