How Ruby Meylan, OSU Softball Have Helped Amanda Halser Break Out of Her Shell

STILLWATER — A pitcher and a catcher, Ruby Meylan and Amanda Hasler took their transfer portal visit to Stillwater together. They said they might’ve said 10 words to each other.

“I remember after my visit, I was talking to Coach G (Kenny Gajewski), like I think I’m gonna commit,” Meylan said. “And he was like, ‘I think we’re gonna get Hasler, too.’ And I was like, ‘No, we’re not. She did not like it here. She didn’t say one word.’ He was like, ‘No, trust me, we’re gonna get her.'”

Meylan announced her commitment to OSU on the evening of June 7, 2024. The next day, Hasler announced she would also be a Cowgirl.

Gajewski was in Gainesville, Florida recruiting when Meylan called and told him she was going to OSU. Meylan made her social media post, and “within like 10 minutes” Gajewski’s phone started ringing. It was Hasler.

“I walked outside, and I was like, hmm — I didn’t have a great feel yet (whether Hasler would commit),” Gajewski said. “I thought we were in a great spot, but you just don’t know. And she asked me. She goes, ‘Hey, did Ruby commit? I just heard that.’

“I said, ‘Yeah,’ and she goes, ‘I’m in.'”

So what happened? How could no one get a read on Hasler during the visit and then boom, she and Meylan felt like a package deal?

On Tuesday, the two laughed while remembering their first interaction.

“I was just so nervous,” Hasler said. “Like, I’m just a very nervous person. I’m very introverted. We didn’t really talk much, but it’s not like I didn’t like her. I was just nervous. I wanted her to like me, but I didn’t know what to say.”

Meylan and Hasler started talking and texting more after they committed and roomed together in their first year in Stillwater. But they agreed it still took a while for Hasler to break out of her shell.

“Even when we lived together the first fall, I was like, dude — we’d invite her to stuff, and she’d just be in her room.”

“Yeah, it was bad,” Hasler admitted.

“‘Amanda, do you wanna go eat? — No'” Meylan said. “Once she started to hang out with us more, it was easy. The relationship started to flow a little bit.”

Fast forward nearly two years and Hasler and Meylan are coming up on their Senior Day this weekend when the Cowgirls host Kansas.

Meylan has been a rockstar in her two seasons with the Cowgirls, earning All-America honors last season and looking well on track to do so again in 2026.

She has a 2.20 ERA while throwing 193 2/3 innings to this point in the year. She led OSU to wins against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 16 Arizona (x2) and No. 4 Texas over the span of a week. She’s pitched a complete game in the past eight contests she has played in, and OSU has won the past 12 games she has taken part in.

True to being an introvert, Hasler has perhaps quietly been a consistent force in OSU’s lineup. She was an All-Big 12 First Team selection last season, finishing the year hitting .303 with a team-best 16 home runs and 38 RBIs, which ranked second on the team. She’s hitting .302 this season with 12 homers and 53 RBIs, which both lead the team.

Despite having played just two seasons at OSU, her 23 home runs as a Cowgirl is tied for 14th in program history. Her career .693 slugging percentage would finish second in program history to only Alysen Febrey. Her career on-base percentage of .418 would rank 15th in program history.

In terms of this season, her 53 RBIs is already tied for ninth most in a season in program history. Her dozen home runs is already tied for 16th.

Spend any time at all around Cowgirl Stadium, and you’ll know this OSU team has some personalities on it.

With someone singing loudly in the hallway behind her, Hasler said the team’s extroverts have helped bring her out of her shell. And when it comes to Senior Day, Hasler said she’s a part of a special, tight-knit group.

“I feel like I can go to any one of these seniors and tell them anything and not be judged,” Hasler said. “I might be made fun of a little bit, but I mean, these girls are just so awesome. I can’t imagine the end and leaving them because they’re just, they’re my sisters.”