Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Softball Set for Ranked Weekend in Louisiana
February 25, 2021 | Cowgirl Softball
Game Notes (PDF)
The Basics
 The No. 10/8 Oklahoma State softball team (9-0 overall) faces stiff competition this weekend when it competes in the ULL/LSU Invitational.Â
 The Cowgirls take on No. 11/13 LSU in a Friday doubleheader then face Buffalo and No. 9/9 Louisiana on Saturday, with all of those games in Baton Rouge. On Sunday, the Cowgirls square off against Louisiana again, this time on the Ragin' Cajuns home turf in Lafayette.
Watch, Listen, Follow
 The doubleheader against LSU on Friday will be available to watch on SECN+. The final game of the weekend will be on the air in Stillwater. Fans can listen at KGFY 105.5 FM.   Â
  Live stats for all of OSU's games this week will be available online at statbroadcast.com and CajunStats.com
In the Rankings
     Oklahoma State is ranked No. 8 in the Week 2 ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and No. 10 in the NFCA Coaches Poll. This marks the first time this season that OSU has cracked the top 10 in both major polls. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, the Cowgirls received one first place vote. OSU entered the 2021 season with its first top 10 ranking in a preseason poll since 1994.
    LSU is ranked No. 11 in the NFCA Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25. Louisiana appears at No. 9 in both the NFCA Coaches Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.Â
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.Â
    The Cowgirls have looked the part through nine games this season, as they lead the nation with six shutouts and rank in the top 25 nationally in batting average, runs scored, earned run average, fielding percentage, on base percentage, slugging percentage, doubles and stolen bases per game. OSU has outscored its first nine opponents, 80-16 and seven different Cowgirls have hit at least one home run through nine games.
     Early-season standouts for OSU include left-hander Kelly Maxwell, who is yet to surrender a run and has allowed only one hit in 12.1 innings pitched. She leads the nation with 0.57 hits allowed per seven innings and is the Big 12 leader and ranks fifth nationally with 13.6 strikeouts per seven innings. Returning All-America first baseman Alysen Febrey is batting .533. She is the Big 12 leader and ranks fifth nationally with 16 hits. On top of that, she ranks 10th nationally with 14 runs batted in and brings a 1.431 OPS into this weekend's action.Â
Notable Streaks and Trends
- Â The Cowgirls enter the weekend on a 21-game win streak, the third-longest in school history. The OSU record is 22 straight wins, set in 1988 and then matched in 1989.
- Â Â Â Â Â The Cowgirls have shut out each of their last three opponents and five of the last six.
- Â Â Â Â Â The Cowgirls have stolen 18 bases in their last four games, highlighted by a school-record 11 stolen bases against Lamar.
- Â Â Â Â Â The Cowgirl defense has not committed an error in four straight games.
- Â Cowgirl pitchers have surrendered only two walks in their last 12.2 innings of work.
- Â Â Â Â Â The Cowgirls have been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of their last 95 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
- Â Â Â Â Â The Cowgirls have at least one extra base hit in each of their last 23 games.
- Â Â Â Â Â The Cowgirls have banged out seven or more hits in 15 of their last 17 games.
- Â Â Â Â Â Alysen Febrey is on a 14-game hitting streak.
- Â Â Â Â Â Chyenne Factor and Febrey have recorded six multiple hit games on the season.
- Â Â Â Â Â Sydney Pennington has started 156 consecutive games, which amounts to every possible game of her career.
- Â Â Â Â Â OSU has won 14 straight at Cowgirl Stadium dating back to the 2019 season.
Series History vs. This Week's Opponents
     LSU leads the overall series with Oklahoma State, 11-4. In their last meeting in 2020, LSU won, 3-2. Kenny Gajewski is 0-5 against LSU.
     Oklahoma State holds the overall series lead over Louisiana, 6-4. OSU leads the series, 1-0, in Lafayette, and Kenny Gajewski is 1-1 against the Ragin' Cajuns. In the last meeting in 2020, Louisiana won, 3-2. OSU and Buffalo have never met.Â
