There will be soccer tryouts 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 27 at Kirland Activities Complex for:

• boys/girls newly enrolled in Broken Arrow School District for the 2019-2020 school year
• boys/girls who were injured during summer tryouts
• boys/girls not able to attend tryouts during summer tryouts 
• boys/girls who did not make the team after the first set of tryouts may also attend this tryout

In order to tryout or participate in any athletic activity for any school year, the athlete must turn a current physical into the coach at the time of tryouts. Only physicals dated after May 1, 2019 will be accepted for tryouts and will be valid through the end of the school year.

When school starts Wednesday, Broken Arrow High School athletes, and all students for that matter, will have the opportunity to eat lunch from a nutritional training table featuring a menu specifically geared for Tiger athletes.

Fostering a concept of the college athletic nutritional training tables, executive athletic director Steve Dunn, assistant athletic director Melenda Knight and strength and conditioning coordinator Cody Ellett approached child nutrition director Luanne Goodacre with their idea.

The goal is to insure that Broken Arrow Tiger athletes are eating a healthy lunch with the most beneficial nutrients.

“I had no idea the guidelines that these meals have to fit into were so strict,” Ellett said. “Luanne and child nutrition were awesome. Any questions we had they were on top of it.”

Senior child nutrition coordinator and dietitian Emily Peterson worked with Ellett in designing the menu.

“I went through a nutrient analysis to make sure what Cody suggested and what he wanted to fuel his athletes met our federal guidelines,” Peterson said. “It was breaking down different items, presenting it to the athletes to see if it was something they would even eat. That is the biggest obstacle. We can make these items, but if they’re not going to eat it then what’s the point.”

The menu consists of items like double cheeseburgers, double chicken breast paninis, spaghetti and meatballs and sushi. Cost will range from $2.85 to $3.50. Free and reduced lunches will be available to those students who are eligible. The lunch training table will be based in Tiger Field House.

Keeping with Broken Arrow Child Nutrition practices already in place, there will be no fried foods served and all breads and carbohydrates will be whole grain.

“I think it’s exciting to have the kids involved too, and having a different option that is geared to fueling the athlete,” Peterson said. “But it does get everyone’s mind open to it eating right, so that is good.”

Ellett likened the idea of eating at a training table to most student-athletes’ dreams of playing a sport professionally.

“I tell them to prepare like a professional,” Ellett said. “If that’s what you want then start preparing now. You’re not going to start in five years. That will be too late. Professionals don’t each Cheetos for lunch. Professionals don’t wake up and have Dr. Pepper and a Pop Tart on the way to workouts. They are diligent and thorough with their diet. They eat the right things.

“It will be different from kid to kid on what they should be eating, and how much and how often, but by and large, with high school kids, it’s very generic. You can do so many little things just to clean up their diet. Instead of having a piece of pizza and French fries for lunch you have spaghetti and meatballs, roasted potatoes, a side salad and some fruit – and that’s one of the actual full meals they’re going to have at the training table.”

The training table menu calorie count, which is established by the federal government, will be between 750 and 850 calories per meal.

Establishing Tiger Nutrition training table aligns with the mission and vision of Broken Arrow Athletics.

“Our mission is to build champions for life by creating an environment that inspires our students to achieve their highest potential academically, athletically, and personally,” Dunn said. “By offering such a research-based, nutritious meal two times a day, we are creating an environment that will lead to improved performance and an awareness of healthy life skills that will last forever.”

The lunch time training table is just the beginning of this program. An evening meal program, which is free, will start shortly after Labor Day. The after-practice nutritional initiative will be under the federal government’s Children and Adult Care Food program, which sets the guidelines for districts’ summer feeding programs.

Through this program, which also is open to all students, athletes will be able to eat a healthy meal after practice. Plus it will provide boxed meals to athletes for road games. The evening meal will be served in the BAHS cafeteria from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“Our vision is to create the best interscholastic athletic experience in the country, and that takes being bold and taking everything to the next level,” Dunn said. “We are so grateful and thankful for Luanne and her amazing staff for making this a reality for our students.”

Broken Arrow Public Schools and Owasso Public Schools announced a new multi-year agreement today to rebrand their football rivalry game as the Folds of Honor Patriot Bowl driven by Jim Glover Auto Family in order to celebrate the service and sacrifice of American heroes and raise money to provide scholarships for families of service members who have been killed or wounded.

