The Cowgirl Way: Sam Show

The Oklahoma State softball program has become a destination where student-athletes seeking a second chance have found a home.

Head coach Kenny Gajewski has created a culture that allows players the freedom to be their true selves. Perhaps his most notable transfer was Samantha Show.

Show transferred to Oklahoma State for the 2019 season after spending three years at Texas A&M. She said she got to a point where she didn't love softball anymore, and for her senior year she wanted to find her love for the game again.

Show and OSU's Taylor Lynch had grown up playing softball against each other. Once Lynch found out Show was seeking to transfer, she wanted Show to give OSU a shot.

In her first chance at recruitment, Show only visited Texas A&M before committing. So, her mindset going into her transfer visits was to take her time and explore all of her options before making a decision. Oklahoma State was Show's first stop and despite a more patient mindset, she knew she wanted to be a Cowgirl once she got to Stillwater. She made other visits at the advice of her mom, but she felt at home in Stillwater.

"I said, 'I want to commit right now'," Show said. "I just knew."

Despite how good the fit ended up being for Show at Oklahoma State, there were challenges she faced throughout her senior year.

One thing Show openly struggled with her whole life was making relationships. Growing up, she was so serious about softball and it was all she cared about, so building relationships and trusting others did not come easy. It took Show a little while to actually open up to the staff and team. However, that never deterred Gajewski.

On her visit, he told Show she was good at softball and he didn't know how much they could help her with the game, but that they wanted to make her a better person.

"Hearing that on my visit was huge and knowing the staff wasn't scared of me," Show said. "I'm probably one of the harder athletes to coach because I ask questions. I challenged him to be better, just like he challenged me. He told me, 'I'm not scared to coach you'."

Show recalls a bullpen session in the fall of her senior year that was the first step to truly bonding with her teammates. Assistant coach Jeff Cottrill asked Show who she would be hanging out with over the weekend, to which Show replied nobody, as she lived alone her senior season.

"He [Cottrill] said, 'Sam, if you don't go hang out with your team, you're going to be in trouble. I want these girls to be at your wedding'," Show said.

With that, Show reached out to her teammates and made a more conscious effort to spend time with them.

As she bought into her team, they bought into her. Despite the success the team found in 2019, including a magical trip to the Women's College World Series, learning how to build relationships and putting her trust in people was the biggest thing she took away from her senior year.

"I couldn't have imagined a better senior year," Show said. "I set a personal goal for myself of ending my college career at the World Series, so I achieved that. What I got out of my senior year was more than just going to the biggest stage for softball."

With the way Gajewski allows his student-athletes to be themselves, Show found her love for softball again. One thing she and Gajewski talked about when she got to OSU was playing like a kid at recess and having fun and playing wild.

Enter the bat flips heard around the world.

Once she got to OSU, Show was finally in an environment where she was comfortable with herself and she was giving it everything she had. The bat flips came in important situations, where it put OSU ahead or tied the score in big games. So, naturally, social media picked it up and ran with it. However, for Show, nothing was ever directed at the other team. The bat flips were always directed at her dugout to say "Hey, we're still in this. Don't quit yet."

The lessons she learned at OSU and the bat flips have become Show's brand.

"I don't teach it or encourage it [the bat flip] to young athletes," Show said. "It's not for everyone because not everyone plays with that type of emotion. The main message is being yourself and playing as yourself and having fun. It's been a really cool way to get a message across behind something really big and flashy."

Since leaving Oklahoma State, Show has played professionally for Scrap Yard Fastpitch, This Is Us softball, and now Athletes Unlimited.

Gajewski and Cottrill saw Show playing how she played during her senior year at OSU once she took the field for Athletes Unlimited.

"I don't think I got to do that my rookie season with Scrap Yard because I was overwhelmed," Show said. "I was still myself, I just wasn't playing as free as I was my senior year."

Show was able to play more like herself at Athletes Unlimited. The setup of the league also allowed her more opportunities to use the important lessons she learned at OSU in her transition into professional softball. With no coaches, the players had to make their own decisions and trust one another, while also switching teams every week. Show said she learned a lot as one of the youngest players in the league from the likes of Cat Osterman and Megan Wiggins.

"I grew as a person, I grew as an athlete, and I fell in love with the game again," said Show. "I don't think I would be where I am right now if it wasn't for my time at OSU."

Listen to the full interview here: Sam Show Interview

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