Oklahoma State University Athletics
Bases Loaded: All Eyes on Bedlam, Big 12 Title After Wild Weekend
April 29, 2019 | Cowgirl Softball
STILLWATER – Winning isn't easy at any level, let alone in one of college softball's toughest conferences. That fact was proven this past weekend by the No. 12 Oklahoma State softball team.
Four times in three games, OSU found itself trailing No. 13 Texas Tech by multiple runs, and in all four instances the Cowgirls dug down deep and found a way to rally to sweep the weekend series. Their sweep pushed the OSU winning streak to 12 games – tied for the longest of the Kenny Gajewski era – and marked the Pokes' ninth-straight win in conference play.
OSU has won 12 games this season after trailing at one point or another, with five of those coming against ranked completion. After a crazy weekend, we take a look back at the week that was and what's to come:
FIRST BASE: The Cardiac Cowgirls
The atmosphere at Cowgirl Stadium this past weekend was electric all three days, and it was a trio of packed crowds that helped spark three separate Oklahoma State comeback wins over Texas Tech in Stillwater.
On Friday, OSU flipped a 2-0 scoreline into a 3-2 victory. Saturday saw the Pokes post their largest comeback since at least 2006 when they rallied from a 7-0 deficit to win 8-7, and then OSU capped its dynamic weekend by overcoming a three-run deficit to sweep No. 13 Texas Tech with a 6-5 triumph.
The Cowgirls' 12 comeback wins this season are a testament to the fortitude and culture built by Gajewski and his staff during their four-year tenure in Stillwater. It is a result of hours put in on the dirt, in the batting cages and a trust that has been earned among teammates, knowing that when one fails, another will pick them up.
Five times this season, including three this past weekend, OSU has come from behind to knock off a ranked opponent. The Cowgirls did it on opening weekend against No. 13 Kentucky, and did so a month later at No. 24 Oregon.
They've also rallied to defeat California, Hofstra, San Diego State, Wichita State, Kansas and twice Iowa State in come-from-behind fashion.
The 2019 squad has showed that no lead is safe for its opponents, and that they will never quit when the deck is stacked against them. OSU's pulse-pounding performances this weekend only further built the momentum on the Cowgirls' side heading into Bedlam, the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Tournament play.
SECOND BASE: The Winning Spirit
Oklahoma State's defeat of North Texas, followed by its three-game sweep of No. 13 Texas Tech pushed the Pokes' winning streak to 12 games, which is tied for the longest by a Cowgirl team during Gajewski's reign as head coach.
Nine of those 12 victories have come via three-straight sweeps against Big 12 conference opponents, as well as a trio of midweek wins over regional rivals.
OSU's nine-game run in the Big 12 is tied for its longest conference winning streak since 1995, when OSU won 11 consecutive league games and claimed the program's ninth conference title. The Pokes' current form is also the only time OSU has swept three consecutive three-game conference series during the Big 12 era.
Coach Gajewski has raved about the talent and potential that this year's team posseses since last summer, and now the Oklahoma State faithful are getting a front-row seat to one of the hottest shows in town right now.
THIRD BASE: Show's Showcase
Samantha Show is a performer who lives for the brightest lights and the biggest moments.
All season long, she has been the focal point of the Oklahoma State lineup, and time and time again she has delivered when the Cowgirls needed her most.
This past weekend, that came on several occasions.
First, Show nuked a game-tying two-run home run and sent the World Wide Web ablaze, again, with a vicious bat slam that only further ignited a packed house at Cowgirl Stadium. If you remember, earlier this year Show was the talk of the softball (and baseball) world for an inhumane bat flip after she blasted a game-tying home run during the Pokes' sweep at No. 24 Oregon.
Show's fiery displays of emotions, as well as those of her teammates, such as Rylee Bayless, have been criticized by those outside of the program. The only thing these Cowgirls care about though is that their teammates, and the OSU faithful, have their back.