The announcement was made by Jared and Kristen Glover at the Jim Glover Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat dealership in Owasso.

“We have been incredibly proud to partner with Folds of Honor since 2013,” said Jared Glover, vice president of Jim Glover Auto Family. “Joining with two of Oklahoma’s most elite school districts and football programs to support such a noble mission is a perfect fit for us.”

The inaugural Folds of Honor Patriot Bowl driven by Jim Glover Auto Family will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 13, at Broken Arrow Memorial Stadium. Next year’s game will be in Owasso on a date to be announced.

During the game, Jim Glover Auto Family will present a check to Folds of Honor for a portion of each vehicle sold in the month of July plus an additional $5,000 on behalf of Broken Arrow and Owasso Public Schools. Since 2013, Jim Glover Auto Family has donated $450,000 to Folds of Honor.

“We are overjoyed and blessed to continue our life-changing relationship with Jim Glover Auto Family that has made it possible to award 90 scholarships in Oklahoma to date,” said Folds of Honor Founder and CEO Major Dan Rooney. “We could not be more honored by the Owasso and Broken Arrow school districts and football programs for their commitment to honor our service members by educating their legacy. We are incredibly humbled by the compassion, generosity and patriotism of both schools and their communities for partnering with us on such an important mission.”

The Folds of Honor Patriot Bowl driven by Jim Glover Auto Family will offer fans a number of special events to recognize that both the Broken Arrow and Owasso communities value and cherish the freedom our military defends. Both schools will wear home uniforms to symbolize being on the same team. In addition, spirit groups from both schools will participate in a combined performance at halftime, and marching bands from both schools will perform patriotic songs before the game.

“Athletics is about so much more than the final score,” said Broken Arrow Executive Director of Athletics Steve Dunn. “We are passionate about teaching our student-athletes to be great champions, but also great citizens and future parents and spouses. This game is an incredible opportunity for our kids to learn about true heroism and putting service above self.”

“We know everyone in Oklahoma will be paying attention when the two most recent state champions square off on the football field,” Owasso Executive Director of Athletics Zach Duffield said. “To whom much is given, much is expected. It is our responsibility to use our platform for good, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help the children and families of American heroes receive an education.”

MEDIA NOTE: Official logos for the Folds of Honor Patriot Bowl driven by Jim Glover Auto Family can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/patriotbowllogos

ABOUT FOLDS OF HONOR

The Folds of Honor Foundation was established by U.S. Air Force Major Dan Rooney in 2007 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational scholarships to the families of America’s fallen and disabled service members. Maj. Rooney’s vision came to life at his home in Broken Arrow before a permanent headquarters was established in Owasso. Folds of Honor provided nearly $20 million in educational scholarships in 2018-19 and has awarded approximately 20,000 scholarships since its inception.

ABOUT JIM GLOVER AUTO FAMILY

Jim Glover Auto Family has been a family-owned business since 1991 and is the home of Jim Glover Chevrolet on the River in Tulsa, along I-44 and the Arkansas River, and Jim Glover Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Owasso right off HWY 169 and the 106th St. N exit. It proudly serves Tulsa and the surrounding communities of Owasso, Claremore, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Glenpool, Jenks, Sapulpa, and Sand Springs.

ABOUT BROKEN ARROW PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Since its formation in 1904, Broken Arrow Public Schools has become a dynamic leader in public education. Located in the Tulsa metro area, Broken Arrow Public Schools is the sixth-largest district in the state of Oklahoma and serves approximately 19,000 students across 27 school sites. The Broken Arrow Tigers are the reigning Class 6A-1 football state champions after a perfect 13-0 season in 2018.

ABOUT OWASSO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Owasso Public Schools exists to educate students and prepare them for productive and fulfilling lives. Since 1909, our district has been applauded for academic achievement and activities that create well rounded students.  We admire the commitment from our students and staff that leads to excellence. When our student-athletes take the field, they are playing for an entire community of people who are proud to be Owasso Rams.

With the exception of the long bus ride to Enid and back it was a perfect opener for Kailee Reese and her Broken Arrow Tiger softball teammates.

Fifteen up. Fifteen Down. No Runs. No Hits. No Errors.

