Oklahoma State University Athletics
Wynne Bringing More Than Athleticism To OSU Softball
January 29, 2022 | Cowgirl Softball
In the six months she has spent at Oklahoma State University, Morgyn Wynne has wasted no time in becoming the leader she aspires to be, both on and off the softball field.
A senior infielder who spent the last three years at Kansas, Wynne entered the transfer portal shortly after the Jayhawks' 2022 season ended, just before the start of the Big 12 conference tournament.
Meanwhile, Cowgirl softball was gearing up for a historic postseason run that included a battle with eventual national champion Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game and a second consecutive trip to the Women's College World Series.
"Heading into the Big 12 tournament, I got an email from this Morgyn Wynne kid," OSU softball head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "She acted on the transfer portal pretty quick and I was like, 'This is the Kansas kid. She's transferring?' I didn't even like her at the time, which isn't fair because I didn't know her at all. All I really knew was I didn't like playing against her. She's one of those kids that plays with a fierce look in her eye. If you don't know her or get to know people like that, then you never know what they're about. I decided to call her and when I did, I was blown away by everything but the softball."
As it turns out, "everything but the softball," is highlighted by remarkable maturity and a solid record of leadership experience.
Wynne served as KU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee vice-president, was the female representative on the Big 12 Black student-athlete council and participated in KU RISE, a Kansas athletics initiative to create safe space and community for minority student athletes. She was elected SAAC president before deciding to transfer.
Navigating the transfer portal as a 2021 All-Big 12 athlete and established leader in diversity and inclusion efforts, Wynne wanted to join a softball program in which she could continue to develop as a person and a player.
"Of the choices that I had, I knew right away this would be the place where there would be an equal balance for me to become the softball player want to become, as well as grow as the woman I want to become in my future," Wynne said. "This was the place, hands-down, from the get-go."
Just as she had at KU, Wynne pursued opportunities for extracurricular involvement at OSU with unique passion and "kick-down-the-door" energy, as Gajewski calls it.
Her dedication to improving as a person and a player and providing other student-athletes those same opportunities made her an easy selection for Oklahoma State's SAAC presidency just before the start of the 2021 fall semester.
In her short time in Stillwater, Wynne has also been selected as the Oklahoma State representative to the Big 12 Conference SAAC and the Big 12 representative for the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Jawauna Harding wears a number of different hats for Oklahoma State athletics – director of student-athlete leadership and professional development, OSU Athletics diversity and inclusion designee and OSU SAAC adviser, to name a few – and she has worked closely with Wynne since her transfer from Kansas. Harding was responsible for Wynne's selection as the OSU representative to the Big 12 Conference SAAC.
"I think of her leadership style and the influence that she has and her grasp of what SAAC is and what the student-athlete voice means," Harding said. "Even with her being new to our program, she fit right into our system. She already had the knowledge of SAAC and she has a vision and ideas of what it can be here. Her ability to include others and take opinions and take all that in – all while making it her own and bringing her own flair – is awesome."
A senior infielder who spent the last three years at Kansas, Wynne entered the transfer portal shortly after the Jayhawks' 2022 season ended, just before the start of the Big 12 conference tournament.
Meanwhile, Cowgirl softball was gearing up for a historic postseason run that included a battle with eventual national champion Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game and a second consecutive trip to the Women's College World Series.
"Heading into the Big 12 tournament, I got an email from this Morgyn Wynne kid," OSU softball head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "She acted on the transfer portal pretty quick and I was like, 'This is the Kansas kid. She's transferring?' I didn't even like her at the time, which isn't fair because I didn't know her at all. All I really knew was I didn't like playing against her. She's one of those kids that plays with a fierce look in her eye. If you don't know her or get to know people like that, then you never know what they're about. I decided to call her and when I did, I was blown away by everything but the softball."
As it turns out, "everything but the softball," is highlighted by remarkable maturity and a solid record of leadership experience.
Wynne served as KU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee vice-president, was the female representative on the Big 12 Black student-athlete council and participated in KU RISE, a Kansas athletics initiative to create safe space and community for minority student athletes. She was elected SAAC president before deciding to transfer.
Navigating the transfer portal as a 2021 All-Big 12 athlete and established leader in diversity and inclusion efforts, Wynne wanted to join a softball program in which she could continue to develop as a person and a player.
"Of the choices that I had, I knew right away this would be the place where there would be an equal balance for me to become the softball player want to become, as well as grow as the woman I want to become in my future," Wynne said. "This was the place, hands-down, from the get-go."
Just as she had at KU, Wynne pursued opportunities for extracurricular involvement at OSU with unique passion and "kick-down-the-door" energy, as Gajewski calls it.
Her dedication to improving as a person and a player and providing other student-athletes those same opportunities made her an easy selection for Oklahoma State's SAAC presidency just before the start of the 2021 fall semester.
In her short time in Stillwater, Wynne has also been selected as the Oklahoma State representative to the Big 12 Conference SAAC and the Big 12 representative for the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Jawauna Harding wears a number of different hats for Oklahoma State athletics – director of student-athlete leadership and professional development, OSU Athletics diversity and inclusion designee and OSU SAAC adviser, to name a few – and she has worked closely with Wynne since her transfer from Kansas. Harding was responsible for Wynne's selection as the OSU representative to the Big 12 Conference SAAC.
"I think of her leadership style and the influence that she has and her grasp of what SAAC is and what the student-athlete voice means," Harding said. "Even with her being new to our program, she fit right into our system. She already had the knowledge of SAAC and she has a vision and ideas of what it can be here. Her ability to include others and take opinions and take all that in – all while making it her own and bringing her own flair – is awesome."
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