Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Selected Fourth in Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll
January 25, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball
IRVING, Texas – The Oklahoma State softball team was selected to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference by the league's coaches, it was announced today.
OSU received 23 points to land one point outside the top three, as Oklahoma (36), Baylor (31) and Texas (24) edged out the Pokes. Thursday's ranking is tied for the Cowgirls' highest preseason placement since the poll was introduced in 2000 and the third time overall that OSU has been selected to finish fourth by the league's coaches.
Last year, Oklahoma State placed third in the Big 12, marking the Cowgirls' highest finish in the league since also finishing third in 2011, when OSU competed in the Women's College World Series for the seventh time in program history.
The 2017 squad posted a 38-25 (12-6 Big 12) mark during head coach Kenny Gajewski's second season in charge, and also made their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. OSU posted three shutout victories during last year's NCAA Tournament, one of which came against No. 1 Florida on its home turf in Gainesville.
Facing elimination, pitcher Brandi Needham delivered a complete-game shutout and Vanessa Shippy's go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning helped lift Oklahoma State to a 1-0 victory over the Gators. It was the third time in team history that the Cowgirls had defeated the nation's top-ranked team, and the first time they'd done so since a 1-0 victory over Georgia in 2011.
The Cowgirls would ultimately fall to the top-ranked Gators in the winner-take-all regional final later the same day, but their impressive display in Florida showed that OSU is a program on the rise.
This season, Oklahoma State returns much of the core from last year's group, including two-time All-American Vanessa Shippy and two-time All-Region honoree Taylor Lynch.
Shippy and Lynch, along with returning standouts such as Rylee Bayless, Maddi Holcomb and Randee O'Donnell, make up a core offensive group that averaged nearly five runs per game last season. This year's group of returners also makes up a large chunk of OSU's defensive lineup, as the Cowgirls return their entire infield and two outfielders from last year's lineup.
OSU's first pitch of the 2018 season is just over two weeks away, with the Cowgirls set to face Oregon State and Arizona on the opening day of the 2018 Kajikawa Classic, Friday, Feb. 9, in Tempe, Arizona.
Oklahoma State's first games in Stillwater won't be played until March, however, as the Cowgirls are set to host the Mizuno Classic for the 11th-straight year, March 2-4, at Cowgirl Stadium. For more information on tickets, visit okstate.com/tickets, email tickets@okstate.edu or call 877-ALL-4-OSU.
To keep up with everything else happening within the Oklahoma State softball program, follow the Cowgirls on Twitter (@CowgirlSB), Facebook (Cowgirl Softball) and Instagram (osusoftball).
Big 12 Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank School (First-place votes) - Points
1. Oklahoma (6) - 36
2. Baylor (1) - 31
3. Texas - 24
4. Oklahoma State - 23
5. Kansas - 12
6. Iowa State - 11
7. Texas Tech - 10
OSU received 23 points to land one point outside the top three, as Oklahoma (36), Baylor (31) and Texas (24) edged out the Pokes. Thursday's ranking is tied for the Cowgirls' highest preseason placement since the poll was introduced in 2000 and the third time overall that OSU has been selected to finish fourth by the league's coaches.
Last year, Oklahoma State placed third in the Big 12, marking the Cowgirls' highest finish in the league since also finishing third in 2011, when OSU competed in the Women's College World Series for the seventh time in program history.
The 2017 squad posted a 38-25 (12-6 Big 12) mark during head coach Kenny Gajewski's second season in charge, and also made their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. OSU posted three shutout victories during last year's NCAA Tournament, one of which came against No. 1 Florida on its home turf in Gainesville.
Facing elimination, pitcher Brandi Needham delivered a complete-game shutout and Vanessa Shippy's go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning helped lift Oklahoma State to a 1-0 victory over the Gators. It was the third time in team history that the Cowgirls had defeated the nation's top-ranked team, and the first time they'd done so since a 1-0 victory over Georgia in 2011.
The Cowgirls would ultimately fall to the top-ranked Gators in the winner-take-all regional final later the same day, but their impressive display in Florida showed that OSU is a program on the rise.
This season, Oklahoma State returns much of the core from last year's group, including two-time All-American Vanessa Shippy and two-time All-Region honoree Taylor Lynch.
Shippy and Lynch, along with returning standouts such as Rylee Bayless, Maddi Holcomb and Randee O'Donnell, make up a core offensive group that averaged nearly five runs per game last season. This year's group of returners also makes up a large chunk of OSU's defensive lineup, as the Cowgirls return their entire infield and two outfielders from last year's lineup.
OSU's first pitch of the 2018 season is just over two weeks away, with the Cowgirls set to face Oregon State and Arizona on the opening day of the 2018 Kajikawa Classic, Friday, Feb. 9, in Tempe, Arizona.
Oklahoma State's first games in Stillwater won't be played until March, however, as the Cowgirls are set to host the Mizuno Classic for the 11th-straight year, March 2-4, at Cowgirl Stadium. For more information on tickets, visit okstate.com/tickets, email tickets@okstate.edu or call 877-ALL-4-OSU.
To keep up with everything else happening within the Oklahoma State softball program, follow the Cowgirls on Twitter (@CowgirlSB), Facebook (Cowgirl Softball) and Instagram (osusoftball).
Big 12 Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank School (First-place votes) - Points
1. Oklahoma (6) - 36
2. Baylor (1) - 31
3. Texas - 24
4. Oklahoma State - 23
5. Kansas - 12
6. Iowa State - 11
7. Texas Tech - 10
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