Oklahoma State University Athletics
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OSU Softball Heads South For Showcase Nonconference Series With Florida State
April 27, 2022 | Cowgirl Softball
The Basics
The No. 6/7 Oklahoma State softball team (38-7, 14-1 Big 12) is on the road for a showcase nonconference two-game set with No. 4/4 Florida State (43-5, 14-4 ACC). Games are slated for 6 p.m. CT on Thursday and 5 p.m. CT on Friday.
Watch, Listen, Follow
Oklahoma State's games at Florida State are set to be nationally televised on the ESPN family of networks with Michele Smith and Beth Mowins on the call. Thursday's game can be seen on ESPN2, while Friday's game is on ESPNU.
Live stats are available online at okstate.statbroadcast.com.
Fans can follow @CowgirlSB on Twitter all season for regular coverage and updates.
In the Rankings
As of April 26, Oklahoma State ranks:
• No. 6 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll
• No. 6 in SoftballAmerica's NCAA Division I Softball Top 25
• No. 6 in D1Softball's Top 25
• No. 7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
• No. 9 in NCAA DI Adjusted Rating Percentage Index
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Winners in nine in a row and 21 of its last 22, Oklahoma State is in the conversation as a host for both the Regional and Super Regional rounds of the 2022 NCAA tournament.
The Cowgirls already have top-25 wins over Northwestern, Michigan and Arizona State as well as a three-game series sweep over Texas. Their final five games of the regular season will be played at No. 4 Florida State and at No. 1 Oklahoma.
Starting pitching and defense are important parts of OSU's success. Left-hander Kelly Maxwell leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally with 12.3 strikeouts per seven innings and ranks in the top 15 nationally in fewest hits allowed per game (sixth – 3.35), shutouts (14th – seven) and win percentage (fourth – .938).
Right-hander Miranda Elish has won her last 10 starts and has logged two no-hitters this season. The Cowgirls' cleanup hitter in nine of the last 12 contests, Elish also leads the club in batting average, hits, home runs and RBI in Big 12 play.
Defensively, the Cowgirls boast top national rankings in fielding percentage (second – .983), fewest errors (second – 20) and shutouts (11th – 14).
Notable Streaks and Trends
• OSU has won nine in a row and 21 of its last 22.
• OSU has outscored Big 12 opposition by a combined score of 97-22 through 15 games, including four shutouts and four run-rule
victories in that stretch.
• OSU has elevated its adjusted RPI three spots – from No. 12 to No. 9 – since the start of Big 12 play.
• OSU has out-hit its opponents in 36 of its 45 games this season.
• OSU has kept opponents to three runs or less in 27 of its last 30 and 38 of its 45 games this season.
• The Cowgirls have been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of their last 186 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• Miranda Elish is leading all Cowgirls in batting average (.415), slugging percentage (.878), on-base percentage (.479), hits (17), home
runs (six) and RBI (22) through 15 games against Big 12 foes.
• Sydney Pennington has started 252 consecutive games, which amounts to every game of her career.
• Kelly Maxwell has tallied double digit strikeouts in 11 of her 17 starts this season.
• Julia Cottrill currently boasts the longest active hit streak (six games) and reached base streak (12 games) among all Cowgirls.
• Katelynn Carwile leads all Cowgirls in multi-hit games this season with 13 (10 two-hit games, two three-hit games and one four-hit
game).
Series History
Some of the most significant meetings between Oklahoma State and Florida State have come in the last two NCAA postseasons.
In 2019, OSU knocked off the defending national champion Seminoles at the Tallahassee Super Regional to reach its first WCWS since
2011. Two years later, in the second round of the winner's bracket at the 2021 WCWS, it was Florida State who ended the Cowgirls' season early. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with FSU, 13-9, including a 4-1 record in games played in Tallahassee.
Built for the Big 12
After grinding through a nonconference slate that featured 11 games against teams with a top-50 adjusted RPI, OSU has opened Big 12 play with five consecutive series wins over Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas.
The Pokes' 14-1 record through its first 15 conference contests ties the 2021 Cowgirls for the best start to Big 12 play in program history through as many games.
Oklahoma state has outscored Big 12 opposition by a combined score of 97-22, including four shutouts and four run-rule victories in that stretch.
Defense First
Oklahoma State's defense leads the Big 12 and boasts top national rankings in fielding percentage (second – .983) and fewest errors (second – 20).
The Cowgirls have committed no more than two errors in any game this season and have had just three defensive miscues against Big 12 opposition.
Read it and Sweep
Last week, OSU swept Texas in a three-game series in Stillwater. It marked 14 wins in the Cowgirls' last 16 meetings with the Longhorns and Oklahoma State's fourth Big 12 sweep of the year.
Julia Cottrill and Miranda Elish completed a sweep of their own by snagging Big 12 Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, for their performances against UT.
Cottrill earned the first Big 12 weekly award of her career after posting a .500 batting average with a pair of home runs, three walks, and a 1.200 slugging percentage.
She launched a solo shot to right field in the bottom of the ninth to clinch a walk-off victory over Texas in the series opener. In the series finale, her third inning solo shot was a crucial to OSU's 2-1 win. The Florida transfer's 12 total bases during the week were tied for first in the league.
Starting the second game of the series against her former team, Elish allowed just two hits and one walk through 6.2 innings for her 14th victory of the season and her eighth career Big 12 weekly accolade. The senior kept the Longhorns to a .091 batting average, which was .218 points lower than their season norm – .309 – and helped her cause at the plate with a two-run home run in the third inning.
Kate Is Great
An underclassman in a lineup loaded with All-America talent, sophomore Katelynn Carwile owns top ranks among her teammates in runs scored (tied-first – 29), hits (first – 43), doubles (first – 11), home runs (tied-second – six), RBI (tied-second – 29) and total bases (second – 72).
She's recorded at least one hit in 22 of her last 30 games and has tallied 13 multi-hit games on the season, which leads all Pokes. Carwile reached base in 21 consecutive games from March 16 to April 22, the longest streak by any Cowgirl this season.
To The Max
The Big 12's strikeout leader Kelly Maxwell proved she belongs among USA Softball's Top 25 Finalists for Collegiate Player of the Year with another stellar performance against Texas on Friday.
The four-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week fanned 10 batters, allowed only two runs and seven hits in an nine-inning victory, her 15th of the year. Maxwell currently has 209 strikeouts in 119 innings pitched. Her ERA sits at 1.06 and she's kept opposing batters to .139 batting average.