The emotions of a heated three-game series against No. 13 Texas Tech only amplified as the Cowgirls completed a seven-run comeback on Saturday, and had a chance to post another rally in the finale on Sunday.
As you know by now, Show delivered that win with a thunderous three-run walk-off home run to left field on the first pitch of her seventh-inning at-bat.
It was Shows' 15th home run of the year, tying her with Madi Sue Montgomery for the school's single-season record. On 10 occasions this season, Show has hit a home run with OSU either tied or trailing, and eight times she has delivered the game-tying or go-ahead home run.
To shine in the most crucial moments takes a special kind of mentality, and a special kind of talent. Samantha Show has shown that she has those skills, and they'll certainly be relied upon as the games only get bigger from here on out.
HOME PLATE: Bedlam for the Big 12 Title
Oklahoma State's sweep of Texas Tech ensured two things: the Pokes will finish no worse than second place in the Big 12 this year, and Bedlam will decide the Big 12 title for the third-straight year.
OSU (37-11; 13-2 Big 12) is just one year removed from the program's first top-two finish in the Big 12 since 2003. When coupled with this year's guaranteed top-two placement, it is the first time OSU has posted back-to-back second-or-better finishes in conference play since 1996, when the Pokes wrapped up a nine-year run of top-two finishes.
Winning a Big 12 title will be no easy task, however, as the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners will enter this weekend having won its last 35 games, and its last 40 outings in conference play. Both of those are record-breaking marks, and the Cowgirls have not bested their arch rival since 2011.
Mountains are there to be climbed though.
OSU's 37 wins through 48 games is the exact same record the Cowgirls had during their magical 2011 season, a year in which they last bested OU and later made the program's seventh trip to the Women's College World Series.
Each season, the stakes of Bedlam seem to get higher and higher, especially as the Pokes continue to climb back toward the top of the college softball world.
The eyes of the softball world will narrow in on the state of Oklahoma this weekend, as Bedlam takes center stage to decide a Big 12 title. The odds may not be in the Cowgirls' favor, but this year's team has already shown that it can overcome any obstacle put in its path.
For proof of that, all you have to do is look back to this past weekend.
Four times in three games, OSU found itself trailing No. 13 Texas Tech by multiple runs, and in all four instances the Cowgirls dug down deep and found a way to rally to sweep the weekend series. Their sweep pushed the OSU winning streak to 12 games – tied for the longest of the Kenny Gajewski era – and marked the Pokes' ninth-straight win in conference play.
OSU has won 12 games this season after trailing at one point or another, with five of those coming against ranked completion. After a crazy weekend, we take a look back at the week that was and what's to come:
FIRST BASE: The Cardiac Cowgirls
The atmosphere at Cowgirl Stadium this past weekend was electric all three days, and it was a trio of packed crowds that helped spark three separate Oklahoma State comeback wins over Texas Tech in Stillwater.
On Friday, OSU flipped a 2-0 scoreline into a 3-2 victory. Saturday saw the Pokes post their largest comeback since at least 2006 when they rallied from a 7-0 deficit to win 8-7, and then OSU capped its dynamic weekend by overcoming a three-run deficit to sweep No. 13 Texas Tech with a 6-5 triumph.
The Cowgirls' 12 comeback wins this season are a testament to the fortitude and culture built by Gajewski and his staff during their four-year tenure in Stillwater. It is a result of hours put in on the dirt, in the batting cages and a trust that has been earned among teammates, knowing that when one fails, another will pick them up.
Five times this season, including three this past weekend, OSU has come from behind to knock off a ranked opponent. The Cowgirls did it on opening weekend against No. 13 Kentucky, and did so a month later at No. 24 Oregon.
They've also rallied to defeat California, Hofstra, San Diego State, Wichita State, Kansas and twice Iowa State in come-from-behind fashion.
The 2019 squad has showed that no lead is safe for its opponents, and that they will never quit when the deck is stacked against them. OSU's pulse-pounding performances this weekend only further built the momentum on the Cowgirls' side heading into Bedlam, the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Tournament play.
