Baseball team ready for upcoming season; Tony Dean facility dedication to be after first home game

The Okemah Panther baseball team has spent time prepping and are ready to perform well in this upcoming season.

Speculation, amounting to unofficial reports from parents, indicated there may not be a baseball team this year for Okemah High School, based on the amount of players.

That speculation, according to OHS Principal and soon-to-be Superintendent Lee Vick, is only that — speculation.

“We definitely have a baseball team this year,” Vick said. “We just had some of the players in the State basketball tournament (not long ago), and we just finished up powerlifting last week.”

So … there are enough players, Vick said.

The State powerlifting meet was held last week.

Vick explained there had been a game or two the Panthers didnʼt play, but that was a result of the aforementioned sporting conflicts, also including track and field.

Okemah Athletic Director Joe Turner also said there would be a baseball team,

following the question from an ONL reporter last week. Head Baseball Coach Matt Ross had not been reached for comment as of press time Tuesday.

The team is scheduled for their first of this seasonʼs play in the Weleetka Tournament, starting Thursday, March 28.

The teamʼs first home game, which will be against Weleetka, will be held Monday, April 1 at 4Y30 p.m.

Directly following that first home game, the school district will hold an official dedication for its new Tony Dean Baseball Facility, Vick said.

“We want the public to come, so everyone is invited,” he said. “(For the occasion), to keep it festive, we are going to offer free admission to the first home baseball game.”

Vick added, “We are also going to give free hot dogs to the first 100 attendees (of the game).”

The official dedication will directly follow the conclusion of the baseball game.