Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Central Arkansas
Pokes Travel For Midweek At UCA, Return Home To Host OSU Mizuno Classic
March 14, 2023 | Cowgirl Softball
The Basics
The No. 2/2 Oklahoma State softball is set for a midweek road trip to take on Central Arkansas on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT in Conway, Arkansas, before returning to Stillwater to host Arizona State and UCF at Cowgirl Stadium in the OSU Mizuno Classic from March 17-19.
OSU plays UCF on 3:30 p.m. CT and Arizona State at 6 p.m. CT on March 17. On Saturday, the Pokes play ASU at 2:30 p.m. CT and UCF at 5 p.m. CT. The Cowgirls round out a six-game stretch with UCF at 12:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
Watch, Listen, Follow
Select games during Oklahoma State's six-game week five slate can be streamed on ESPN+: Wednesday, March 15 at Central Arkansas; Friday, March 17 versus Arizona State; Saturday, March 18 versus UCF; and Sunday, March 19 versus UCF.
Each of Oklahoma State's games over the weekend can be heard on stillwaterradio.net or The Varsity Network with Bill Van Ness on the call.Â
Live stats for all of Oklahoma State's games are available online at statbroadcast.com.
Fans can follow @cowgirlsb on Twitter all season for regular coverage and updates.
In The Rankings
As of March 13, Oklahoma State ranks:
• No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll.
• No. 2 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.
• No. 2 in the D1Softball Top 25.
• No. 3 in the Softball America NCAA Division I Softball Top 25.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Six starters are back from a 2022 Oklahoma State 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 & Trends
• OSU has been ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Assocation Poll in each of its last 225 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• OSU has claimed five of the eight Big 12 Conference weekly honors awarded this season.
• OSU has outscored its opponents 172-53.
• OSU has outscored its opponents 45-2 in the first inning.
• OSU has outhit its opponents in 21 of its 22 games this season.
• OSU has scored first in 17 of its 22 contests this season.
• OSU has committed zero errors in 15 of its 22 games this season.
• OSU has earned 10 of its 20 wins this season via run-rule.
• OSU has posted nine shutouts as a team this season, which is tied for sixth-most in NCAA DI.
• Rachel Becker has reached base safely at least once in each of the Cowgirls' 22 games this season.
• Kyra Aycock has started four games for the Cowgirls this season. In those starts, she has totaled 21 strikeouts and has allowed one earned run, 12 hits and three walks.
Series History
Oklahoma State boasts a perfect 10-0 series record against Central Arkansas; the Cowgirls last three victories have come via run-rule. Most recently, OSU bested UCA in a 14-1 five-inning contest on March 11, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Pokes' meeting with the Knights of Central Florida will be the first since 2009 and the first ever in Stillwater. A future member of the Big 12 Conference, UCF has the slight edge in the all-time series against OSU, 2-1.
The series record between Oklahoma State and Arizona State stands at 8-8. The Cowgirls tied the all-time series just last year, in a 5-2 season opening victory on February 10, 2022 that elevated Kenny Gajewski's record against the Sun Devils to 2-0.
Offensive Powerhouse
The Oklahoma State offense has positioned itself among the elite through the first month of the 2023 season. As a team, OSU enters the weekend with a plethora of top-10 statistical rankings:
• .365 batting average (fifth in NCAA DI).
• .465 on-base percentage (fourth in NCAA DI).
• .582 slugging percentage (ninth in NCAA DI).
Kyra's Ay-Game
The lone true freshman of Oklahoma State's pitching staff, Kyra Aycock tallied the fifth win of her young career as the Cowgirls' starter in their run-rule victory of then-No. 5/6 Florida State on March 11.
Although the OSU offense only needed five innings to secure the 9-1 win – the largest margin of victory over a top-five opponent in program history -– Aycock was stellar throughout. In her complete-game performance, she allowed a single earned run, two hits, zero walks and struck out five; she kept FSU batters to a .118 batting average.
Aycock is the first true freshman to earn Big 12 softball weekly honors this season. She is the first OSU true freshman to receive weekly recognition from the Big 12 Conference since Madi Sue Montgomery was named Player of the Week in 2016.
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