By Michael Kinney
The night wasn’t going too well for Jason Lingo. It was May 2 and the longtime Southmoore softball coach had just watched his squad lose a heartbreaking state title game 17-15 to No. 1 Mustang at USA Hall of Fame Stadium.
For a coach who had become accustomed to winning almost any time his teams played at the stadium, Lingo wasn’t used to falling short. So as the medal ceremony was taking place, he was in deep thought going over the game in his head, when he felt someone come up behind him and whisper in his ear.
“When I was playing Mustang a few weeks ago in the state finals in slowpitch, Jake (Hill) came up to me during the medal ceremony and said, ‘Hey, by the way, we’re kind of short this weekend. Can you help with the Big 12 tournament? I looked at my watch and said ‘yeah, I’ll come back in a couple of days.’ So it was funny. We were on the field, just finishing up a state championship. Our mind was focused and that voice came from behind me and said, Hey, do you want to come join us this weekend? But sure, why not.”
What Lingo was being asked to do was be part of the USA Softball Grounds Crew at Hall of Fame Stadium for the postseason. It’s an off-season gig he has now done for the past two years.
Last year Lingo just worked the Women’s College World Series and a few other big tournaments. But this time he had to jump into action right after the slowpitch season ended so he could work the Big 12 Softball Tournament.
“I think USA Softball has three or four full-time employees that work for the grounds crew. So for these big tournaments, they supplement it with baseball people or softball people from around the metro,” Lingo said. “Either coaches from some of the local high schools or some guys who played baseball or college baseball.”
The grounds crew director and the one who asked Lingo to be part of the crew is Jake Hill, who is a 24-year-old graduate from Carl Albert High.
“He learned under Chuck White, who was the director here at USA Softball forever. His son is Colin White, who won about five or six state championships at Carl Albert Softball. They’ve always been down at Carl Albert. So, a lot of our guys are from the Carl Albert Midwest City area. A lot of these guys played for Chuck White.”
Hill first got in touch with Lingo after seeing how well he took care of the softball fields at Southmoore.
“Somebody else on my staff showed me a picture. He was like, ‘Hey, this guy’s the head guy over at Southmoore, he coaches softball slow pitch and fast pitch,’” Hill remembered. “And they showed me his field and his field might have looked better than my field at the time.”
Hill also has become an admirer of Lingo’s work ethic.
“He does things with conviction and that’s what I want,” Hill said. “If you make a mistake, make a mistake going a hundred miles an hour,” Hill said. “Don’t second guess yourself. We have 10 minutes to do the flip in between games so I want guys like that.”
Lingo remembers the first time he had to take part in flipping the field in between games at the 2022 Women’s College World Series. With time being so crucial for the teams and for television, the same coach who has led his programs to state titles was nervous.
“That first quick flip, it was nerve-wracking running out there as fast as we can, pulling that stuff and knowing that we have to get it done,” Lingo said. “It’s controlled chaos and it’s like a dance, but it’s really no different than getting stuff ready pre-game in a game and things happening in a game. And your kids just have to be prepared. You know that things can go wrong in a game, but you practice it enough that you’re going to figure out how to take care of it and do it better. Same way out here. Something’s going to go wrong, but we’re quick on our feet. We know how to take care of the problem. We all have experience, so that’s why we do it the best we can.”
While Lingo enjoys working on the fields for the biggest stage in softball, even on the nights he doesn’t leave until after 1 a.m., he had an ulterior motive when he accepted the off-season job.
“I thought it would be cool because it’s a good experience learning how other people do their fields and how they work and how they do things,” Lingo said. “It was exciting to me, but also it’s the possibility of getting to share time with my girls that may be playing in the World Series. We have our third kid this year playing in the World Series.”
Sydney Sherrell started the string of Southmoore players at WCWS when she helped Florida State win a title in 2018. Lingo had to watch the game from the stands but found his way on the field for the celebration. ,
In 2021 Lingo got to see Karli Petty play for Oklahoma State at the WCWS. Then in 2022, he was on the field for her last games with the Pokes before she transferred to LSU.
This year it was Tallen Edwards. The true freshman started in leftfield for OSU before their season came to an end Sunday.
“Just walking by yesterday and Tallen came up and gave me a hug on the field. I didn’t even see her,” Lingo said. “It is so great. And seeing her happy out there while I’m leaning over the rail on the left field wall last night, watching her play left field. My station is in the left-field corner. So the whole game, I’m 50 feet from her looking over the rail. She doesn’t know I’m there, but I get to see her and be close to her. It’s awesome.”
After winning and losing titles with each of them, just being able to enjoy the games as a part-time fan, means everything to Lingo. At least until it’s time for another quick flip.
“I’ve shared important moments with them on this field in high school wearing SaberCat gear,” Lingo said. “So it’s fun to get to see them at that next level. I don’t have to coach, I don’t have to worry about what they’re doing. I get to sit over there and watch them play and enjoy that part of it. As long as they’ll keep having me, I plan on doing it as long as I can.”
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