Despite Preseason Rankings and Polls Cowgirls Could Be the Best
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State was ranked No. 10 in the D1 Softball Poll that came out earlier this week. The first top 10 preseason ranking for the Cowgirls since 1994. Just the other day the Big 12 Conference released their preseason coach’s predictions and Oklahoma State was third behind perennial Big 12 champion Oklahoma (four first place votes) and Texas (three first place votes). It is the second season in a row the Cowgirls have been picked third in the coach’s predictions. Pretty good, huh? Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski isn’t talking smack but he knows posting those rankings and the Big 12 projections will serve well as bulletin board material.
“The national rankings for Oklahoma State are always going to be hard. You know that, you’ve covered Oklahoma State in all these sports. It is always going to be hard here,” Gajewski said. “Nobody looks at us unless you are wrestling or golf as a blue blood. You have to prove it every year. It doesn’t matter that we’ve got better here each year, how good we were last year, or that we’ve recruited so well.”
Gajewski has been at softball bluebloods coaching at Oklahoma and Florida, winning national championships. He knows what it is supposed to look like.
When all spring sports including softball came to a halt last March the Cowgirls were 19-5 and rolling. As a team they were hitting .305 and had seven starters hitting above .300. Alysen Febrey was in as good a softball hitting zone as you could imagine with a .382 average, 11 home runs, 32 RBI and a .941 slugging percentage.
The three pitchers combined for a 1.20 earned run average and Carrie Eberle, the transfer from Virginia, was 10-1 with 10 complete games, a 0.46 ERA, 68 strike outs to 30 walks and opposing hitters had a .143 average against her.
Gajewski brings all the starters back including Febrey, third base Sydney Pennington, shortstop Kiley Naomi, and Eberle in the circle. Gajewski added Georgia transfer Jordan Doggett, and speedy and talented infielder. He also went to Texas and got All-Sunbelt catcher from Texas-Arlington Reagan Wright, who has a big bat. There is talent on top of talent across the infield and outfield for the Cowgirls.
“You know it’s going to be a different coaching job for me this year,” Gajewski said of the talent on top of talent on the roster. “I hope it is and that I am having to have those conversations with kids, ‘just keep working and your time will come.’ We haven’t had that in the past but I hope that’s where it ends up and that I’m having to tell kids to ‘just keep doing what we’re telling you to do. Just keep getting better each day. Just keep being a great teammate. Keep cheering for the teammate you are competing with and that is starting over you. Keep cheering for that kid like nobody knows you are competing with that kid. What you will get back will be so good.’”
Thinking about the talent combined with attitude and fans that are into the games inside cozy Cowgirl Stadium and Gajewski has a conclusion that we agree with totally.
“If we have a culture of that, then this teame is capable of winning the whole thing,” Gajewski said with confidence. “We’re going to need to stay healthy. There are a lot of good teams out there with super seniors like us. It is not always about the most talented teams, but it’s about the best team.”
Oklahoma State University has never had a women’s sports team finish as NCAA national champions. They’ve been close in cross country. Chris Young’s tennis team nearly pulled it off in Tulsa a few years ago. Soccer has been in the neighborhood, but no championships
“We’re as talented as we’ve ever been,” Gajewski said of his 2021 squad. “Last year’s team was the best team we’ve had here as far as getting along and pulling for each other, and if this team can do that, then look out.”
Look out because Oklahoma State may have it’s first women’s national champions.