Oklahoma State University Athletics
Redefined Passion: Jilyen Poullard’s Path to Finding Her Love for Softball Again
December 06, 2023 | Cowgirl Softball
STILLWATER — After four years of collegiate softball, Jilyen Poullard was ready to say goodbye to the game until the support from loved ones encouraged her to continue her journey.
Poullard was a standout performer at McNeese State, leading the team in almost every statistical category during the 2022 season: batting average (.367), slugging percentage (.640), RBI (45), home runs (7) and total bases (96). After nine games in 2023, she chose to leave the team, and contemplated ending her time as a collegiate student-athlete.
"When I left, I thought I was done with softball," Poullard explained. "I thought that was just kind of it for me."
After consideration, Poullard decided to enter the transfer portal. She received interest from other schools in her previous conference, but Poullard knew she wanted something more.
"I had a lot of people contacting me from the conference that I was in, but I knew that if I wanted to do this, I wanted to do it," Poullard said. "I didn't want to just go next door,
"I remember me and my partner Madison; we were in our apartment, and I showed her [the call from Kenny Gajewski], and we started jumping up and down."
Choosing a program to join was not only about the strength of the team, but also the people inside the clubhouse.
"(Cowgirl Softball) and the people who lead it make this a very special place to be," she said.
Among the key factors driving Poullard to choose Oklahoma State were Gajewski and her desire to be on a team that feels like family.
"From the beginning, Coach Gajewski was like, 'I'm going to call you. I'm going to make this personal. Even if you don't choose us, I want you to know that you are important and you're going to do great wherever you go,' Poullard said. "That kind of family feel, it was very attractive, and it still holds true today. It's not a front and it's not fake. I think that is very rare."
Having grown up in a small town, Poullard said Stillwater just feels like home.
"[Stillwater] is a pretty small town," Poullard said. "I'm from a small town and where I'm from is where I played my collegiate career for four years. And that was also a small town, so it wasn't a very hard adjustment."
Being a fifth-year senior coming into a new program can be intimidating, so Poullard said joining a new team at this point of her career was surreal.
"I don't know if it's talked about enough because it comes with a lot of challenges," she said. "If you take a fifth year, you should be your most comfortable self, like yeah, I've done this for four years."
Poullard has always brought energy to her team and helped keep everyone motivated on the field.
"I've always been that energy-giver player," Poullard said. "So even if I'm not having my best day, I'm going to do my best to still be an energy-giver for my team. That's just who I am."
During her Cowgirl debut in the fall, Poullard learned a lot more about the game than she thought she already knew.
"I took a lot out of this fall - that this game will always humble you when you think you have it figured out, it's going to show you, and I think that's what's so cool about it," Poullard said.
Though Poullard didn't put up big numbers during the fall, she hit the ball hard and had quality at-bats.
"The coaching staff and my teammates were helpful throughout that process and every day reminding me like 'Hey, you're good. We don't need you to prove anything to us. You wouldn't be here if you weren't good enough,'"
Looking ahead to the spring, Poullard brings not only energy to the team but also power at the plate. Entering the season, she is thankful for the family she has found in Stillwater that encourages her every day.
"Coach took a chance on a girl from a small conference, a girl from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who no one knew her, and he never treated me as if I'm less than anyone here," Poullard said. "He tells me how valuable I am to this program on a daily basis. He's a great guy and I couldn't be more blessed to play under him."
Poullard was a standout performer at McNeese State, leading the team in almost every statistical category during the 2022 season: batting average (.367), slugging percentage (.640), RBI (45), home runs (7) and total bases (96). After nine games in 2023, she chose to leave the team, and contemplated ending her time as a collegiate student-athlete.
"When I left, I thought I was done with softball," Poullard explained. "I thought that was just kind of it for me."
After consideration, Poullard decided to enter the transfer portal. She received interest from other schools in her previous conference, but Poullard knew she wanted something more.
"I had a lot of people contacting me from the conference that I was in, but I knew that if I wanted to do this, I wanted to do it," Poullard said. "I didn't want to just go next door,
"I remember me and my partner Madison; we were in our apartment, and I showed her [the call from Kenny Gajewski], and we started jumping up and down."
Choosing a program to join was not only about the strength of the team, but also the people inside the clubhouse.
"(Cowgirl Softball) and the people who lead it make this a very special place to be," she said.
Among the key factors driving Poullard to choose Oklahoma State were Gajewski and her desire to be on a team that feels like family.
"From the beginning, Coach Gajewski was like, 'I'm going to call you. I'm going to make this personal. Even if you don't choose us, I want you to know that you are important and you're going to do great wherever you go,' Poullard said. "That kind of family feel, it was very attractive, and it still holds true today. It's not a front and it's not fake. I think that is very rare."
Having grown up in a small town, Poullard said Stillwater just feels like home.
"[Stillwater] is a pretty small town," Poullard said. "I'm from a small town and where I'm from is where I played my collegiate career for four years. And that was also a small town, so it wasn't a very hard adjustment."
Being a fifth-year senior coming into a new program can be intimidating, so Poullard said joining a new team at this point of her career was surreal.
"I don't know if it's talked about enough because it comes with a lot of challenges," she said. "If you take a fifth year, you should be your most comfortable self, like yeah, I've done this for four years."
Poullard has always brought energy to her team and helped keep everyone motivated on the field.
"I've always been that energy-giver player," Poullard said. "So even if I'm not having my best day, I'm going to do my best to still be an energy-giver for my team. That's just who I am."
During her Cowgirl debut in the fall, Poullard learned a lot more about the game than she thought she already knew.
"I took a lot out of this fall - that this game will always humble you when you think you have it figured out, it's going to show you, and I think that's what's so cool about it," Poullard said.
Though Poullard didn't put up big numbers during the fall, she hit the ball hard and had quality at-bats.
"The coaching staff and my teammates were helpful throughout that process and every day reminding me like 'Hey, you're good. We don't need you to prove anything to us. You wouldn't be here if you weren't good enough,'"
Looking ahead to the spring, Poullard brings not only energy to the team but also power at the plate. Entering the season, she is thankful for the family she has found in Stillwater that encourages her every day.
"Coach took a chance on a girl from a small conference, a girl from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who no one knew her, and he never treated me as if I'm less than anyone here," Poullard said. "He tells me how valuable I am to this program on a daily basis. He's a great guy and I couldn't be more blessed to play under him."
Players Mentioned
UTL
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