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College softball’s Selection Sunday is just over a month away, and Oklahoma State finds itself in a tenuous situation in building its postseason résumé.
The season hasn’t gone quite as smoothly as the Cowgirls might’ve hoped as they pursue a sixth straight Women’s College World Series appearance.
Oklahoma State (23-11, 5-5) is set to face OU at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Devon Park, the season’s only Bedlam meeting. And while it’s a much-needed event for the sport and the state, it doesn’t carry the same weight as when it was a conference matchup.
Still, it can be an important game for the Cowgirls.
The final month of the season leaves a lot of opportunities to boost their postseason standing, and Bedlam is the first one.
But that’s not the only important question the Cowgirls need to answer in the coming weeks. Let’s take a look at three such questions that loom over the OSU softball team ahead of Bedlam:
Super 16 college softball rankings How Bri Ellis, Arkansas smashed their way past Florida
In recent years, OSU has found itself close to the bubble for a top-eight seed, which guarantees host berths for the regional and super-regional rounds. But this team is currently sitting near the top-16 cutoff to host a regional.
As of Tuesday, OSU is No. 15 in the RPI and No. 16 in the NCAA’s nitty-gritty report, both of which are a strong dictators of potential seeding. But the Cowgirls are 8-7 over the last 15 games, dating back to the start of Big 12 play, and playing .500 ball won’t keep them in the top 16.
However, the schedule has a very different feel over the final month.
OSU has non-conference games against old foes OU and Texas, with the Longhorns coming to Stillwater on April 23. But the Big 12 schedule is softer, with Arizona, Texas Tech and Baylor already in the rearview.
A key component in OSU’s No. 16 spot in the nitty-gritty report is its strength of schedule, which is sixth. That number might take a slight hit with some of the Cowgirls’ closing opponents, but they also have the opportunity to pile up wins.
OSU’s Big 12 schedule includes a three-game series at Central Florida, which is No. 35 in the nitty-gritty, and winning in Orlando won’t be easy. But none of the remaining opponents — Iowa State, Kansas and Utah — are inside the top 60.
So any dip in schedule strength should be countered by an improved record to keep the Cowgirls in contention for hosting a regional in May.
“I want to put ourselves in a chance to host,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said. “We’re not doing a very good job of securing that at this point, and maybe it’s slipping away some. But that’s OK. This team is on its own journey and we need these type of games to remind us who we are and what we need to get better at.”
More: All eyes will be on Oklahoma State softball ace Ruby Meylan. She welcomes the challenge.
When it comes to stacking up some victories, this might be the most important question the Cowgirls need to answer.
Ruby Meylan has been a rock-solid ace for this staff with a 1.32 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 121 ⅔ innings.
Rylee Crandall came in from Baylor as the likely No. 2, but got off to a rough start, then dealt with injuries and missed a month of action. Since returning, she’s looked more like what OSU anticipated and has allowed one earned run on three hits over her last two appearances (four innings).
“She’s gotta earn more,” Gajewski said. “I thought she pitched pretty good at Arizona, to be honest.
“Before she got hurt, there weren’t a lot of clean innings. There weren’t a lot of innings with no runs. That’s what we would like to see.”
The surprise of the non-conference season was sophomore Katie Kutz, who pitched well in some very important innings while Crandall was out. But Kutz has struggled with walks (42 in 54 ⅓ innings) and teams have been hitting her harder in recent outings.
She has allowed 10 earned runs in her last 3 ⅓ innings, walking seven in that span while giving up two of the three home runs she’s allowed all season.
A strong finish to the season, and more importantly, postseason success, will require more consistent pitching from the staff behind Meylan.
Big 12 softball power rankings: Will Texas Tech earn a top-16 seed to host NCAA regional?
Strikeouts, Gajewski says.
As counterintuitive as that sounds, it’s about aggression at the plate.
“It tells me we’re being very defensive,” the coach said. “It’s putting extra pressure on our pitching staff to be perfect non-stop. And it’s not a good combo for winning the last game.”
The overall consistency has been missing.
The Cowgirls have been shut out in four of their five Big 12 losses and have scored nine or more runs in three games during the same span.
OSU has a team batting average of .311, thanks to seven regulars who are batting .300 or better. Four players have at least five home runs, led by Amanda Hasler who has ridden a recent hot streak to nine homers.
“Our numbers look OK, but I’m not really caught up in the numbers,” Gajewski said. “I’m caught up in what I see. We’re not hitting enough balls hard. We’re not walking enough. As a matter of fact, I don’t think we’re striking out enough.
“We know who we are. We know what we need to improve on. So I don’t think any situation is gonna faze us or surprise us.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What Oklahoma State softball needs to accomplish in last month of 2025
Continue reading...
