Oklahoma State Is as Deep as They’ve Ever Been at Pitcher
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State softball is set to enter the 2022 season coming off a deep run into the Women’s College World Series in 2021 and as a consensus top-10 program in the nation. They also enter the season with one of the strongest pitching staffs in the country, which is led by redshirt junior Kelly Maxwell and grad transfers Miranda Elish and Morgan Day.
Head coach Kenny Gajewski met with the media on Monday morning ahead of the start of the season to discuss the team and the season. He broke down several players and positions but spent a lot of time talking about the pitchers.
“For [Miranda Elish], it’s to compliment Kelly [Maxwell] and Morgan Day, and to help Tatum [Clopton] grow and for them to become the best staff that we could ever have,” Gajewski said of Texas transfer Miranda Elish. “It’s the most talented set of arms that we’ve ever had here, maybe in our history here. I can’t speak for Michelle Smith, Lauren Bay and Melanie Roche, I wasn’t here during those days, kind of go back and try to learn, but I’ll just go ahead and say it’s probably the best staff that we’ve ever had here as far as talent goes. So, [Miranda’s] job is to come in here and be the best version of her; she doesn’t have to be anybody else. She’s never had this type of support around her, I can tell you that. So, she doesn’t have to be the horse, we have a horse here and Kelly’s that. Morgan Day’s been a horse and Miranda’s been a horse. So, it comes down to coaching: how do we use them, how do we utilize their skill sets the very best.”
According to Gajewski, and the various players who were present at the media availability, Maxwell is the projected ace going into 2022. She’s a redshirt junior out of Clear Springs HS and Friendswood, TX. As a sophomore, Maxwell was a first team NFCA All-Region selection and first team All-Big 12 honoree. She ranked top 15 in the nation last season in both team earned run average and shutouts, and her 8.87 strikeouts per seven innings in 2021 ranks sixth on OSU’s all-time season list.
She talked about how she developed a drop ball during the offseason, which teammate Chyenne Factor described as “pretty nasty.”
As for Elish, she transferred into Oklahoma State from Texas after sitting out the 2021 season due to concerns about COVID-19. However, prior to the 2021 season, she was a two-time NFCA All-American who ranks top-10 all-time on Texas’ career strikeout, strikeouts per inning and ERA lists.
“Fun kid, getting to know her,” Gajewski said of Elish. “Her teammates could probably give you a little more insight because they’re around a lot, but she committed to this group. The one thing that impresses me is how she’s been an ace everywhere she’s been and, you’d have to ask Kelly [Maxwell] this, but in my opinion, she respects Kelly as the ace here. She hasn’t walked around here like she’s too hot to be around here. She kind of had an emotional speech at our banquet; I think she’s just really excited to be a part of this team and to be part of the puzzle.”
Elish was involved in a terrible in-game accident back in 2019 during the Tuscaloosa Super Regional. During a bunt play, Texas catcher Mary Iakopo scooped up a ball and attempted to throw it to second but struck Elish in the face.
She was able to make her way back from that injury and was very good in the shortened 2020 season. She posted an 11-3 recorded with a 1.25 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched. She also posted a .370 batting average with 20 hits and four home runs and 19 RBIs in 54 plate appearances as a hitter. So, she’s definitely a two-way threat for the Cowgirls.
As for Day, she transferred in from Illinois State, where she was one of the best strikeout pitchers in the country. She was first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference where she posted 51 complete games in four years as a starter, while posting 620 strikeouts. She finished the 2021 season with a 1.63 ERA and a 19-6 overall record in 163.0 innings pitched. She also threw 19 complete games, which included eight shutouts. Her eight shutouts ranked 13th nationally.
“She’s just a worker,” Gajewski said of transfer Morgan Day. “She loves to play. She’s the most talkative player I’ve ever been around in my whole life. Sometimes you just sit there and go ‘man, zip it for a while,’ but you can’t change that because that’s who that kid is, and I love it and I think our team does too. What I love about her is she walked in here the first day and she made her presence felt; she invested in all our new kids right away. Didn’t hesitate, didn’t peak through a door, she knocked the door down as she walked in in a very respectful way. She has the respect of her team, she’s a tireless worker, she loves this school, obviously with Hunter [Woodard] playing on the football team. So, it’s really cool to see that and to have people come in here and just jump in. She’s done that and she’s earned a role like all our kids have and she’s going to be a huge impact.”
The Cowgirls kick the 2022 season off on Thursday, Feb. 10 out in Tempe, AZ against No. 21 Arizona State in the Kajikawa Classic. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on the Pac-12 Network.