It is certainly fair to say that Oklahoma City, OK, is the heartbeat of softball – both fast-pitch and slow-pitch – in the U.S. In fact, Oklahoma City has also been declared as the Softball Capital of the World.  There are three big reasons that support that statement:  

1. USA Softball is based in Oklahoma City.

2. The USA Softball Hall of Fame is located in Oklahoma City.

3. The NCAA Division I Women’s College World Series is held each year at the OGE Energy Field, which is part of the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.

There are also a series of professional fast-softball competitions featuring Women’s Professional Fastpitch’s OKC Spark in Oklahoma City this summer.

Making its debut at the Softball Capital of the World, the OKC Spark are showcasing 12 matchups this summer with contests featuring Texas WPF, Vipers and USSSA Pride. The 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.

Two big events scheduled for the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex this summer are the USA Softball Gold Nationals, which is USA Softball’s most prestigious Junior Olympic event, and the Armed Forces Men’s and Women’s National Championship, which will welcome teams representing the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps.  

The individual in charge of overseeing all the events and activities at the USA Softball is Craig Cress, the CEO of USA Softball.

While Cress realizes that the sport of softball 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 softball is headed in a great direction and we at USA Softball are hopeful for the continued improvement as we aim to provide athletes of all ages the opportunity to compete at the highest level,” says Cress.

While fast-pitch softball 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 Softball’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 Softball and the City of Oklahoma City, USA Softball 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 Softball Hall of Fame Stadium; and ribbon boards were also being installed along the lower part of the upper deck of the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium to enhance video/digital features.