New Evidence Shows Oklahoma Little League State Tournament Was a Sham
Two days after Judge Ryan Luna of the 414th District Court in McLennan County filed a motion to dissolve a temporary restraining order filed by Tulsa National Little League baseball, new information is shedding light on a bigger problem for Little League baseball in Oklahoma.
Evidence obtained by Softball On SI shows that the entire state tournament was a sham and only one of the three participants was actually eligible.
Tulsa National won the state tournament over Washington County and Oklahoma City Parks & Rec, earning a berth to the Southwest Region Tournament.
BREAKING: Tulsa National has been disqualified from the Little League Baseball Southwest Region Tournament, just three weeks after its softball program was removed from the same regional tournament.
— Maren Angus (@Maren_Angus) August 10, 2026
The Oklahoma baseball team had already reached the championship game.…
It turns out neither Tulsa National nor Washington County was eligible to play for a chance to go to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Included in the court documents was a “true and correct copy of the Tulsa National Little League Tournament Team Eligibility Affidavit,” which was attached as Exhibit B. Upon reviewing the exhibit, some inconsistencies were found.
The Tulsa National Little League Player Agent never signed the required affidavit. The manager, Cole Abbott, did not sign the affidavit and the Oklahoma District Administrator, Mindy Abbott, did not date her signature.
Based upon these three instances of missing signatures and approvals, the Tulsa National Little League team should have been disqualified for playing in the Little League International tournament without a proper Tournament Eligibility Affidavit.
Screenshots provided to Softball On SI of the Little League data center show that Washington County never registered any players in the Little League (Major) Division. When the league registered a team for the state tournament, it was reportedly instructed to pay Abbott an entry fee of $150, according to a source with ties to Washington County.
Washington County also played with a nearly intact travel team known as the 11U Bartlesville Bombers, a Double-A program out of Bartlesville, Okla.
Little League is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit voluntary organization and does not charge teams to play in the International Tournament, which begins with Districts before moving on to State, Region and then the World Series.
Tulsa National was disqualified after multiple protests challenged the validity of the team’s roster and the use of one specific player. It was confirmed by Abbott and the court that the ineligible player’s father registered the younger sister as a 7-year-old in the Challenger Division.
Abbott and Little League Vice President of Operations and International Tournament Director Dan Velte provided evidence, confirming the younger sister was actually 10 years old and never played in the league, which was a direct violation of the under-8 open enrollment provision.
“O.G.'s father confirmed to me directly on the evening of August 9, 2026 that the sibling is actually 10 years old, not age 7 as represented in the registration,” Velte said in official court documents. “This age misrepresentation disqualifies the sibling from the under-8 open enrollment provision, which in turn renders O.G. ineligible to play for Tulsa National under Little League's rules. In addition, O.G.'s father admitted that O.G.'s sister never participated in any practice or any game (or any part thereof) thus O.G.'s sister never actively participated in any Tulsa National Little League program or division of play, which is also required under LLB's rules to establish O.G.'s eligibility as a player on the Tulsa National Little League Tournament Team.”
Tulsa National was disqualified on the morning of Aug. 10 after the Tournament Committee had confirmed from Abbott and the father of the ineligible player that they had directly violated rules.
“O.G. participated in the Oklahoma State Tournament, which is part of the Little League International Tournament, while ineligible,” Velte added. “Under this rule, disqualification was mandatory, regardless of whether O.G. participated in any Southwest Region games.”
Velte also detailed his conversation with Tulsa National about why the player was not listed on the roster in Waco and was told there was a falling out between the family and the coaching staff, which turned out to be false.
“The team representatives initially stated that there had been a disagreement among parents and coaches regarding playing time and that O.G.'s family had a "falling out" with the coaching staff,” Velte stated. “They did not disclose the true reason: the underlying eligibility issue. This misrepresentation is relevant because it demonstrates that those associated with the team were aware of the eligibility problem and chose to conceal it.”
Despite Tulsa National knowingly playing in the state tournament with an ineligible team, the parents released a statement after Judge Luna’s ruling, placing the blame on those in charge.
“To our own Oklahoma administration, the Southwest Regional administration, and Little League International: this one is on you.
“They deserved better. We are reviewing the Tulsa National Charter to see what is needed for a change so this doesn’t happen to a different team.”
The parents of Tulsa National have released a statement following the judge’s ruling.
— Maren Angus (@Maren_Angus) August 11, 2026
“To our own Oklahoma administration, the Southwest Regional administration, and Little League International: this one is on you.
“They deserved better. We are reviewing the tulsa national… https://t.co/QUVbze2z9B pic.twitter.com/2hUYcTXWVd
Little Leagues of Oklahoma Release Statement, Vote of No Confidence in District Administrator
There are currently five Little League Charters in Oklahoma: Tulsa National, Washington County, Oklahoma City Parks & Rec, Deer Creek Little League, and Pottawatomie County Little League.
Deer Creek and Pottawatomie released a statement Thursday morning. Softball On SI was the first to publish it in its entirety:
What Happened with Tulsa National Softball?
Three weeks before the baseball was disqualified, the Tulsa National softball team was removed from the Southwest Region Tournament.
The softball team was removed from competition when the Little League International Tournament Committee “determined that the adult volunteers and parents did not provide sufficient documentation to verify that all players are eligible to participate in the International Tournament based on either their school enrollment or bona fide habitation within the league’s official boundaries.”
The softball team reached the semifinals of the Little League World Series in 2025.
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Maren Angus was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.