Cowgirls Set For Trip To College Station

The Basics
The No. 11/12 Oklahoma State softball team (6-4) travels to College Station, Texas, to compete this weekend in the Reveille Classic hosted by Texas A&M.

The Cowgirls face Texas Southern at 9 a.m. CT and Tennessee State at 11:30 a.m. CT Friday. On Saturday, Oklahoma State takes on Texas Southern at 11:30 a.m. CT and Texas A&M at 2 p.m. CT. OSU wraps up tournament play with a Sunday battle with Texas A&M at 11:30 a.m. CT.

Watch, Listen, Follow
Both of Oklahoma State's games with tournament host Texas A&M – slated for Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 p.m. – will be streamed on SEC Network+.

All five of OSU's games at the Reveille Classic can be heard on the Stillwater Radio family of channels and online at stillwaterradio.net with Brodie Myers on the call.

Live stats for all of OSU's games over the weekend will be available online on okstate.statbroadcast. com. Fans can follow @CowgirlSB on Twitter all season for regular coverage and updates.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is No. 8 in Softball America's rankings, No. 11 by D1Softball, No. 11 in the USA Today/ NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 12 by ESPN.com/USA Softball.

Oklahoma State From a Distance
Eight starters and several other important performers are back from the 2021 team that finished No. 6 in the final rankings and played in the Women's College World Series. Five of OSU's returning starters were also starters on the Cowgirls' 2019 WCWS team.

Some of the most decorated players in Oklahoma State softball history are back, including returning All-Americans Hayley Busby and Sydney Pennington, plus 2022 preseason All-American Kiley Naomi. Pitcher Kelly Maxwell is on the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List and was invited to try out for a spot on the U.S. Senior National Team in January.

Impact newcomers include the 2020 Shortened Season National Player of the Year and first team All-American Miranda Elish, 2022 preseason All-America first baseman Morgyn Wynne, 2021 first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference pitcher Morgan Day and 2021 All-Southeast Region catcher Julia Cottrill.

A talented freshman class headlined by Brianna Evans (No. 11 on the Extra Inning Softball Elite 100 and Tatum Clopton (No. 7 overall prospect in the nation, per FloSoftball) enters into the mix. Despite joining a veteran-laden team, both Evans and Clopton have already seen important game action this season.

Notable Streaks and Trends
• The Cowgirls have been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of their last 154 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• Sydney Pennington has started 217 consecutive games, which amounts to every game of her career.
• Kelly Maxwell has tallied double digit strikeouts in each of her last two starts and has fanned no less than six opposing batters in each of her last five appearances.
• OSU has at least one stolen base in five of its last 10 games.
• OSU has allowed four or fewer runs in seven of its last 10 games.
• OSU has blasted at least one home run in six of its last 10 games.
• OSU has held six of its last 10 opponents without a home run.
• OSU has struck out at least seven batters in eight of its last 10 contests.

Series History vs. This Week's Opponents
Oklahoma State and Texas Southern have met just once - a neutral-site Cowgirl 3-0 victory in 2014.

OSU and Texas A&M share a 75-game series history dating back to 1981. The Aggies hold the series advantage, 52-23, including a 20-9 record on their home field.

Oklahoma State meets Tennessee State for the first time this weekend.

Who's Hot
Junior left handed pitcher Kelly Maxwell has proven herself to be among the elite arms in college softball. The Friendswood, Texas native earned Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week honors due in large part to a one-hit, complete-game shutout over No. 19/16 Michigan at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational.

In her two starts at the event against national powers Michigan and Washington, Maxwell allowed just two earned runs and racked up 20 strikeouts in 12 innings of work. She kept hitters to a .190 average.

At the plate, there has been no bat in the Oklahoma State lineup hotter than Chyenne Factor's. The senior outfielder was the highlight of the Cowgirls' offense at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational, where – over a five game stretch – she led the team in runs (six), hits (seven), total bases (13) and tied first for home runs and runs batted in. She batted .538 with a 1.000 slugging percentage and tallied a .600 on-base percentage in her 13 at bats at the event.

All-America Trio
A trio of All-Americans headline an Oklahoma State roster loaded with talent.

Pitcher and designated player Miranda Elish earned first team All-America honors from SoftballAmerica in 2020.
The same publication named Sydney Pennington a second team All-American, while outfielder Hayley Busby was voted an National Fastpitch Coaches Association third team All-American.

Depth in the Lineup
Kiley Naomi returns to contribute to the Oklahoma State unit in every facet of the game. Naomi garnered preseason first team All-America honors from D1Softball and was ranked by that publication as the No. 1 shortstop in the nation ahead of the 2022 slate.

At second base, Gajewski has brought in Brianna Evans from Red Oak, Texas – the lone freshman in Oklahoma State's starting lineup – who was ranked No. 11 in the Extra Inning Softball's Elite 100.

At catcher, Julia Cottrill is a 2021 NFCA All-Region third team honoree and All-SEC Newcomer team member who brings two years of starting experience with her from Florida.

Rounding out a star-studded infield, Morgyn Wynne was first team All-Big 12 at Kansas in 2021 and was named to Softball America's 2022 preseason second team All-American squad.

OSU returns a talented outfield group that includes veteran playmakers Chyenne Factor and Chelsea Alexander, who are joined by Karli Petty, a converted second basemen whose versatility has made her a viable option in the grass. The trio will be joined by a pair of speedy sophomores in Scotland David and Avery Hobson.

In The Works
Cowgirl Stadium features some notable updates for the 2022 season.

The Pokes took demolition into their own hands as they tore down the outfield wall that has enclosed the ballpark since it opened in 2000. A newly constructed, padded and decorated outfield and backstop wall went in its place. The stadium also features a new artificial outfield playing surface, updated scoreboard and batter's eye structures and additional observation decks beyond the right field wall to accomodate the Cowgirls' growing fan base.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chelsea Alexander

Hayley Busby

Tatum Clopton

Julia Cottrill

Scotland David

Morgan Day

Miranda Elish

Chyenne Factor

Avery Hobson

Kelly Maxwell

Kiley Naomi

Sydney Pennington

Karli Petty

Morgyn Wynne

Oklahoma State University Athletics