Opportunity & Community: Little League Baseball, Softball Comes To The Metro

The oldest and largest youth sports organization in the nation is coming to Central Oklahoma.

Little League baseball and softball will now be offered for 4-16 year olds across the metro. The inaugural season is set to begin in March.

If diamonds are forever, then so too are memories made on one. At least, that’s the way Robert Looman sees it.

“Bringing it back to the basics of baseball,” Looman said. “All of the good stuff that baseball gives you, and Little League offers that.”

Little League wasn’t offered outside of Tulsa when Looman moved to Oklahoma 13 years ago. It was quite a change from California where every town had Little League.

“We showed up and we had to sign up and wait to get on a team. If you didn’t have a team, you couldn’t play. If you didn’t have a place to practice, you didn’t practice,” he said.

The only offerings were rec ball and travel teams, which he says can be hard to coordinate, hard to find and for some families, hard to afford.

“I don’t think everyone has had the opportunity to play and that’s the difference with Little League,” Looman said.

Little League has one set of rules, uniforms upon entry and national sponsors like Dick’s Sporting Goods and T-Mobile who will pay enrollment for families that qualify.

The money is provided through grants. Those who qualify for Sooner Care, WIC or SNAPS are welcome to apply.  The grant pays up to $150, but the league says it will cover any additional costs for families that qualify.

The difference was noticeable for mom, Alex Looper. Her 5-year-old is now showing an interest in sports.

“It was hard to find somewhere to play,” she said. “We wanted to get him into a sport, but we didn’t know where to start.”

The start of Little League she says brings opportunity and community.

“Anytime we can provide opportunity for our kids, especially to help them now and in the future, is incredible,” she said.

For Robert, it also brought along family.

“We’re very serious about baseball and softball,” his son, Nolan Looman, said. 

Nolan is the Umpire in Chief and for the last six years he’s also been a coach.

For those interested in taking on either of those roles, the league provides training to help.

“We are going to teach them every aspect of the game,” Nolan says. “We try to make sure we coach them on the game and to have the love for the game.”

Everything else is taught by the game itself.

They’re lessons forever instilled through opportunity and a diamond.

Sunday is the cutoff for the regular sign ups. Late sign ups run through February 23rd.

The league is being offered through Deer Creek Optimist. While the official team boundaries stretch from I-40 north to Enid, anyone who wants to play is welcomed.

Leaders say they still need volunteers at every level, donations for field reconstruction and team sponsors.

To learn more or sign up to play visit https://www.deercreeklittleleague.com/