Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
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Kansas
Cowgirls Open Postseason Play At Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship
May 10, 2023 | Cowgirl Softball
The Basics
2022 Big 12 Softball tournament champion Oklahoma State opens postseason play when the No. 8/8 Cowgirls travel to Oklahoma City, to compete in the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship at Hall of Fame Stadium from May 11-13.
The No. 3 seeded-Cowgirls begin the tournament against No. 6 Kansas on Thursday; first pitch is slated for 3 p.m. CT.
Watch, Listen, Follow
Each game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship can be seen on the ESPN family of networks with Eric Frede and Madison Shipman on the call.
Fans can also tune in on The Varsity Network or stillwaterradio.net with Bill Van Ness on the call.
Live stats for all of Oklahoma State's games are available online at statbroadcast.com.
Fans can follow @cowgirlsb on Twitter for regular in-game coverage and updates.
In The Rankings
As of May 9, Oklahoma State ranks:
• No. 5 NCAA DI Adjusted Rating Percentage Index
• No. 8 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
• No. 8 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll
• No. 9 NCAA DI Strength of Schedule
Oklahoma State From A Distance
In the midst of its third consecutive 40-win season – a feat it has accomplished just three times in its history (1988-90 & 1992-94) – Oklahoma State has positioned itself to host the Regional and Super Regional rounds of the 2023 NCAA DI Softball Championship.
The Cowgirls already have ranked wins over Oregon (RPI No. 16), Virginia Tech (RPI No. 22), Michigan (RPI No. 42) and Missouri (RPI No. 45), as well as a pair of wins over Florida State (RPI No. 5) and a series sweep of Baylor (RPI No. 22).
Leading the way and often leading off for Oklahoma State on offense is a pair of All-America candidates in Rachel Becker and Kiley Naomi. The graduates form a dynamic middle infield duo and their role in the top half of the OSU batting order has been equally impactful.
As the Cowgirls' day one second baseman and leadoff hitter, the Purdue transfer Becker currently ranks in the top 15 nationally in batting average (.449 – 12th), doubles (19 – first), on-base percentage (.560 – ninth) and hits (71 - 11th). Naomi is further solidifying her name in OSU program record books in her fifth and final year as a Cowgirl. The NCAA DI active career leader in games played (258), the Cowgirls' shortstop has claimed OSU career records for double plays turned, assists and runs scored.Â
An All-American and returning member of the United States Women's National Team, redshirt senior Kelly Maxwell anchors the Oklahoma State pitching staff as the Big 12 Conference leader in hits allowed per seven innings (3.55), strikeouts (193) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.4).
Tournament History
After beating Kansas and Texas to advance to last year's championship final, Oklahoma State claimed its first conference trophy of the Big 12 era with a 4-3 eight-inning win over No. 1/1 Oklahoma at the 2022 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship.
Notable Streaks & Trends
• OSU has been ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Poll in each of its last 257 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• OSU has played 54 games in 2023, 40 of which have been against top-75 RPI opponents.
• OSU has nine wins over RPI top 25 opponents.
• OSU has outscored its opponents, 325-128, for a +197 run differential.
• OSU has outscored its opponents, 68-6, in the first inning.
• OSU has earned 15 of its 41 wins this season via run-rule.
• OSU has claimed 21 of its 41 wins this season by five or more runs.
• OSU has held opponents to five runs or less in 47 of its 54 games this season.
• OSU is 33-6 when scoring first and 23-3 when scoring in the first inning.
• OSU is 28-5 when it commits zero errors.
• Rachel Becker reached base safely in 49 consecutive games from February 10 to April 29, the longest on-base streak
in OSU program history.
• Kelly Maxwell has recorded 193 of the Cowgirls pitching staff's 386 strikeouts this season, which equates to 50.0 percent of Oklahoma State's strikeouts.
National Powerhouse
Oklahoma State has positioned itself among the elite in 2023, with the numbers to show for it.
As a unit, OSU begins postseason play at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship with several top-10 statistical rankings:
• .323 batting average (ninth in NCAA DI).
• .54 double plays per game (seventh in NCAA DI).
• 94 doubles (third in NCAA DI).
• 1.74 doubles per game (fourth in NCAA DI).
• .979 fielding percentage (eighth in NCAA DI).
• 19 shutouts (seventh in NCAA DI).
Becker's Batting Bonanza
Graduate infielder Rachel Becker has played at an All-America level in her first season at Oklahoma State and the final season of her collegiate career. Her .560 on-base percentage ranks ninth among NCAA DI hitters, while her .449 batting average ranks 12th in NCAA DI.
Consistency is key to Becker's success at the plate: she has pieced together a 21-game hitting streak (second-longest in OSU history) from March 17 to April 22 and a separate 18-game hitting streak from February 11 to March 5 (third-longest in OSU history). Her 49-game on-base streak from February 10 to April 29 set a new OSU program record.
To The Max
In All-American form, Kelly Maxwell has anchored the Oklahoma State pitching staff in her second year as the Cowgirls' ace. The redshirt senior lefty leads the Big 12 Conference in hits allowed per seven innings (3.55), strikeouts (193) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.4).
For reference, her 193 strikeouts this season is more than 92 NCAA DI teams.
We've Got Five On ItÂ
One of three graduate Cowgirls to have spent her entire collegiate career at Oklahoma State, Kiley Naomi is solidifying her place in Oklahoma State program history, having already claimed career records for double plays turned, assists and runs scored.
The NCAA DI active career leader in games played has shown notable improvement over the last year, having already surpassed her 2022 season totals in a number of statistical categories.
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