Oklahoma State University Athletics
Resiliency – Micaela Wark’s Journey to Oklahoma State
January 03, 2024 | Cowgirl Softball
Micaela Wark never imagined she would end up in Stillwater.
At Reedy HS in Frisco, Texas, Wark set program records in batting average, on-base percentage, home runs, runs batted in and doubles. She signed to play collegiately at Kansas.
However, due to injury, Wark redshirted her freshman year and decided to enter the transfer portal at the end of the season.
"I was far from family," she said. "I was nine and a half hours from home compared to the three and a half I am here at Oklahoma State. I wanted to be closer to home after going through injuries."
This was Wark's second season-ending injury in as many years and she was concerned about the effect it would have on her ability to continue at a high level.
"It's hard to believe in the girl that hasn't played in two years," Wark reasoned.
With help from her club coach, Kevin Shelton, Wark was put in touch with Coach Gajewski. She had attended Cowgirl Softball camps in the past but had not played in front of Gajewski since high school. However, OSU's head coach was still very aware of who Wark was and the potential she could bring to OSU Softball.
"Once she was in the portal, we got a phone call from her," Gajewski said. "I had reached out and talked to her travel coach, who we know well, and talked to him about everything and got a good perspective,
"Any time you know a kid has gone through the type of things that they've gone through and they're persevering, and you know what they had, it didn't feel that risky," he said. "It felt like it's what we needed to do, and we were excited to have the opportunity to bring her here, knowing she was healthy and knowing what she's capable of. That was easy to see right when she got here."
Following the phone call with Gajewski, Wark set up a visit to Stillwater to check out the campus. That visit was the decider.
"I got to campus and ended up canceling two visits I had lined up. I committed the second I could. I was in summer school here a week and a half later."
With a school picked out and the transfer portal behind her, Wark now had a new challenge ahead of her, rebuilding her confidence.
"I didn't have high hopes coming in," Wark remembered. "I was pretty beaten down and to be honest, didn't love softball anymore."
Wark came to Stillwater with one goal in mind: learn to love the game again.
"I had been through so much that made me shy away from the game. I was a nervous wreck," Wark said. "I had a lot of meetings with Coach G where he told me I needed to build confidence in myself."
Wark remembered a key turning point moment in practice one day when she hit a ball and Gajewski screamed from across the field "That's why you should be here!"
"That's when I started to realize that it was going to be okay and I just needed to step up and be myself," Wark said. "Coach G was huge in building that confidence. Taking a chance on me after not playing in two years was huge for me."
Once the season started, Wark fell back into step quickly after her two-year hiatus from gameplay. In OSU's game against a then-top 10 Virginia Tech team, Wark went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI.
"I always tell everyone Virginia Tech was my favorite game of the year," she said. "It was back and forth the whole game and it seemed like everyone was hitting home runs. That felt like the first game I was able to prove myself."
Hitting 10 home runs in a season is impressive, but doing so after two injuries and two years without seeing live pitching makes it all that more impressive. Wark finished her redshirt freshman season batting .314 with 51 RBI, the second most on the team behind five-year starter Kiley Naomi.
Wark earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman team and was a first-team all-region honoree by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
For Gajewski, it was incredible to see Wark's development over the course of the season and how she blossomed into a leader on the team. It's the exact reason why he brought her to OSU in the first place.
"Great freshman year," Gajewski said. "I think she's capable of putting up numbers that challenge the best numbers we've ever had here. She's that type of hitter and that type of competitor, but I don't want to put too much pressure on her. She has that skillset, she wants it, she works for it, she's got the 'it' factor on what it takes to be an elite hitter. I'm excited about the first year, but really the next three."
When asked about what she is excited about for the coming 2024 season, Wark said, "This is a whole other team. We're young but the talent is there. Once we transfer the chemistry we have off the field onto the field, we're going to be really good."
Wark noted that the team is incredibly close and the transfers and freshmen have fit in with the team's goals and culture.
"There are no missing pieces, everyone gets along great," she said. "We all respect each other, and we all want to get better together."
Wark's story is one of perseverance and not giving up when looked bleak. Good things come to those who wait, and she is an example of that.