Reese, a senior pitcher, who started pitching when she was six years old, threw a perfect game – her first – as the Tigers opened the fast-pitch season with a 23-0 win over Enid.

“I had a few three-two counts, so there were times I got a little…’just throw a strike,’” said Reese, who struck out three, and had just one ball leave the infield.

“The second inning it was three up, three down. It was kind of nerve-racking because I kept getting hits a few times, but our defense knows how to make plays, so it wasn’t just me.”

In all, Reese recorded eight ground ball outs and a few harmless infield pop-ups. Enid’s lone ball to the outfield was a fly ball to left for the third out in the fourth inning.   

Eliminating walks, Reese says, is the key to being successful.

“We’ve been pitching a lot over the past few weeks, so I’ve just been focusing on throwing way more strikes than I do balls, and that’s been working a lot,” she said.

Offensively, the Tigers didn’t draw many walks (4) either, but they did pout out 24 base hits, including home runs from Reagan Edwards and Kyleigh Lamont. After opening the game in with four runs in the first, Broken Arrow push 14 across the plate in the second inning to stake Reese to a 18-0 lead.

“My goal is to always give up no runs,” said Reese, who admitted thinking Tuesday night’s game could be something special after the second inning.

“As I came off in the third, McKayla Carney said, ‘hey, you’re throwing a perfect game.’ I said, ‘don’t say that yet.’” They were all like, ‘keep it going,’” I said, ‘don’t jinx it.’”

They didn’t.

COMING UP: The two-day Broken Arrow Softball Varsity Tournament starts Friday at Arrowhead Park. The Tigers play Yukon, one of the top teams on the western side of the state, at 10 a.m. on Field 1 to start the tournament. Broken Arrow Black plays Collinsville at 10 a.m. on Field 8.

The 32-team tournament features 12 teams that played in Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association state tournaments last season.  

Ten seniors populate the majority of the 2019 Broken Arrow Varsity Volleyball roster, so Coach Ian Bullen has a team of girls that know each other well.

“These girls have been pretty committed,” Bullen said. “These are all their best friends. They’ve grown up playing volleyball together. We have a bunch of girls that are unselfish and will pull for each other. They cheer for each other.”

The playing and the cheering starts for real Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Tiger Field House as Broken Arrow hosts Sand Springs. After traveling to the Norman Varsity Tournament this coming weekend the Tigers return home to face Booker T. Washington on Aug. 20 and then host the Broken Arrow Varsity Tournament, Aug. 23-24.

“We have a lot of the same girls we had last year, but they have vastly improved due to them working hard,” Bullen said. “We’ve had them about a month now in the gym and they are tired of hitting balls at each other. They want to start knocking them at the bad guys.

“Scrimmages have gone really well, so we’re excited. Our girls are very confident now. They know that they can hang with anybody.”

The Tigers top six hitters play best from the outside but their size, athleticism and versatility gives Bullen confidence this team can create advantages at the net.

“If you are to watch us play, and I would say tell me who our middle hitters are, you would probably have to think pretty hard about it because we don’t just hit one girl in the middle,” he said. “We have hitters that are versatile enough that they can hit in multiple positions. That helps us a lot in matching up with what they have hitting at us.”

While all of his hitters are capable of finishing a point, he is equally confident his setters will put the ball in the right spot.

“Our setters have worked hard, hard, hard through the offseason so that we can start running combinations and keep the hitters moving,” he said. “Our setters are savvy enough that we’ll be able to move our hitters around, so we can get one-on-ones and get good swings. Our outside hitters are going to swing a lot, but our other girls are going to get their swings too.”

If Bullen had to pick an area in which his team needs to improve most it would be no different than any other high school team in the state.

“Serve receives is where we need to improve,” the coach said. “But there’s probably not a volleyball coach in Oklahoma that wouldn’t say they could get better at serve receives.”

The serving and receiving starts Tuesday for Bullen, his 10 seniors and the rest of the varsity Tigers.

“It’s going to be a fun year,” Bullen said. “We’re looking forward to getting off to a good start.”

When Randall King coaches his first softball game of the school year in less than a week he will do so as a member of the Oklahoma High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

King, who has coached in Broken Arrow for 31 years, took over the reins as head varsity softball coach in 2004. He joined Coach Jim Hillman’s staff in 1996.

