Season Preview - An Inside Look at the Oklahoma State Softball Team

February 04, 2024 | Cowgirl Softball

After losing five starters from last year's team that clinched a program record fourth-straight NCAA Women's College World Series appearance, there is a sense of newness around the Oklahoma State softball program.

Even so, with ninth-year head coach Kenny Gajewski at the helm, the Cowgirls have risen to a national powerhouse, and this year should be no different. Under Gajewski, the Cowgirls have:
- Appeared in the last four Women's College World Series, one of only two teams in the country to do so.
- Increased their all-time WCWS appearance record to 15, good for tied-fifth in the nation.
- Been ranked in the top 25 of the NFCA poll in each of its last 269 games played.
- Owned a 52-20 record in Big 12 conference play over the last four seasons, good for second in the conference. Additionally, OSU hasn't finished lower than third in Big 12 play in each of the last seven seasons.
- Collected 143 wins since 2021, which ranks fourth nationally behind Oklahoma, Florida State and UCLA.
- Tallied 19 All-America honors from 13 different student-athletes.

Although this lineup is full of fresh faces, the expectation doesn't change. The goal remains the same: Oklahoma City.

The Schedule
The Cowgirls of 2024 will be challenged immediately and will be challenged often with a schedule that includes 20 games against 11 2023 NCAA tournament teams, six games against four NCAA Super Regional teams and eight games against four teams that won their respective conferences in 2023.

The slate opens with 16 consecutive games played away from home. The first five will be played in Southern California, with the Cowgirls opening at Cal State Northridge on February 8 before seeing Portland State, Utah State and UC Riverside at the Lynn Russell Miller Classic in Riverside on February 9 and 10.

A showcase non-conference date at UCLA is set for February 11 before the Cowgirls travel across the country to compete at the Clearwater Invitational, where they are lined up to face Georgia, Wisconsin, LSU, Northwestern and Georgia Tech from February 16-18.

OSU remains in the Sunshine State following the Clearwater Invitational for a road date at Stetson on February 21 and matchups with Washington, South Florida, Yale, Pitt and Loyola-Chicago at the South Florida Invitational in Tampa from February 22-24.

After nearly a month away from home, OSU returns to Cowgirl Stadium for a five-game homestand that includes a doubleheader against South Dakota State on February 27, a March 1 doubleheader against Seattle and a March 6 date with Wichita State.

With the 2024 season come three new softball programs into the Big 12 – UCF, BYU and Houston. The Cowgirls host the Golden Knights in a three game series from March 15-17, travel to Provo for a three-game set with BYU from March 21-23 and visit Houston from April 5-7.

Looking at the entire conference slate, the Big 12 teams coming to Stillwater are UCF, Texas, Texas Tech and Kansas. OSU travels to Baylor, BYU, Houston, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

Position Breakdown

Pitcher
Mentored by new pitching coach Carrie Eberle, the Cowgirl hurlers are led by senior Lexi Kilfoyl and sophomore Kyra Aycock. A returning All-American, Kilfoyl is one of the top pitchers in the Big 12 and if Aycock continues on the path she started a year ago, she has a chance to join those ranks as well.

After three years at Alabama, Kilfoyl made an immediate impact at OSU in 2023, tying for the team lead with 16 wins and leading the squad with a 1.70 earned run average and 11 complete games. She ranked in the top five in the Big 12 in ERA (fourth), strikeouts (fourth, 140), fewest hits allowed per seven innings (fifth, 4.81) and shutouts (fifth, four).

An All-Big 12 Freshman team selection a year ago, Aycock strung together a 9-2 record to go with a 2.51 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 95 innings of work during her debut campaign. With six starts and 35.2 innings pitched against Big 12 opponents as a freshman, she is well-positioned for success in 2024.

Senior Ivy Rosenberry and freshman Katie Kutz should also see significant action in the circle in 2024. Rosenberry started seven games a year ago and compiled a 5-2 record with a 2.64 ERA in 37.0 innings of work. As the No. 6 recruit in the national class according to Softball America, Kutz comes in following a decorated prep career at Bishop O'Connell HS in McLean, Va., where she was honored as the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year as both a junior and a senior.

Junior Kathryn Ogg and freshman Saylor Davis provide additional depth.

Catcher
Oklahoma State has been a significant beneficiary of the transfer portal under Kenny Gajewski and in catcher Caroline Wang, OSU appears to have filled an immediate need – experience behind the plate.

Wang, the 2022 and 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year at Liberty under her maiden name of Caroline Hudson, started 206 games in four years with the Flames. In 2023, Wang led the ASUN with 15 homers, 17 doubles and 51 RBI, batting .318 with a team-leading .636 slugging percentage. In her last two seasons combined, she has batted .315 with 32 home runs, 104 RBI and a .643 slugging percentage. She also demonstrated proficiency in working with Liberty's pitching staff, catching four no-hitters during her time with the Flames.

Joining Wang at catcher is junior Audrey Schneidmiller, who saw action in 25 games and started 18 for the Cowgirls a year ago, batting .297 with a home run and seven RBI in 37 at bats. Freshman Logan Pickelsimer, a native of Mustang, Oklahoma, is an additional option.

Infield
The Oklahoma State infield features a much different look than a year ago, when All-Americans Kiley Naomi and Rachel Becker were everyday fixtures at shortstop and second base, respectively. While Naomi and Becker provided elite-level star power, it may be that this year's Cowgirl infield slants more toward depth as its primary trait.

Sophomore Micaela Wark is the lone constant. An NFCA All-Region and Big 12 All-Freshman honoree in 2023, she started 59 games at first base, including all 18 Big 12 contests, batting .314 with 10 home runs and 51 runs batted in. A top returning power threat on this year's roster, she figures to hold down the starting spot again this year.

