Season Preview: Gajewski’s Best Team Poised for Success in His Third Year as Coach

Knowing the next practice was more than a month away, a teary-eyed Kenny Gajewski addressed the Cowgirls after their final fall game.

When he exited the clubhouse and spoke to the media, his voice was a little shaky, and a tear or two still clung to his eyelids.

Oklahoma State’s softball team faced a stretch of 42 days without practice. The conclusion of OSU’s fall schedule signals a brief offseason; there are no team practices as dead week, finals week and winter break approaches.

“It’s scary because you work so hard from the moment that school starts to the moment that last fall practice or fall game is done,” Gajewski said.

That stretch of unknown is over, and Gajewski is has begun his third season as coach of the Cowgirls.

Gajewski has propelled his team to national prominence as OSU finds itself in the polls to start the season for the first time since 2011. Ranked 24th in the USA Today/NFCA poll and 21st in the ESPN/USA Softball poll, the Cowgirls are no longer a team that’ll sneak up on opponents.

Utility player Vanessa Shippy is one of nine seniors on the Cowgirls’ roster this season. The Cowgirls’ roster online goes back to 2010, and other than this year, they haven’t had more than five seniors on any team in the past eight years.

“Now with the season about to start, it’s setting in that it’s one final season,” Shippy said. “Who knows what’s gonna happen from there? It’s definitely strange and our whole senior class, I think, is feeling that. We’ve had a lot of good talks together of just how much we wanna make this season special.”

The season begins in Tempe, Arizona, in the Kajikawa Classic. Much has been made about the level of competition they’ll face in the early portion of the season. OSU will face No. 7 Arizona in part two of a doubleheader Friday, and they’ll play Missouri, which received votes, Saturday. The first month will be telling, as the Cowgirls face a top-15 team in each of their first three weeks of the season.

Senior Rylee Bayless, who led the nation in walks last year, said the team has lofty goals.

“The competition we’re playing this year is top-notch right out of the gate,” Bayless said. “I think we’re really excited and ready to show what we’re all about. Our long-term goal is to win the games we should and make it to the World Series this year.”

The pitching staff will consist of sophomore Logan Simunek, senior Whitney Whitehorn and a trio of transfers in Kendal Judge (Minnesota), Samantha Clakley (Texas Arlington) and Emmie Robertson (Pittsburgh State).

“I think we’re really good,” Gajewski said. “Now we gotta go play, but this is the best team we’ve had here. They’re super together. They’re super talented.”

With a talented roster and two years of experience under his belt, Gajewski is more prepared to enter a season than ever. With that being said, he knows the growth of OSU’s brand has come a long way, win or lose.

“I think the bottom line is our softball brand is good,” Gajewski said. “Our team is good, the games are fast, they’re clean. Our kids look good, they play hard, they smile. If you’re a fan of OSU, I don’t know what more that you would want. We know the bottom line is to win games, but in my mind, there’s a lot more to that. If you’re doing things right, the winning just takes care of itself.”