SECOND BASE: The Winning Spirit
Oklahoma State's defeat of North Texas, followed by its three-game sweep of No. 13 Texas Tech pushed the Pokes' winning streak to 12 games, which is tied for the longest by a Cowgirl team during Gajewski's reign as head coach.
Nine of those 12 victories have come via three-straight sweeps against Big 12 conference opponents, as well as a trio of midweek wins over regional rivals.
OSU's nine-game run in the Big 12 is tied for its longest conference winning streak since 1995, when OSU won 11 consecutive league games and claimed the program's ninth conference title. The Pokes' current form is also the only time OSU has swept three consecutive three-game conference series during the Big 12 era.
Coach Gajewski has raved about the talent and potential that this year's team posseses since last summer, and now the Oklahoma State faithful are getting a front-row seat to one of the hottest shows in town right now.
THIRD BASE: Show's Showcase
Samantha Show is a performer who lives for the brightest lights and the biggest moments.
All season long, she has been the focal point of the Oklahoma State lineup, and time and time again she has delivered when the Cowgirls needed her most.
This past weekend, that came on several occasions.
First, Show nuked a game-tying two-run home run and sent the World Wide Web ablaze, again, with a vicious bat slam that only further ignited a packed house at Cowgirl Stadium. If you remember, earlier this year Show was the talk of the softball (and baseball) world for an inhumane bat flip after she blasted a game-tying home run during the Pokes' sweep at No. 24 Oregon.
Show's fiery displays of emotions, as well as those of her teammates, such as Rylee Bayless, have been criticized by those outside of the program. The only thing these Cowgirls care about though is that their teammates, and the OSU faithful, have their back.
The emotions of a heated three-game series against No. 13 Texas Tech only amplified as the Cowgirls completed a seven-run comeback on Saturday, and had a chance to post another rally in the finale on Sunday.
As you know by now, Show delivered that win with a thunderous three-run walk-off home run to left field on the first pitch of her seventh-inning at-bat.
It was Shows' 15th home run of the year, tying her with Madi Sue Montgomery for the school's single-season record. On 10 occasions this season, Show has hit a home run with OSU either tied or trailing, and eight times she has delivered the game-tying or go-ahead home run.
To shine in the most crucial moments takes a special kind of mentality, and a special kind of talent. Samantha Show has shown that she has those skills, and they'll certainly be relied upon as the games only get bigger from here on out.
HOME PLATE: Bedlam for the Big 12 Title
Oklahoma State's sweep of Texas Tech ensured two things: the Pokes will finish no worse than second place in the Big 12 this year, and Bedlam will decide the Big 12 title for the third-straight year.
OSU (37-11; 13-2 Big 12) is just one year removed from the program's first top-two finish in the Big 12 since 2003. When coupled with this year's guaranteed top-two placement, it is the first time OSU has posted back-to-back second-or-better finishes in conference play since 1996, when the Pokes wrapped up a nine-year run of top-two finishes.
Winning a Big 12 title will be no easy task, however, as the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners will enter this weekend having won its last 35 games, and its last 40 outings in conference play. Both of those are record-breaking marks, and the Cowgirls have not bested their arch rival since 2011.
Mountains are there to be climbed though.
OSU's 37 wins through 48 games is the exact same record the Cowgirls had during their magical 2011 season, a year in which they last bested OU and later made the program's seventh trip to the Women's College World Series.
Each season, the stakes of Bedlam seem to get higher and higher, especially as the Pokes continue to climb back toward the top of the college softball world.
The eyes of the softball world will narrow in on the state of Oklahoma this weekend, as Bedlam takes center stage to decide a Big 12 title. The odds may not be in the Cowgirls' favor, but this year's team has already shown that it can overcome any obstacle put in its path.
For proof of that, all you have to do is look back to this past weekend.
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