Expected to join her on the right side of the infield is Megan Bloodworth, who transitions to second base after being OSU's every day starter at third base a year ago. Bloodworth was a second team all-region honoree while playing for Alabama in 2022 and has a chance to establish herself as a leader both on and off the field within the Cowgirl program in 2024.

With Naomi's graduation and Bloodworth's move to second, the left side of the infield is ripe with opportunity and two primary candidates to step in are both underclassmen – freshman Rosie Davis at third base and sophomore Tallen Edwards at shortstop.

Part of what makes third base interesting is that in an OSU freshman class featuring multiple top-10 national recruits, the unheralded Davis has emerged as a likely day-one starter. Davis's all-around performance was one of the most pleasant developments of the preseason. She was a three-sport athlete at Middle Tennessee Christian HS who earned all-state recognition in basketball in addition to softball and has the overall strength and athleticism to contribute immediately.

D1Softball chose Edwards as a Freshman All-America left fielder in 2023, which is remarkable because she was a converted infielder playing a new position and she enrolled in college a year early to do so. Nevertheless, she slashed .328/.381/.454 at the plate and committed only one error in the field to establish herself as an indispensable piece on a WCWS team. Now playing a position that comes more naturally to her, Edwards has a chance to claim a spot as an honors candidate on the Big 12 and national level.

With sound defense an emphasis this year, some fluidity between Davis at third base and Bloodworth at second base is expected, as the pair may swap defensive positions based on what's needed at any given moment.

Beyond Wark, Bloodworth, Davis and Edwards, sophomore Lexi McDonald and freshman Karli Godwin are both in the infield mix.

Though McDonald didn't see much action last year, she's seen progress working with assistant coach Vanessa Shippy-Fletcher and adds a hot bat to the team. A top-10 national recruit according to Extra Inning Softball and Softball America and the 2023 Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year, Godwin can play either corner infield spot and brings a power bat to the lineup.

Junior Sophie Page is another viable option in the infield, as are McNeese transfer Jilyen Poullard and Mississippi State transfer Macy Graf, though they will both likely feature more prominently as an outfielder.

Outfield
The Oklahoma State outfield gets a complete overhaul in 2024, with previous center field mainstay Chyenne Factor and right fielder Katelynn Carwile lost to graduation and Tallen Edwards moving to the infield.

Even with those departures, the OSU outfield may be the deepest position group on the roster and it's a possibility that movement happens throughout the season based on what's needed in a given situation.

In terms of experience and productivity, Jilyen Poullard is the clear leader of the outfield group with 140 career games played and 119 career starts. In 341 career at-bats for McNeese, she slashed .320/.423/.513, hit 13 home runs, had 73 RBI and stole 48 bases. She was a second-team All-Southland Conference honoree in 2021 and elevated to first team recognition in 2022. While it's expected that Poullard sees the bulk of her playing time in the outfield, she is versatile enough to be effective as an infielder as well.

Scotland David joins Poullard as a senior in the OSU outfield, but injuries have kept David from showcasing her full range of talents. While she has largely been sidelined during her Cowgirl career due to factors beyond her control, she has been a positive force within the team and has contributed to OSU advancing to the Women's College World Series every year of her career. For that, she is respected and valued by teammates and coaches alike.

Sophomore Claire Timm moves to the outfield after playing 27 games as a freshman last season. She was utilized primarily as a pinch hitter in 2023 but did make three starts at third base. Her season totals included a .276 batting average with three doubles and six runs batted in.

Fellow sophomore Katie Lott was a standout at the plate a year ago, slashing .370/.485/.537 primarily as a pinch hitter, though she did make six starts in the outfield and an additional four at designated player. Among Oklahoma State batters with less than 100 at-bats, she was the leader with a .370 batting average, 15 runs scored, 20 hits, three doubles, two home runs, 12 runs batted in, 20 total bases, a .485 on base percentage and a .537 slugging percentage.

After playing primarily at third base last season, Mississippi State transfer Macy Graf has made the transition from the dirt to the grass and is another candidate to see action anywhere in the outfield. Graf started 30 games for the Bulldogs a year ago and batted .291 with a home run, three doubles, two triples and six stolen bases.

Perhaps the greatest area of improvement in the outfield in 2024 is overall speed and at the center of that is a pair of freshmen in Taylor Anderson and Tia Warsop. Anderson was a three-time all-state honoree in Texas and Warsop was a top-15 national recruit. Both of them established themselves as significant threats on the basepaths during the fall and are likely to see action in their first year at the collegiate level.

Another gifted runner is sophomore Haidyn Sokoloski, who appeared in 36 games last season, almost exclusively as a pinch runner. Sokoloski enjoyed a productive summer following the 2023 season and is a realistic candidate for more playing time in 2024.

Summary
Projecting exactly what Oklahoma State will do in 2024 is not easy, but there are some certainties:

The Cowgirls will be tested early with a road date at UCLA followed by a gauntlet of premium-level opponents at the Clearwater Invitational and then additional challenging matchups with Washington and South Florida in Tampa. By the time OSU plays its first home game, it will be battle-tested.
Oklahoma State has a legitimate ace in senior All-American Lexi Kilfoyl. The combination of Kilfoyl and Kyra Aycock, plus standout veteran catcher Caroline Wang gives the Cowgirls reason to feel good about pitching.
In Micaela Wark and Tallen Edwards, OSU has a pair of sophomores who are well-positioned for breakthrough campaigns in 2024.
The Cowgirls have upgraded their overall team speed. In fact, Taylor Anderson and Tia Warsop – both freshmen – may be the two fastest players of the Kenny Gajewski era.