Little League Softball Scandal Gets Even Crazier Amid Cover-Up Allegations
The Little League Softball World Series might be in the past, but allegations of ineligibility and a cover-up are in the presenT.
Tulsa National Little League is the team in question and represented the state of Oklahoma and the Southwest Region in Greenville, N.C. The team finished in third place, but a recent report exposed eligibility issues.
Since the initial report, more evidence has piled up and exposed an even deeper issue – a cover-up by the District Administrator, the Southwest Region, and Little League International.
A parent from Tulsa National has provided Softball On SI with a timeline of events, text exchanges with head coach Jonathan Arias, and comments about how playing in the required regular season was nearly impossible.
The parent, who requested to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation against his daughter, provided text messages from Arias requesting the family to register for Little League on June 26. There wasn't a try-out for the team; they were simply invited to join by Arias to play for the team going to Waco.
There is a mandatory 10-day period that charters have to wait out before playing any regular-season games. The Southwest Region tournament began on July 21, and multiple players were recorded at various travel ball tournaments out of town.
It is possible that the team in question played the mandatory 12 games to participate in the postseason by competing in four games a week, but according to the parent, none of the games actually happened.
“No games were played,” the parent stated.
The parent also asked Arias about their address because it wasn’t inside the boundary.
Arias responded by asking if they knew anyone in Tulsa with an address they could use. This tactic was also referred to in the previous report when District Administrator Mindy Abbott admitted in an audio recording that she recruits players from across the state to play for Tulsa National baseball.
Softball On SI attempted to contact Arias multiple times. He didn’t respond.
According to the timeline, the team was put together on June 26, and the first practice was on July 10.
However, the team that went to Waco for the Region tournament looked very different than the original team that registered. Nearly half the team was cut days before the tournament and replaced with players tied to Arias’ Oklahoma Premier club team or the indoor facility Game Ready in Tulsa.
Of the 10 players Arias took to the postseason, seven of them played on his Premier team, which is a direct violation of Little League Regulation V (d): “Teams are not permitted to enter the Little League program intact, or nearly intact, from non-Little League programs.”
As of Aug. 4, the Premier club director, Greg Dickel, has cut ties with Arias. Softball On SI obtained a screenshot of his email to Arias.
Deer Creek Little League public relations board member Kelsey Looman spoke with Softball On SI at length, along with 25 other people affiliated with Little League, regarding other violations that Tulsa National committed.
Another five families came forward, saying they attempted to register for Tulsa National Little League but were turned away and told they didn't have softball.
Softball On SI also spoke to Abbott, who said she “was told by Little League International not to comment about the determination of their investigation.”
When Softball On SI contacted Little League International, a spokesperson refused to answer specific questions based on Abbott’s statements and provided a general statement.
“A protest was reviewed by the Little League International Tournament Committee, and it was determined that Tulsa National Little League has provided supporting documentation consistent with what is required to meet Little League Regulations regarding tournament team and player eligibility,” the statement reads. “It is Little League International’s policy regarding these matters not to disclose the specific details of information brought before the Little League International Tournament Committee. We will continue to work with our Region Offices, as well as District and local volunteers, to help grow the game of softball moving forward.”
Unfortunately, the Southwest Region and the state of Oklahoma aren’t moving forward and just want the people in charge to be held accountable for their actions.
“If the allegations against Team Oklahoma are true, I would certainly be disappointed and disheartened by the lack of consistent application of the rules, which unfortunately reflect the integrity, or lack thereof, of the organization and the people who lead it,” Rebecca Smith, the head coach for the Midway All-Stars, told KWTX.
“If that did pan out to be true, then that’s not a true little league program, I don’t think, and that’s the problematic side of it.”
-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
Maren Angus-Coombs 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+.