Since 2004, King’s teams have played in every state championship tournament except one, winning in titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009. His 2014 team finished as runner-up. He also has a slow pitch softball state championship as part of his coaching resume. Slow pitch wins are not included in the OHSFSCA win totals.

“Randall is such a great coach to work with because he is just totally committed to the game,” said Mike Norton, long-time pitching coach and assistant for the Broken Arrow Tigers. “There are very few people who will commit the time and the effort that Randall does to get done what needs to be done.

“He’s a hard worker and lets the girls know that he is completely invested in them and what we do as a team.”

King’s attention to detail is one of the reasons he has amassed 473 wins in 15 seasons as Broken Arrow’s head coach.

“He doesn’t leave one stone unturned,” Norton said. “He covers everything. He is never surprised.”

Having great players come through the system also is a plus.

King has coached 33 all-staters during his time as BA head coach. He has been the OHSFSCA Coach of the Year on two different occasions and was twice named Oklahoma Coaches Association Coach of the Year. He has also served as a region rep, vice president and president of the Oklahoma High School Fast-pitch Coaches Association.

King joins Hillman, who was inducted in 2002, as Broken Arrow’s OHSFCA Hall of Fame members. Hillman won 674 games in his 20 years as the Tigers head softball coach. King was an assistant coach when the Tigers won state titles in 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Coach King and his Tigers open the season Tuesday at Enid. They host the BA Varsity Tournament at Arrowhead Park on Aug. 16-17. Broken Arrow plays Yukon at 10 a.m. on Field 1 in the first round of the 32-team tournament on Aug. 16. Broken Arrow Black plays Collinsville at 10 a.m. also. That game will be on Field 8.

The heroic efforts that kept a perfect season intact and pushed the 2014 Broken Arrow Tigers girls basketball team into the state championship game seemed like an out-of-body experience to Toree Thompson, who will be inducted into the Broken Arrow Athletic Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility on Sept. 13.

“I don’t think that was me that did that,” Thompson said when talking about the 65-63 state semifinal come-from-behind-win over Choctaw. “Something came over me. I can’t take the credit. That was not me.”

Trailing by three, with 24 seconds to play, Thompson tied the game with a three-pointer from the wing. As Choctaw worked the clock for a last second shot, teammate and still good friend Amari Dennis stole the ball and passed it to Thompson with 10 seconds to play. Thompson dribbled down court, split two defenders and banked in a layup over the front of the rim as time expired.

Five-plus years later, Thompson sounded much like she did talking with the media immediately following that game.

"It's like something took over in me and just did all of that," Thompson told the Tulsa World’s Mike Brown on the Mabee Center floor in March of 2014. "Afterward, you're like, 'Was that really me?' Everything was moving in fast motion. It was crazy, like in a dream."

The 70-51 state championship win over Edmond Santa Fe, in which Thompson scored a game-high 23 points, was somewhat anticlimactic compared to the highly dramatic semifinal victory. But it was none less satisfying, as the Tigers won their first girls basketball state championship since 1983 and finished the season 28-0.

“We just all took it upon ourselves to not lose that game,” Thompson said of the state final. “There were girls on the team that had the mindset that we did not want to be beat. That mindset of wanting to go to the next level. All of that combined really helped us.

“I’m not sure we ever just thought of going undefeated, because I felt like every game that we played we had the mentality of being focused on winning this game. I don’t think we ever sat back and thought, ‘okay, we got this,’ because there was some good talent out there.”

The best of the state’s talent was Thompson. She signed with Ole Miss out of high school, but transferred to TCU at the beginning of the second semester of her freshman year. She played in 96 games with TCU, averaging 7.7 points and shooting 37 percent from three-point range in her career. 

Graduating with a degree in communications, Thompson’s interests are varied.

“Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming because there are so many things I can do,” Thompson said. “But it’s all about making a decision and going with it.”

Currently working as a certified trainer with and emphasis in foot care, and whose territory covers Texas and Oklahoma, Thompson finds herself in a gym quite often.

“Of course, I can’t help but shoot,” said the most decorated basketball player in Broken Arrow’s history. Averaging 21.9 points a game, Thompson was named 2014 Miss Basketball Oklahoma, Jim Thorpe Athlete of the Year, Tulsa World Player of the Year and the Oklahoman’s Super 5 Player of the Year.

