Cowgirl Softball Travels To Puerto Vallarta For 2023 Season Opener

Friday, February 10

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

6 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

Oregon

Cowgirl Softball Travels To Puerto Vallarta For 2023 Season Opener

February 08, 2023 | Cowgirl Softball

Watch Follow Listen Game Notes

The Basics
The No. 3/3 Oklahoma State softball team travels internationally to open the 2023 season in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

The Pokes kick things off with No. 24/22 Oregon on February 10 at 6 p.m. CT before taking on North Carolina on February 11 at 8:30 p.m. CT. On February 12, Oklahoma State is set to take on Maryland at 11 a.m. CT and will wrap up opening weekend against RV/RV Ole Miss at 4 p.m. CT.

Watch, Listen, Follow
Each of Oklahoma State's games at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge will be streamed on FloSoftball.

All four games can be heard on Stillwater Radio Networks at stillwaterradio.net and 105.5 KGFY with Brodie Myers.

Live stats for all of OSU's games over the weekend will be available online at statbroadcast.com.

Fans can follow @CowgirlSB on Twitter all season for regular coverage and updates

In The Rankings
As of February 6, Oklahoma State ranks:
- No. 2 in the Softball America NCAA Division I Softball Top 25
- No. 2 in the Big 12 Conference Poll
- No. 3 in the D1Softball Top 25
- No. 3 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll
- No. 3 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25

Oklahoma State From a Distance
Six starters are back from a 2022 team that put together a 40 win season, which ended at the Women's College World Series for an NCAA era program record third consecutive year. Five of OSU's returning starters were also starters on the Cowgirls' 2021 WCWS team and two of them started for OSU during its 2019 WCWS appearance.

Returning for the Cowgirls are All-Americans Kelly Maxwell and Katelynn Carwile, as well as a pair of graduate veterans and All-Big 12 regulars Chyenne Factor and Kiley Naomi.

Impact newcomers include two-time All-Big Ten honoree and All-American infielder Rachel Becker, All-SEC Newcomer and All-Region pitcher Lexi Kilyfoyl and 2022 NFCA DI Freshman of the Year finalist Megan Bloodworth.

A talented freshman class – including six members of the Extra Inning Softball Elite 100 – enter the mix. Tallen Edwards (No. 3 overall), Haidyn Sokoloski (No. 17 overall) and Kyra Aycock (No. 26 overall) are all likely candidates to see meaningful playing time in their first year with the Cowgirls. Angelina Craig, Katie Lott, Lexi McDonald and Claire Timm round out the 20th ranked signing class in the country, per Extra Inning Softball.

Notable Streaks and Trends
• OSU has been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of their past 203 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• OSU has won each of its last two season openers (12-11 vs. Arkansas on Feb. 11, 2021; 5-2 vs. Arizona State on Feb. 10, 2022).
• OSU is 20-10 on opening weekend in the Gajewski era.
• OSU is 37-12 on opening weekend dating back to 1978.
• OSU is coming off a season in which it eclipsed 40 wins for a third year in a row, a feat it has accomplished only two other times in its history (1988-90 and 1992-94).

Series History
Oklahoma State and Oregon have met 23 times dating back to 1986. The Cowgirls hold a 14-9 series lead, including 10 wins on neutral turf. The most recent matchup with the Ducks was a 4-2 Cowgirls' win in Stillwater in 2020.

The Pokes' series with North Carolina is tied at 2-2. The last meeting between the two came in 2019 – Gajewski's only career meeting against the Tar Heels; OSU emerged victorious, 7-5.

Oklahoma State's game with Maryland will be its first against the Terrapins since 2013. OSU leveled the series record to two games a piece with a 1-0 victory the last time out.

Against Ole Miss, Oklahoma State leads the series, 7-4, although the Rebels are winners in each of the past three meetings.

Strength Of Schedule
The Cowgirls are scheduled to play 26 games against teams that participated in last year's NCAA Tournament, including 15 contests against seven 2022 conference champions: Central Florida (American), Florida State (ACC), North Texas (C-USA), Nebraska (Big Ten), Arizona State (Pac-12), South Dakota State (Summit League) and Louisiana (Sun Belt).

2022 NCAA Super Regional participants Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia Tech are also on the slate, as are NCAA Tournament participants Michigan, Ole Miss, Wichita State, Oregon, Florida State, Missouri, Louisiana, Nebraksa and North Texas.

All-American Duo
A pair of returning All-Americans headline an Oklahoma State roster loaded with talent. No other pitcher on roster, or in the country for that matter, is as highly anticipated as reigning Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and unanimous first team All-American Kelly Maxwell.

Her 10.28 strikeouts per seven innings is atop Oklahoma State's career list; she ranks among the top-10 of the program's career lists in winning percentage (.763), shutouts (24) and strikeouts (517). Aside from the solo perfect game she pitched in her collegiate debut in 2020, she combined with Carrie Eberle for the first combined perfect game in school history in 2021.

In total, she's responsible for five no-hitters in her OSU career. 2022 was Maxwell's first season as the leader of the Oklahoma State pitching staff and she took full advantage. She posted a 21-5 record and a 1.22 season ERA with 20 complete-game performances, 12 shutouts and 313 strikeouts, making her just one of three OSU pitchers to amass 300+ in a single season.

A familiar face in Katelynn Carwile returns as the starter in right field and a fixture in the top half of the OSU batting order. She quickly became one of the Cowgirls' top offensive weapons in 2022 after earning the first start of her collegiate career in February. A year ago,Carwile totaled 31 runs scored, 54 hits, 14 doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBI. With plenty of reason to believe she can produce at the same pace, Carwile has the chance to elevate her name into program record books in 2023.

Fresh Faces In New Places
With the graduation of All-Americans Sydney Pennington, Hayley Busby and Miranda Elish, the Cowgirls undoubtedly lost veteran leadership. Nonetheless, head coach Kenny Gajewski has refreshed the group with a talented mix of high-profile transfers and promising freshmen.

All-American Rachel Becker comes to Stillwater after garnering back-to-back first team All-Big Ten honors in her final two years at Purdue. Former Alabama infielder Megan Bloodworth has proven her ability to compete at a high level after starting her career in the SEC. Senior pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl, also an Alabama transfer, is the likeliest candidate to alternate starts in the circle with Maxwell. Sophomore transfer Sophie Page earned starts at second and shortstop during her time at UAB and can step into either side of the middle infield if needed.

A handful of freshmen also have a chance to make an immediate impact in their first season with OSU. Tallen Edwards has personified utility since arriving in Stillwater and can fit well into any lineup. Behind Maxwell and Kilfoyl, Kyra Aycock has proven she's a reliable option in relief. Haidyn Sokoloski's athleticism has suited her well as she's developed into a capable defender in the infield or the outfield.