The season hasn’t gone quite as smoothly as the Cowgirls might’ve hoped as they pursue a sixth straight Women’s College World Series appearance.
Oklahoma State (23-11, 5-5) is set to face OU at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Devon Park, the season’s only Bedlam meeting. And while it’s a much-needed event for the sport and the state, it doesn’t carry the same weight as when it was a conference matchup.
Still, it can be an important game for the Cowgirls.
The final month of the season leaves a lot of opportunities to boost their postseason standing, and Bedlam is the first one.
But that’s not the only important question the Cowgirls need to answer in the coming weeks. Let’s take a look at three such questions that loom over the OSU softball team ahead of Bedlam:
Super 16 college softball rankings How Bri Ellis, Arkansas smashed their way past Florida
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Can Oklahoma State get a top-16 NCAA Tournament seed?
In recent years, OSU has found itself close to the bubble for a top-eight seed, which guarantees host berths for the regional and super-regional rounds. But this team is currently sitting near the top-16 cutoff to host a regional.
As of Tuesday, OSU is No. 15 in the RPI and No. 16 in the NCAA’s nitty-gritty report, both of which are a strong dictators of potential seeding. But the Cowgirls are 8-7 over the last 15 games, dating back to the start of Big 12 play, and playing .500 ball won’t keep them in the top 16.
However, the schedule has a very different feel over the final month.
OSU has non-conference games against old foes OU and Texas, with the Longhorns coming to Stillwater on April 23. But the Big 12 schedule is softer, with Arizona, Texas Tech and Baylor already in the rearview.
A key component in OSU’s No. 16 spot in the nitty-gritty report is its strength of schedule, which is sixth. That number might take a slight hit with some of the Cowgirls’ closing opponents, but they also have the opportunity to pile up wins.
OSU’s Big 12 schedule includes a three-game series at Central Florida, which is No. 35 in the nitty-gritty, and winning in Orlando won’t be easy. But none of the remaining opponents — Iowa State, Kansas and Utah — are inside the top 60.
So any dip in schedule strength should be countered by an improved record to keep the Cowgirls in contention for hosting a regional in May.
“I want to put ourselves in a chance to host,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said. “We’re not doing a very good job of securing that at this point, and maybe it’s slipping away some. But that’s OK. This team is on its own journey and we need these type of games to remind us who we are and what we need to get better at.”
More: All eyes will be on Oklahoma State softball ace Ruby Meylan. She welcomes the challenge.
Who will step forward as No. 2 pitcher?
When it comes to stacking up some victories, this might be the most important question the Cowgirls need to answer.
Ruby Meylan has been a rock-solid ace for this staff with a 1.32 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 121 ⅔ innings.
Rylee Crandall came in from Baylor as the likely No. 2, but got off to a rough start, then dealt with injuries and missed a month of action. Since returning, she’s looked more like what OSU anticipated and has allowed one earned run on three hits over her last two appearances (four innings).
“She’s gotta earn more,” Gajewski said. “I thought she pitched pretty good at Arizona, to be honest.
“Before she got hurt, there weren’t a lot of clean innings. There weren’t a lot of innings with no runs. That’s what we would like to see.”
The surprise of the non-conference season was sophomore Katie Kutz, who pitched well in some very important innings while Crandall was out. But Kutz has struggled with walks (42 in 54 ⅓ innings) and teams have been hitting her harder in recent outings.
She has allowed 10 earned runs in her last 3 ⅓ innings, walking seven in that span while giving up two of the three home runs she’s allowed all season.
A strong finish to the season, and more importantly, postseason success, will require more consistent pitching from the staff behind Meylan.
Big 12 softball power rankings: Will Texas Tech earn a top-16 seed to host NCAA regional?
You must be registered for see images
What’s missing from the offense?
Strikeouts, Gajewski says.
As counterintuitive as that sounds, it’s about aggression at the plate.
“It tells me we’re being very defensive,” the coach said. “It’s putting extra pressure on our pitching staff to be perfect non-stop. And it’s not a good combo for winning the last game.”
The overall consistency has been missing.
The Cowgirls have been shut out in four of their five Big 12 losses and have scored nine or more runs in three games during the same span.
OSU has a team batting average of .311, thanks to seven regulars who are batting .300 or better. Four players have at least five home runs, led by Amanda Hasler who has ridden a recent hot streak to nine homers.
“Our numbers look OK, but I’m not really caught up in the numbers,” Gajewski said. “I’m caught up in what I see. We’re not hitting enough balls hard. We’re not walking enough. As a matter of fact, I don’t think we’re striking out enough.
“We know who we are. We know what we need to improve on. So I don’t think any situation is gonna faze us or surprise us.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What Oklahoma State softball needs to accomplish in last month of 2025
Continue reading...
