Oklahoma City Spark a Dream Come True for Former Sooner Lauren Chamberlain
Oklahoma City made waves in the softball world on Tuesday.
Women’s Professional Fastpitch announced the Oklahoma City Spark as the league’s third franchise, completing almost a decade-long dream for WPF commissioner Lauren Chamberlain.
“I had a pretty big to-do list obviously to get the league off the ground,” Chamberlain said Tuesday during an interview on 107.7 FM The Franchise. “But at the top of my personal list was to bring a professional softball team to Oklahoma City. And so this has been in the works in my mind since I played back at OU. I obviously wasn’t in a position to do it (back then), but it was that thought as a player like, ‘man, I wish I wish I could play professionally in the city that I love so much, in Oklahoma City.’
“And back then obviously it seemed so easy to do. And I got the chance to put the commissioner hat on and obviously get to work on finding the right owner and that’s Tina Floyd and her husband Robert Floyd.”
Floyd is a longtime supporter of Oklahoma softball, and Chamberlain said she knew since the formation of the league that Floyd would be a fantastic fit for the league.
“Tina and I have known each other for quite some time and just recently have become friends,” Chamberlain said. “She’s been a longtime supporter of Oklahoma softball and has really really financially contributed to that success. So it was a natural meeting after taking that commissioner role.”
The WPF is in the midst of its first year of operation, playing an exhibition season with the USSSA Pride and the Smash It Sports Vipers.
Though the league is just getting off the ground, the WPF already captured the marquee signing of the year, convincing two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo to join the league over Athletes Unlimited.
Now Alo, alongside former Sooners Hope Trautwein and Shelby Pendley, will be able to once again take the field in Oklahoma.
“Obviously playing at OU I have that natural tie,” Chamberlain said of the trio of former Sooners already in the WPF. “I just love those girls and want to see them win and really give them a platform. Getting Jocelyn Alo into WPF was a huge win. Her brand is amazing and its well deserved.
“She’s right now the best softball player in the world to me, right? So if we can get her to believe in the brand, see the vision, see what I’ve planned for the future with WPF and to have her blessing and to really get her vote of support of saying ‘hey I know this is an exhibition season and I know this is small at the beginning, but I can see what’s going to happen in the future.’ And when I get players like that in my league it makes me want to go harder for them because I am their biggest supporter and biggest fan.”
The Oklahoma City Spark will have plenty of time to get prepared, as the team is on track to get running during the 2023 WPF season.
Chamberlain said league meetings would take place this winter, and the goal is to release the 2023 schedule at some point in January.
Currently, the Spark are still in the process of determining where the team will play their home games.
Chamberlain said there are plenty of great venues in the Oklahoma City metro area, though her personal vote would be for the Spark to play at USA Hall of Fame Stadium, the home of the Women’s College World Series.
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