It Was a Relatively Down Year for OSU’s Diamond Sports, but There’s Reason for Optimism

The continued success of Oklahoma State’s baseball and softball teams means that a good season is viewed as so-so. It’s a good problem to have if you’re an OSU fan.

Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls were picked to finish first in the Big 12.

Baseball finished seventh in the league, but that took a heroic comeback after the Pokes started 1-6 in conference play. They had to win eight of their last nine just to help punch their ticket to the regional level.

It was the first time in four years that OSU did not host a regional. Despite making some noise Saturday and Sunday in Athens, including eliminating the Top 10 home team Georgia, they succumbed to Duke.

The Cowgirls didn’t start off in quite the hole the Cowboys did, but they were less consistent than the Kenny Gajewski-coached teams we’re used to, despite bringing in another ace transfer in Ruby Meylan.

At 35-20 (.636), it was the Cowgirls’ worst finish since 2016, Gajewski’s first season, when they went 32-26 (.552). It was also the first time OSU failed to make the Women’s College World Series since 2018. The Cowgirls went 19-5 (.792) and the WCWS was canceled in 2020 due to Covid.

In the age of the transfer portal, it’s hard to say anything for sure, but there’s reason to believe a good part of both rosters will be back and both coaching staffs are beating the crootin trail.

Josh Holliday’s Cowboys boast the No. 16 recruiting class in the country for 2026, as of writing, according to Perfect Game. And a bunch of the batters that made plays in the NCAA Tournament were underclassmen. Guys like Brock Thompson (Fr.), Kollin Ritchie (So.), Avery Ortiz (So.) and Garrett Shull (Fr.) could all be back. Oh, and Nolan Schubart still has a year of eligibility if he decides to stick around.

On3 ranks the Cowgirls No. 23 in team rankings with just four signees for 2026. We’ve already seen some Cowgirls hit the portal. Tallen Edwards, Micaela Wark and pitcher Kyra Adcock have reportedly entered in the last week. But Gajewksi has a track record for landing transfer talent. He’s already landed Virginia Tech transfer in Jayden Jones, sister of Cowgirl signee Audrey Jones. And Meylan appears to be sticking around.

Neither team lived up to expectations, but there’s reason to believe their steps back are more an aberration than anything else.