While still playing in a women’s league in Euless, Texas, Thompson has visions of one day owning her gym.

“It will be basketball related, but I want to teach spiritual wellness,” Thompson said. “I want to have juice bar in there. I’m into the all-natural stuff these days.”

There’s also a music career. Her high school and college teammates knew Thompson as not just a basketball player, but as a talented rapper, as well. Reagan Pebley, TCU women’s basketball coach, is a fan.

“I love Toree’s talent,” Pebley said of her team captain in a TCU 360 interview in 2018. “It gets our team so excited when she does it for the team. I love watching what she does. It has nothing to do with basketball. She is so gifted at it.”

(Watch that video from February 2018 at TCU360)

Music and basketball were two constants around the Thompson household when she was young. Her passion for basketball started at age five. The love for music came a year later.

Her basketball skills obviously are well known. Unless you are a friend of Thompson’s on Facebook or former teammate, her music talent may come as a surprise, like it was to Pebley.

“The people around me know that I rapped, but not many others knew that I did,” Thompson said. “Unless the conversation was about music or I ran into somebody else who did music it was never a topic of conversation.”

Around Thompson, basketball is always the conversation starter.

“I knew from a very, very young age that basketball was my dream,” she said. “My dad always had me play up two years when I was younger. That gave me a lot of confidence. When I would play with the boys and do well; I think that kind of raised the bar on my competitive nature.”

A nature that led to a hall of fame induction.

The 2019 Broken Arrow Athletic Hall of Fame Class will be inducted at Broken Arrow's opening home football game against Owasso on Sept. 13.

A month or so before the Broken Arrow Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony Jacob Evans will again venture from his hometown to the University of Oklahoma. This time with a different set of career goals, although still in the same field – maybe that should be same field of play – for which he has a passion.

In 2012, the 18-year-old BAHS graduate enrolled as scholarship baseball player at OU.

“Every college kid wants to play professional baseball,” said Evans, who was no different than those who came before him and who will come after.

Shortly after his junior year with the Sooners, Evans was drafted in the sixth round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. He made it as high as the Class AA Springfield Cardinals.

“Putting in all the hard work and stuff, this is kind of what you dream of,” Evans said. “That was my favorite team, so that made it even more special.”

Because of reoccurring back injuries, that dream has ended.

Evans returns to OU to complete his sports management degree and plans to continue to grad school. He will be a “student coach” for the 2020 baseball season, and eyes being a graduate assistant as he finishes up that degree. The next step is coaching.

“Having the experience and knowledge of what you have to go through to get to those upper levels will help me be a good coach,” Evans said. “When you get to professional baseball, it’s all a mind game, because there’s so much video and analytical numbers and information on what guy’s tendencies are. If you are able to move a guy’s feet, that is when you become a complete pitcher.

“To give those kids that knowledge then I think I could give whomever I coach an advantage as to what it takes to pitch at the professional level.”

Evans hit a “bump in the road” in 2018 and was released by the Cardinals. Injuries had a part to do with that, as his ERA hit a professional high of 5.06 compared to just 2.55 with Springfield the season before.

He and his wife, Lauren (also a 2012 BA graduate), agreed that it was time to change the career path.

Though, his playing days may be behind him, Evan’s memories of playing for the 2011 High School National Championship team – according to Max Preps and Collegiate Baseball – are still fresh. Evans was a junior on the 36-2 team that eventually saw six players drafted into pro baseball.

“Being able to play with that group of guys gave me the confidence going into my senior year that I could be the guy,” said Evans, who played first base as a junior and then became the Tigers No. 1 starter his senior year.

“I really didn’t think I was that good of a first basemen. But, for some reason that year I made every single play. That was pretty crazy.”

Evans offensive and pitching numbers, as well his list of awards his senior year, could be considered “crazy.” He hit .430 with six home runs and 41 RBIs. On the mound, he went 10-0 with a 1.83 ERA and struck out 103 batters while walking just 10. His honors included the Jim Thorpe Player of the Year, Fergie Jenkins Award, All-Metro Pitcher of the Year, Frontier Valley Conference Player of the Year, ESPN High School All-State, Northeastern Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year and Louisville Slugger All-American.

It’s no wonder Sooner coaches saw him as a two-way player. Though he had a walk-off extra inning home run against the University of Kansas, a game in which he also was the winning pitcher, it was on the mound, in relief, where Evans made his mark for Sooners.

