“I made a vow to everybody that’s played for me: I’m going to make sure I put us in a spot to get you guys the recognition that you’ve worked hard for, that you’ve earned.”
This was the promise Dr. Tina Floyd, founder and executive of the Oklahoma City Spark, made to the team’s first roster in 2023.
It has been the guiding principle for the organization as they’ve navigated the professional softball landscape, leaving a league to go independent and now joining the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
The team built upon the foundation of softball’s popularity and dynasty at the University of Oklahoma. There wasn’t a pro team in a state that loves its softball.
“I knew I wanted to be part of something bigger, but at that moment, I didn’t really know I wanted to own a team and do this. I was just like, ‘What can I do to help the sport grow?'” Floyd said.
The answer was the Spark and a team that intentionally drafted former Sooners to start the next phase of their career, less than 30 minutes from Norman.
NCAA home run champion Jocelyn Alo has played with the Spark since its inception. She’s seen firsthand the crowds growing every year, the roster bolstering its talent, and the player experience becoming streamlined.
“For what we’ve built at the Spark, it made the most sense to go to [the AUSL],” Alo said. “I feel like what we’ve done over the past three years is huge, and I would just hate to see all of that go to waste. I think it’s going to be really good.”
Tough decisions
Before joining the AUSL, the Spark operated as an independent team after departing from the now-defunct Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF). It was an early decision Floyd made for the organization to hold to her original promise to the players.
“That first year in the other league, I had to make some very tough decisions because it was not a good match for us and who we wanted to be… it did not meet our ideologies. I think I earned a lot of their trust at that moment because the athletes knew that, too. We were not putting ourselves in the best situation. We went independent, and I think it was the best move we could have made,” Floyd said.
While the Spark got its footing in OKC, Athletes Unlimited was also building trust in the softball community. The AU Pro Softball Championship season (now the All-Star Cup) was founded on the concept of being player-led without general managers or coaches, and instead a Player Executive Committee that guided decisions.
The Athletes Unlimited name became synonymous with athlete empowerment. But it wasn’t yet a traditional league until the AUSL launched this past summer with four teams competing for a championship on a cross-country tour.
“We’ve been watching, seeing the progress and the great things that AUSL has done. And so when the conversations started opening up, I felt that this was the right spot for the Spark,” Floyd said.
AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng was taking note of the Spark, too. In October 2024, several pro softball players who competed in the WPF voiced concerns regarding working conditions. Floyd and the Spark released a statement in support of those athletes.
“I think that for me was from the outside a defining moment for me in terms of who I thought they were,” Ng said.
“I believed that if we were able to figure something out with the Spark, it would be a great strategic move, as well as a signal to the greater softball community that the foundation of pro softball was getting stronger.”
Moving Forward
Even before the team joined together, there was collaboration.
Floyd opened up the opportunity for Spark players to compete in both leagues in the summer of 2024. Alo, Keilani Ricketts, Haley Lee, and Alex Storako played for the Spark and in Athletes Unlimited.
In a press release at the time of that announcement, Floyd said, “We are doing everything we can to move softball forward, and it is imperative that our athletes have as many chances to play as possible.”
Now, the two are moving forward together.
“We have so many things in common. We want good things for our players on and off the field. We want to protect them. And just every conversation and everything that we’ve had with Kim and others with AUSL, we all believe in the same thing,” Floyd said.
“That’s where I get excited… to be part of something so big, and that we’re going to get to make a huge splash in this landscape of softball, but to know that we’re doing it the right way with the right organization fills my bucket at the end of the day.”
Feels like home
Veteran pitcher Keilani Ricketts was a part of the start of what would be Oklahoma Softball’s dominance. The Women’s College World Series Champion has had a lengthy and accomplished pro career since her senior season, when she hoisted the trophy alongside Coach Patty Gasso.
Ricketts reflects on the stacked USSSA Pride team she was part of in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league, featuring Paige Parker, Lauren Chamberlain, Shelby Pendley, Sydney Romero, and Shay Knighten — Sooners across generations on one pro team.
“For us, we always had that dream of having a pro softball team in Oklahoma. With the growth of college softball, I think everyone started to see just how much the state loves softball. For the Oklahoma City Spark to be able to pull it off and get a pro softball team for the state was just awesome to see. It was kind of a dream come true.”
Ricketts took the 2022 season off after she had her daughter, Elizabeth, in May. She knew she wasn’t going to retire, but wasn’t sure what her next step would be after being an alternate on the Olympic team.
Floyd called about the beginning of the Spark franchise, and Ricketts found her answer.
“I knew that was what I wanted to do. I was like… this is awesome. I want to be a part of this, just to be able to bring through softball, Oklahoma and and get the chance to be on that team.”
She was drawn to Floyd’s enthusiasm not just for softball but for the growth of women’s sports, and it resonated to have another mom pursuing professional sports on the front office side. Athlete support went beyond contracts and play on the field.
The Spark brought in advisors to speak with athletes about financial literacy. It fed players into internships and jobs with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Comets, the city’s minor league baseball team. They even partnered with a local suit company to provide players with a custom suit.
Floyd told players one day, they won’t wear a uniform and wants to make sure they’re prepared to step into their next workplace with a suit.
The right way
What resonated most with Ricketts about her experience on the Spark was feeling a part of a community again.
“Sometimes we could just feel like we just have this name on our chest, and then we just go and play on the field. [Tina] has done a good job of getting the players to connect with the community,” Ricketts said.
“When the AUSL teams become established in their locations, we’d only hope that we continue to grow in other locations that way as well.”
Players like Alo and Ricketts are some of the biggest names to come out of OU. Ricketts will remain with the Blaze for the 2026 season, and the AUSL Draft will determine if Alo returns to the Spark for the team’s first AUSL season. But the impact the team has made in bridging the collegiate fandom and establishing a presence in OKC is undeniable.
“I’m obviously going to be looked at as an OU player, but now more I’m starting to get recognized as a Spark player instead,” Alo said.
Although it’ll be seven months before the Spark makes its debut as an AUSL team, Floyd is overwhelmed with emotion just imagining it. The journey started with a focus on a pro softball team in Oklahoma. It blossomed into not only growing the sport but also investing in the players’ development on and off the field.
“We’re going to get to make a huge blast in this landscape of softball, but to know that we’re doing it the right way with the right organization fills my bucket at the end of the day,” Floyd said. “That, for me, is really what makes me happy. To know that we’re doing the right thing.”
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on X @savannaecollins.
