Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
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Kansas
Pokes Open Postseason At Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship
May 11, 2022 | Cowgirl Softball
The Basics
The No. 7/8 Oklahoma State softball team (38-12, 14-4 Big 12) is the No. 2 seed at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City from May 12-14.
In a single-elimination format – new to the Big 12 Softball Championship – Oklahoma State opens with No. 7 seed Kansas on Thursday at 3 p.m. The winner advances to play either No. 3 Texas or No. 6 Texas Tech at 4 p.m. Friday in the semifinal round. The championship game is slated for 2 p.m. Saturday.
Watch, Listen, Follow
The entirety of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship is set to be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks with Courtney Lyle and Danielle Lawrie on the call.
Oklahoma State's game with Kansas can be streamed on ESPN+, as can Friday's semifinal. The title game can be seen on ESPN2.
All of Oklahoma State's games can be heard on 105.5 KGFY FM or online at stillwaterradio.net with Bill Van Ness on the call.
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 May 10, Oklahoma State ranks:
• No. 7 in NCAA DI Adjusted Rating Percentage Index
• No. 7 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll
• No. 8 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
• No. 9 in D1Softball's Top 25
• No. 9 in Extra Inning Softball Top 25
• No. 9 in SoftballAmerica's NCAA Division I Softball Top 25
Oklahoma State From a Distance
With 30 regular season wins over teams with a top 100 RPI – including 16 victories over top-50 RPI opponents – Oklahoma State has positioned itself as a realistic candidate to host both the Regional and Super Regional rounds of the 2022 NCAA tournament.
The Cowgirls boast top-25 wins over Northwestern, Michigan, Arizona State and a three-game series sweep of Texas, as well as a 14-4 record in the Big 12 Conference and 24 wins in a nonconference slate that ranks 13th nationally in strength of schedule.
Starting pitching and defense are important parts of OSU's success. The ace of the OSU pitching staff Kelly Maxwell leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally with 11.5 strikeouts per seven innings and ranks 16th in in the nation with a 1.37 earned run average.
She is also in the top 25 nationally in fewest hits allowed per game (seventh – 3.49), shutouts (T-22nd – seven) and strikeouts (22nd - 228).
Perhaps the nation's best dual-threat talent, Miranda Elish has won her last 10 as the Cowgirls' starting pitcher and has logged two no-hitters this season. Also one of Oklahoma State's top hitters in Big 12 play, Elish ended the regular season ranked top 10 in the conference in slugging percentage (sixth – .725), on-base plus slugging (eighth – 1.139), hits (10th – 18), RBI (second – 22) and home runs (fourth– six).
Defensively, the Cowgirls boast top national rankings in fielding percentage (sixth – .980), fewest errors (fourth – 25) and shutouts (18th – 14).
Notable Streaks and Trends
• 14 wins in Big 12 play is OSU's second-best total since the conference began play in 1997.
• With two more wins, OSU will have its third consecutive 40-win season (excluding the shortened 2020 season). Three straight 40 wins seasons has happened only twice in school history (1988-90 and 1992-94.)
• OSU has 38 regular season wins in 2022, to mark its second-highest output before the start of postseason play in the last decade.
• OSU has elevated its adjusted RPI five spots – from No. 12 to No. 7 – since the start of Big 12 play.
• OSU has outscored Big 12 opposition by a combined score of 101-40.
• The Cowgirls have been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of their last 191 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• Sydney Pennington has started 257 consecutive games, which amounts to every game of her career.
• Sydney Pennington, Chyenne Factor and Julia Cottrill are tied for sixth place in the Big 12 with 10 home runs apiece.
• Kelly Maxwell has tallied double digit strikeouts in 12 of her 20 starts this season.
• Kelly Maxwell's 228 strikeouts ranks eighth in a single season in school history and is in range of Michele Smith who fanned 240 batters in 1989.
Built for the Big 12
The Pokes' 14-4 regular season record against Big 12 opposition ranks second to only the 2021 Cowgirls for the best finish in regular season Big 12 play in program history.
Oklahoma State outscored conference foes by a combined score of 101-40, including four shutouts and four run-rule victories in that stretch.
A consistent presence in the posteason, the Cowgirls have reached the championship game at each of the last four Big 12 tournaments.
At the reins of OSU softball, head coach Kenny Gajewski has totaled an 8-3 record at the Big 12 Conference tournament.
Defense First
Oklahoma State's defense leads the Big 12 and boasts top national rankings in fielding percentage (sixth – .980) and fewest errors (fourth – 25).
The Cowgirls have committed no more than two errors in any game this season and have had just six defensive miscues against Big 12 opposition.
To The Max
The Big 12's leader in strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings and shutouts, Kelly Maxwell is a Top 10 finalist for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year award.
In the midst of the best season of her career, she has already set or matched single-season career highs in earned run average, wins, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, strikeouts and opponent batting average.
The Cowgirls' ace is a likely candidate for top 25 program single-season marks in highest strikeouts per seven innings, lowest walks per seven innings, win percentage, victories and complete games.
Maxwell's stellar redshirt junior season has already secured her top 25 single season rankings in shutouts (19th – seven) and strikeouts (eighth – 228).
Kate Is Great
One of just two underclassmen starters in a lineup of All-America talent, sophomore Katelynn Carwile ranks top 10 in the Big 12 in hits (seventh – 19), RBI (10th – 15) and doubles (ninth – four) through the Cowgirls' 18 regular season conference contests.
She's recorded at least one hit in 26 of her last 35 games and has tallied 13 multi-hit games on the season to lead the team. She reached base in 21 consecutive games from March 16 to April 22 for the longest such streak for a Cowgirl this season.
Sydney P
Oklahoma State's career home run queen and record holder in games played and games started has emerged as a statistical leader in the Cowgirls' lineup in her final collegiate season.
She ranks sixth in the Big 12 in RBI (41) and is seventh in home runs (10). Pennington ranks among among OSU's leaders in batting average (fourth – .319), slugging percentage (fifth – .578), hits (second – 43) and runs (fifth – 29).
The graduate senior with a program-record 257 consecutive starts for the Cowgirls has tallied 10 multiple-RBI performances on the year, five of which have come against conference opposition.
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