As a freshman, Evans finished the season with a team-high nine saves and a 7-2 record. He appeared in 30 games, pitching 52.1 innings and registering a 2.06 ERA. For his Sooner career, Evans became only the third OU pitcher to finish his career with 15 or more wins and saves. He was 16-8 and notched 17 saves.

Soon, he’ll be back at OU. Though not closing games for the Sooners, Evans will begin the process of earning a college degree, with grad school in mind, and closing in on a second career in baseball.

Within an hour time span Megan Sullivan received several calls from unfamiliar number. The next call, on that rainy day in late April, she nearly rejected. Then she noticed the name “Coach King” had popped onto the screen instead of some unknown 10-digit number.

“I thought, there’s only one or two reasons he could be calling me right now,” Sullivan said. “One could be the hall of fame and the other just some random thing because we hadn’t talked in a while.”

The call wasn’t random. The 2010 Tulsa World Softball Metro Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year was correct in her assessment of the purpose of the phone call. She was assured of her assumption from her high school coach’s first words.

“He has this thing with when he wants to tell us good news he’ll say ‘Is this so-and-so?’ And you’re like ‘yeah.’ And he’s like ‘well, I’ve got good news for you,’” Sullivan said. “He did that when I made all-state too, so I kind of already knew.”

Sullivan was a four-year starter for Randall King’s Broken Arrow Tigers softball teams from 2007 to 2010. She then earned All-American honors at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Lubbock Christian University.

“As far as shortstops go she is right up there with the best that we’ve had,” King said. “Her freshman and sophomore years she was a piece of the puzzle, but she basically carried us her junior and senior years.”

Following high school, in consecutive seasons, as a sophomore at NEO and a junior at Lubbock Christian, Sullivan was one of the best players in the country, earning All-American honors at both schools.

In 53 games during her second season at the Miami junior college, Sullivan finished with a .466 batting average, 16 home runs and 62 RBIs.  She led the team in average, home runs, doubles, RBIs, on-base percentage, and runs scored and was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year. 

A year later, she led LCU to a third place finish in the NAIA World Series. She led the Chaparrals in hits (88), doubles (25) and RBIs (75). She led the NAIA in doubles and was tied for fifth in RBIs and sixth in hits while her 147 total bases was 10th.

“In high school, winning the state championships my freshman, junior and senior years were some of the greatest accomplishments I had back then,” Sullivan said. “If I were to separate them between high school and college and to say which was better, I would say they are completely equal. I can’t place them in an order because all of my accolades have been so important to me. In college, I didn’t win a national championship, but I won so many more things that kind of feel like I had won a national championship. I couldn’t rank them from least to greatest. They are all very special to me.”

While King certainly appreciated the numbers Sullivan contributed to his teams, and can rattle off her accomplishments as a player, it was her unwavering desire to win that left an everlasting impression on the BAHS softball coach.

“The way she played; she was very competitive, and that brought everybody’s play up as an older player,” he said. “In her younger years she stepped in as freshman and played shortstop for us, which doesn’t happen very often. Just the way she carried herself, she always wanted to win more than anybody on the field and that carried over to the other players.”

While starting as a freshman on a team loaded with seniors was “terrifying” and “intimidating,” Sullivan credits her high school and college teammates for inspiring her to be a better player.

“When you go up against these really good girls, you think ‘I’m not as good as they are but I’m going to try to be,’” she said. “It was really my teammates that were the biggest influences because of how hard they had me work. They made me want to work harder every day.”

Sullivan, who spent three years as a junior high and assistant varsity coach in Broken Arrow, now works as an elementary school special education paraprofessional in the Bixby school district. She discovered a passion for working with special needs children while working a camp in Lubbock during her college days.

“It’s very rewarding and fulfilling knowing that you are making a difference in their lives,” Sullivan said.

Though she would like to eventually get back into coaching, her softball time is currently spent serving as the Carl Smith Complex’s Women’s League Director and co-directs the complex’s tournaments with her fianceé Matt Zuniga.  

“Right now, I enjoy the sport I love in a different way,” Sullivan said.

The 2019 Broken Arrow Athletic Hall of Fame Class will be inducted at Broken Arrow's opening home football game against Owasso on Sept. 13.