Former OU softball standout Lynnsie Elam joins OKC Spark for 2023 season
Former OU softball standout Elam joins OKC Spark
Former OU captain Lynnsie Elam is the latest former college softball star from Oklahoma to join the OKC Spark ahead of its inaugural season in the Women's Professional Fastpitch League this June.
The Chickasha graduate was a .300 hitter in 215 career games with the Sooners from 2018 through 2022, playing a key role on OU's back-to-back national championship teams in 2021 and 2022.
Elam, a catcher, joins OU teammate Jocelyn Alo on the Spark.
“Lynnsie and I go way back," Spark owner Tina Floyd said on Tuesday in a team release. "She is like a daughter to me and watching her play in college was phenomenal. Now, to have her play professionally in her home state, in front of her fans, friends, and family brings me so much joy. Lynnsie is a huge addition to the Spark, and we could not be happier to have her.”
Mitchell's masterpiece: Cavs star scores 71 points in win
In a season where big numbers have become the norm, Donovan Mitchell put up the biggest numbers of all Monday night — matching the second highest-scoring game the NBA has seen in nearly 45 years. He finished with 71 points, tying for eighth-most in league history, to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Chicago Bulls 145-134 in overtime.
The only other players to score at least 71 in a game: Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, David Robinson and Elgin Baylor.
The most recent game of more than 71 points was Bryant’s 81-point masterpiece for the Los Angeles Lakers against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006. Before that, it was 73 points by David Thompson for Denver against Detroit on April 9, 1978.
“To be there in the record books with them is truly incredible,” Mitchell said.
Iowa QB Carson May enters NCAA transfer portal
Carson May went from Iowa’s No. 4 quarterback to No. 2 quarterback in December. But two days after watching Joe Labas help deliver a 21-0 Music City Bowl win against Kentucky, May has entered the NCAA transfer portal.
May is the second Hawkeye quarterback to enter the portal since the end of the regular season, signaling the change that is coming at his position. Previous backup Alex Padilla entered the portal on Nov. 29, four days after Iowa’s 24-17 loss to Nebraska.
May is a 6-foot-4, 221-pound freshman from Jones High School. He never took a game snap at Iowa and will have four years of eligibility remaining.
OKLAHOMA STATE: OSU’s receiver group is getting thin, with Richardson being the third to enter the transfer portal, his announcement coming Tuesday, a week after the bowl game. Richardson was second on the team with 49 catches and touchdowns with four, coming in fourth in yards with 503. A native of Missouri City, Texas, Richardson had 168 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2021. He will have three years to play out his final two seasons of eligibility at his new destination.
Extra points
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Texas announced that former baseball coach Cliff Gustafson, who led the Longhorns to two national championships and nearly two dozen conference titles in 29 seasons, died Monday at age 91. Gustafson played on the Longhorns team that made it to the 1952 College World Series. He returned to the program as head coach from 1968 to 1996 and compiled 1,466 career wins. Gustafson coached the Longhorns to national championships in 1975 and 1983 and 22 Southwest Conference championships. His Texas teams played in the College World Series 17 times.
SOCCER: Cristiano Ronaldo was officially presented by Al Nassr as the Saudi Arabian club’s superstar new signing on Tuesday, and said he turned down multiple other offers from Europe and North America. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract to play in the Saudi Pro League in one of the most surprising transfers in the sport's history.
—Staff and wire reports
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Former OU softball star Lynnsie Elam joins OKC Spark for 2023 season
