Cowgirls Head to Louisiana to Begin 2021 Campaign

The No. 10/11 Oklahoma State softball team opens the 2021 season this Thursday when it travels to the Best in the Bayou tournament in Monroe, La.
The Cowgirls take on No. 18 Arkansas at 3 p.m. Thursday, then take on Lipscomb and Louisiana Tech Friday before closing out with games against Jacksonville and Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

Watch, Listen, Follow

Live stats for all of OSU's games this week will be available online on statbroadcast.com. None of OSU's games at the event will be on the radio, television or streamed online.

In the Rankings

Oklahoma State is ranked No. 10 in the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and No. 11 in the NFCA Coaches Poll. OSU enters the 2021 season with its first top 10 ranking in a preseason poll since 1994.
Arkansas is ranked No. 18 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and is No. 21 by ESPN.com/USA Softball. None of the other teams at the event are ranked or receiving votes in either poll.

Oklahoma State From a Distance

With a roster that features three returning All-Americans and a preseason national ranking in the top 10, Oklahoma State enters the 2021 season with legitimate Women's College World Series aspirations. Sixth-year head coach Kenny Gajewski said he believes this is one of his most talented teams to date.
With the NCAA granting extra eligibility for all student-athletes as a result of the 2020 season being cut short due to the COVID pandemic, the 2021 Cowgirl roster is largely unchanged from last season. OSU returns 19 from the 2020 squad that finished the shortened season ranked No. 13 in the nation. Two Division I transfers and four freshmen also join the fray.
Oklahoma State returns its top three pitchers from the rotation that led the Big 12 and ranked third in the NCAA with a 1.20 earned run average in 2020.

Notable Streaks and Trends

The Cowgirls carry a 12-game winning streak into the 2021 season.
The Cowgirls have been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of their last 86 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
The Cowgirls have scored five or more runs in each of their last eight games.
The Cowgirls have hit at least one home run in each of their last eight games.
The Cowgirls have at least one extra base hit in each of their last 14 games.
The Cowgirls have banged out seven or more hits in each of their last eight games.
The Cowgirls have at least one stolen base in 10 of their last 11 games.
The Cowgirls have allowed three or fewer runs in each of their last seven games.
The Cowgirls have held each of their last 12 opponents without a home run.
Alysen Febrey is on a five-game hitting streak.
Sydney Pennington has started 147 consecutive games, which amounts to every possible game of her career.
OSU has won 14 straight at Cowgirl Stadium dating back to the 2019 season.

Series History vs. This Week's Opponents

Oklahoma State and Arkansas have met 14 times through the years, with the series deadlocked at seven wins apiece. OSU holds a 4-2 advantage in Stillwater and Arkansas leads, 2-1 in Fayetteville. On neutral turf, the Razorbacks hold a 3-2 advantage. This is Kenny Gajewski's first head coaching matchup with the Hogs. The most recent matchup was an 8-0 Arkansas win in 2009.
The Cowgirls have only seen Lipscomb once and it resulted in a 9-5 OSU win in 2015. OSU is 13-3-0 all-time against Louisiana Tech, with all 16 games played on neutral fields. The last meeting came in 2000 with the Cowgirls winning, 11-0. OSU and Jacksonville State have never met.

Oklahoma State University Athletics