Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Clemson
Cowgirl Softball Gears Up For Stillwater Super Regional
May 24, 2022 | Cowgirl Softball
OSU Max: Go behind the scenes as Cowgirl Softball gears up for it's Super Regional against Clemson.
The Basics
Champions of the Big 12 Conference, the No. 7 national seed Oklahoma State softball team rides a six-game win streak into its third consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance as it hosts No. 10 national seed Clemson this week.
The Cowgirls and Tigers are set for a best of three series beginning at 8:30 p.m. CT Thursday in Cowgirl Stadium. Game two is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on Friday. The start time for Saturday's if-necessary game three is yet to be decided.
Watch, Listen, Follow
Game one and two of the NCAA Stillwater Super Regional are on ESPN2. The TV designation for Saturday's if-necessary game three is to be decided.
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 24, Oklahoma State ranks:
• No. 5 in SoftballAmerica's NCAA Division I Softball Top 25
• No. 6 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll
• No. 7 in NCAA DI Adjusted Rating Percentage Index
• No. 7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
• No. 9 in D1Softball's Top 25
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Just a week after winning its first Big 12 championship, Oklahoma State claimed consecutive wins over Atlantic 10 champion Fordham, Big Ten champion Nebraska and Conference USA champion North Texas to win the NCAA Stillwater Regional.
The Cowgirls boast top-25 wins over Northwestern, Michigan, Arizona State, four wins over Texas and a win over top-ranked Oklahoma. OSU has eight victories over NCAA Super Regional teams.
OSU is led by Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Kelly Maxwell, fellow first-team All-Big 12 performer Miranda Elish and second-team All-Big 12 honorees Katelynn Carwile, Chyenne Factor, Kiley Naomi and Sydney Pennington.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• OSU has eclipsed 40 wins for the third consecutive season, a feat it has accomplished only two other times in its history (1988-90 and 1992-94).
• OSU is among six NCAA DI softball programs to advance to each of the last three Super Regionals, joining Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington.
• OSU has played in the NCAA postseason every season since Kenny Gajewski's arrival in 2016, including two WCWS trips, six NCAA Regionals and three NCAA Super Regionals.
• OSU is 11-1 in NCAA tournament games played at Cowgirl Stadium during the Kenny Gajewski era.
• OSU has been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of its last 197 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• OSU is 33-3 when it scores first and 18-1 when it scores in the first inning.
• OSU has scored 302 runs in 2022, marking the sixth time in program history a team has tallied 300 or more in a single season.
• OSU boasts a .981 fielding percentage, which leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally.
• Kelly Maxwell leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth nationally with 11.5 strikeouts per seven innings. She also ranks in the top 10 nationally in shutouts (sixth, 10) and fewest hits per seven innings. (seventh, 3.54).
• Sydney Pennington has started 263 consecutive games, which amounts to every game of her career.
• After slashing .235/.333/.408 during the season, Hayley Busby slashed .556/.556/.667 during the NCAA Regional round.
• Of the eight Cowgirls who started every game of the NCAA Stillwater Regional, five had a batting average above .400 at the Stillwater Regional (Sydney Pennington - .600, Hayley Busby - .556, Katelynn Carwile - .500, Karli Petty - .444 and Miranda Elish - .429).
• Morgan Day has tallied 99 strikeouts this season. With one more, she would join Kelly Maxwell (238) and Miranda Elish (128) with a triple-digit season strikeout total. It would mark the first time in school history three pitchers have each recorded 100 or more strikeouts in a single season.
• Kelly Maxwell, Miranda Elish and Morgan Day have combined for 498 strikeouts this season, the second-highest single season strikeout total in team history. The trio is within range of becoming just the second OSU pitching staff to total 500 or more.
Feeling Super
OSU opened its sixth-straight NCAA postseason berth with a 12-0 victory over Atlantic 10 Conference champion Fordham. The margin of victory is the program's largest in the NCAA postseason and the 12-run total is the second highest to only the 2019 Cowgirls who scored 13 against Tulsa.
The Pokes went on to defeat Big Ten champion Nebraska, 7-4, behind a complete game from Morgan Day and a three-hit showing from Hayley Busby.
OSU clinched its Super Regional spot with a 2-0 win over Conference USA champion North Texas. Kelly Maxwell's 15 strikeouts kept the Mean Green from getting anything going at the plate. Maxwell's 10th shutout of the year pushed the Cowgirls' season total to 17.
Championship Mindset
After finishing the regular season with a 14-4 record against Big 12 opposition – the second-best regular season conference win total in school history – Oklahoma State opened the 2022 postseason in emphatic fashion as it captured its first Big 12 title.
The Cowgirls beat Kansas and No. 16/16 Texas to earn a spot in the Big 12 championship game for the fifth consecutive year.
OSU toppled No. 1/1 Oklahoma in the championship game to secure its first conference tournament championship since winning the Big Eight crown in 1992.
Chelsea Alexander, Chyenne Factor, Kelly Maxwell and Morgan Day were named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team; Day was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
To The Max
The Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and conference leader in strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings and shutouts, Kelly Maxwell is performing at an All-America level as the ace of the Oklahoma State pitching staff.
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.
Maxwell's stellar redshirt junior season has already secured her top 25 single season rankings in shutouts (T-7th – 10) and strikeouts (seventh – 263).
Day & Night
Right-handed graduate senior Morgan Day is playing her best softball when it matters most as the Cowgirls navigate the 2022 postseason without Miranda Elish in the circle.
The Illinois State transfer earned a pair of wins over No. 16/16 Texas and No. 1/1 Oklahoma in 12.0 innings pitched in the Big 12 Conference Championship. Named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, she did not give up a walk and allowed only nine hits and two runs. Day limited opposing batters to a .200 batting average at the event.
Day sports a 2.63 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 93.0 innings of work on the year with seven complete games. She is holding opponents to a .198 batting average.
