Cowgirl Softball: What to Know About the No. 24 Team in the Country as the Postseason Approaches

Improvement in Stillwater has been a constant for Oklahoma State Cowgirl softball under Kenny Gajewski. Three years into his tenure as OSU’s softball coach, Gajewski has the Cowgirls at 36-19 at the end of the regular season, which is the best record for OSU since 2011. This also marks the second consecutive year that the Cowgirls won a dozen games in the Big 12.

Here’s a quick rundown outlining the Cowgirls’ record during the past three seasons

• 2016: 29-24
• 2017: 33-22
• 2018: 36-19

The Cowgirls are in Oklahoma City for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship, which goes from Friday until Saturday. But before we get too far into the postseason, let’s examine how we got here.

How it Started

The Cowgirls entered the 2018 season with a lot of question marks on their pitching staff. Seniors Shea Coats and Brandi Needham graduated, and sophomore Barbie Biggerstaff transferred, leaving the Cowgirls with sophomore Logan Simunek and utility player Whitney Whitehorn to man the circle. Not only that, but Rylee Bayless, who led the nation in walks a year ago, tore her ACL and was ruled out for the season.

Gajewski shored his shallow pitching staff when he added Emmie Robertson and Samantha Clakely, a pair of transfers. The pair, along with Simunek, have been instrumental in the Cowgirls’ success. Robertson pitched 112 innings with a 2.30 ERA, and Clakely pitched 152 innings with a 2.67 ERA.

How We Got Here

A dynamite lineup spearheaded by all-everything Vanessa Shippy along with a reliable and powerful pitching staff propelled the Cowgirls to a second-place finish in the Big 12. They swept Baylor and Kansas, claimed a series victory in Austin against the Longhorns and had a 12-game winning streak in March. Only OU (18-0 in the Big 12 and 47-3 overall) clipped the Cowgirls in Big 12 play this year.

Four Cowgirls batted better than .350, Madi Sue Montgomery was second in the conference with 58 RBIs, and Shippy led the Big 12 with 65 runs.

A Bunch of Accolades

The Cowgirls are entering the Big 12 Softball Championship as the 24th-ranked team in the nation. They’ll face Baylor and Texas Tech on Friday before playing a third opponent Saturday.

Other than Oklahoma, the Cowgirls might have the most accolades of any Big 12 team. Shippy was named Big 12 Player of the Year for the second time in her career and is a top-10 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Three Cowgirls (Taylor Lynch, Samantha Clakely and Madi Sue Montgomery) were named to the second team, and Sydney Pennington and Alexander were named to the All-Big 12 Freshman team.

This team will be a fascinating follow throughout the weekend at the Big 12 Tournament as well as in the NCAA Tournament that follows.

We’re gearing up for the third season. Comments from @OSUcoachG entering the postseason: pic.twitter.com/fW96jEykpO

— Cowgirl Softball (@CowgirlSB) May 8, 2018