Jenks Softball All-Stater Faith Russell Joins Teammate Emma Vickrey in Signing with TU

By Mike Moguin
GTR Sports Writer
 
Faith Russell was raised a Tulsa softball fan attending games with her family.
The Jenks All-Stater now gets to play there at the college level.

The senior second baseman signed with the Golden Hurricane along with fellow teammate and catcher Emma Vickrey and other Jenks athletes on Nov. 10 at the Sharp Athletic Center. 

Having been in the Jenks school system since kindergarten, Russell began playing softball about the same time and the game grew in her blood. 

“It has definitely changed over the years, but I just have a love for the game,” Russell said. “It’s like I have an attachment to it because I played it so long, it feels like it’s a part of me.” 

Russell has played second base ever since, but there is a chance that could change when she arrives at TU, she said. 

“I have talked to coach (Crissy) Strimple and she told me that I could also play the outfield,” Russell said. “So I’m really excited about that because I never got to play there before and it will be like a new change.”  

With Vickrey joining her, the excitement doubles. 

“I am definitely happy that I have someone that I have experienced the game with my whole life coming with me, because college is such a big change,” Russell said. “I’m happy somebody I’m comfortable with is going on the journey with me.” 

Both Russell and Vickrey were four-year letterwinners at Jenks. 

Russell hit above .300 throughout her high school career, including a career-high mark of .570 her sophomore year. In addition to being all-state as a senior, she was also an all-region selection. During her sophomore through senior seasons, Russell made all-district. She was also a four-year academic all-conference honoree.

Vickrey was also an all-academic conference member, a two-time all-district catcher and the 2021 All-District Player of the Year at Jenks. She batted .344 over her career, including .412 her senior season. She was also selected to the 2021 large east all-state catcher honoree.

Good academics and being close to home is what drew Russell to TU. 

“It will be fun playing softball there, but it will also prepare me very well for life after school is over,” Russell said. 

“I ultimately chose TU because it was the best offer I got and it was the best school and that was really important to me. Academics was important to me, how their coaches interacted with their players was important to me and I liked TU for that most of all,” Russell said.

She also looks forward to the small and intimate environment the campus will provide. 

“It will be good for me to see what a small college is like and I’m really excited to see how the professors are,” she said. “Because from what I’ve heard from other TU players, you get so much one-on-one time with your professor and a lot more help and attention because it is so small, and I’m so excited about that.” 

Meanwhile, Russell looks forward to attending Tulsa home games this spring before arriving on campus in the fall. One player she and her friends remember is Samantha Cobb, a standout at TU from 2010-13.

“She played a while ago,” Russell said. “My other teammates and I were probably about 10 and we all thought of her as a role model”

Cobb was a four-year starter and all-conference selection. She was the only TU player to record 40 runs batted in four seasons and played all 228 games of her career.

With her Jenks career behind her, Russell points out to her junior year as her favorite moment.
“We went to Broken Arrow for regionals and we actually ended up beating Broken Arrow and getting to go to state for the first time in a long time,” Russell said. “That was such a great experience for me because it was a goal that everyone had and the fact that I got to go with my team was just a super-fun experience.”