Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
North Texas
OSU Softball Travels For Midweek At North Texas
May 02, 2023 | Cowgirl Softball
The Basics
For its final road contest of the 2023 season, the No. 6/7 Oklahoma State softball team travels to Denton, Texas, to take on the North Texas at Lovelace Stadium on May 3; first pitch for the midweek contest with the Mean Green is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Watch, Listen, Follow
Oklahoma State's midweek at North Texas can be streamed on ESPN+ with Kyle Youmans and Ashley Pickle and can be heard 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 2, Oklahoma State ranks:
• No. 4 NCAA DI Adjusted Rating Percentage Index
• No. 6 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
• No. 7 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll
• No. 7 in the D1Softball Top 25
• No. 7 in the Softball America College Top 25
• No. 11 in the Extra Inning Softball Top 25
Oklahoma State From A Distance
In its third Big 12 series victory of the season at Texas Tech, OSU claimed a third-consecutive 40-win season, a feat it has accomplished only twice in its history (1988-90 & 1992-94). The Cowgirls already have ranked wins over Oregon (RPI No. 18), Virginia Tech (RPI No. 26), Michigan (RPI No. 36) and Missouri (RPI No. 42), as well as a pair of wins over Florida State (RPI No. 5) and a series sweep of Baylor (RPI No. 24).
Leading the way for Oklahoma State on offense is a pair of All-American 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' every day second baseman and leadoff hitter after transferring from Purdue, Becker currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in batting average (.462 – ninth), doubles (17 – third) and on-base percentage (.575 – sixth). 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 (251), the Cowgirls' shortstop has claimed OSU career records for double plays turned, assists and runs scored.
Just as she did in 2022, redshirt senior Kelly Maxwell anchors the Oklahoma State pitching staff as the Big 12 Conference leader in hits allowed per seven innings (3.27), saves (five), strikeouts (180) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.5).
Series History
Oklahoma State owns a 23-7 series lead over North Texas, including a 6-2 record in games played in Denton, Texas.
In his eight-year tenure as head coach of the Cowgirls, Kenny Gajewski is 7-0 all-time versus North Texas.
A season ago, OSU twice emerged victorious over North Texas: once during the regular season (4-2 on March 15 in Denton) and once during the postseason en route to its third-consecutive Women's College World Series berth (2-0 on May 22 in Stillwater).
Notable Streaks & Trends
• OSU has been ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Poll in each of its last 253 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• OSU has nine wins over RPI top 25 opponents.
• OSU has outscored its opponents 318-106, a +212 run differential.
• OSU has outscored its opponents 65-5 in the first inning.
• OSU has earned 15 of its 41 wins this season via run-rule.
• OSU has claimed 22 of its 41 wins this season by five or more runs.
• OSU has scored first in 37 of its 50 contests this season.
• OSU has committed zero errors in 32 of its 50 games this season.
• OSU has held opponents to five runs or less in 41 of its 47 games this season.
• Rachel Becker reached base safely at least once in 49 consecutive games from February 10 to April 29, the longest on-base streak in OSU program history.
• Kelly Maxwell has recorded 180 of the Cowgirls pitching staff's 363 strikeouts this season, which equates to 49.5 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 travels to North Texas with several top-10 statistical rankings:
• .330 batting average (eighth in NCAA).
• .54 double plays per game (sixth in NCAA).
• 89 doubles (third in NCAA).
• 1.78 doubles per game (fourth in NCAA).
• .420 on-base percentage (eighth in NCAA).
• .981 fielding percentage (sixth in NCAA).
• 19 shutouts (fourth in NCAA).
• .820 win percentage (ninth in NCAA).
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 .575 on-base percentage ranks sixth among NCAA DI hitters, while her .462 batting average ranks ninth 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).
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 (3.27), saves (five), strikeouts (180) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.5).
For reference, her 180 strikeouts this season is more than 100 NCAA DI teams.
We've Got Five On It
One of three graduate Cowgirls to have spent her entire collegiate career at Oklahoma State, Kiley Naomi is on pace to make the final season of NCAA softball one of her best as she further solidifies her name into Oklahoma State's program record books, having already claimed career record for double plays turned, assists and runs scored.
