OU Softball: Former Oklahoma Pitcher Kelly Maxwell Signs Professional Contract

Former Oklahoma pitcher Kelly Maxwell is heading back to the Sooner State.

Maxwell, who graduated from OU in 2024, signed with the OKC Spark — an independent professional softball team that plays at Tom Heath Field — on Wednesday.

Maxwell played one season at Oklahoma after five years at Oklahoma State.

In her lone year at OU, Maxwell went 23-2 with a 1.94 ERA in 155.1 innings. She logged 164 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .165 batting average.

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Maxwell’s prowess in the circle was crucial for the Sooners, who won their fourth straight national championship in 2024. She won Women’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors that year.

The pitcher was similarly dominant at Oklahoma State.

The Cowgirls reached the WCWS four times during her five years with the program. She was a two-time All-American, earning unanimous first-team recognition as a redshirt junior in 2022.

Since graduating from Oklahoma, Maxwell has played overseas for Toyota Shokki, part of the Japanese Women’s Softball League.

She also played at the 2024 Women's Softball World Cup in Italy, Spain and Ireland, winning a silver medal with Team USA.

The Spark’s roster is loaded with former Sooners, as Jayda Coleman, Rylie Boone, Kinzie Hansen, Jocelyn Alo, Haley Lee, Alynah Torres and Alyssa Brito are also on the roster.

Maxwell is the second former Sooner to sign a professional contract on Wednesday, as 2025 pitcher Sam Landry signed with the Volts of Athletes Unlimited Softball League earlier in the day.

Landry was selected with the first-overall pick in the inaugural AUSL Draft in May. The AUSL will have four teams — the Volts, the Bandits, the Blaze and the Talons — in 2025 and will play games in a variety of cities.