Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Georgia
Cowgirls head to Florida for Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational
February 10, 2026 | Cowgirl Softball
The Basics
The No. RV/23 Oklahoma State softball team faces a gauntlet at the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational this week. The Cowgirls face No. 20/17 Georgia and No. 12/10 LSU on Feb. 12, followed by No. 8/8 Texas A&M and No. 6/7 UCLA on Feb. 13, and No. 22/19 Duke on Feb. 14.
Watch, Listen, Follow
All of OSU's contests will be televised on the ESPN family of networks and streamed on ESPN+.
All contests can be heard live on KGFY-FM 105.5, as well as on the Varsity Network app with Ryan Breeden on the call.
Live stats for all of OSU's games are available online at okstate.statbroadcast.com.
Fans can follow @CowgirlSB on X all season for regular coverage and updates, including a live scoreboard during games.
In The Rankings
Oklahoma State is receiving votes in the NFCA/GoRout Coaches poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball ranks the Cowgirls at No. 23. Softball America has the Pokes at No. 25, while D1Softball has OSU at No. 24.
The Cowgirls were picked to finish second in the Big 12 Conference with one first-place vote in a poll by the league's head coaches.
Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State went 3-2 at the season-opening Stanford Invitational last week. Freshmen Jayelle Austin and Aubrey Jones led the way offensively, with both notching home runs and at least four RBIs.
The Cowgirls return 64.6% of their run production from last year, including unanimous first team All-Big 12 selections Rosie Davis and Amanda Hasler, as well as NFCA All-Region duo Karli Godwin and Tia Warsop. A preseason All-America selection, Ruby Meylan joins RyLee Crandall and redshirt freshman Madison Hoffman as the returning arms for OSU, although Hoffman missed the entirety of last season due to injury.
The returning group is bolstered by an influx of newcomers who should contribute immediately. Freshmen Austin, Gabby Castillo and Jones all impressed in the preseason, while first-year pitcher Preslee Downing has also been a pleasant surprise for pitching coach Carrie Eberle Parker. Kaya Booker (Georgia Tech), Jayden Jones (Virginia Tech), and Melina Wilkison (Indiana) are impact transfers.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• OSU has been ranked or receiving votes in the NFCA poll in each of its last 392 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• OSU is 26-17 in Clearwater in the Gajewski era (since 2016), including a 15-11 margin against opponents ranked or receiving votes in the NFCA Top 25.
• Oklahoma State's offense is outscoring its opponents, 24-8, after the first inning.
• Jayelle Austin has notched a hit in five straight contests.
• Tia Warsop enters the weekend on a five-game on-base streak.
• Dating to last season, Karli Godwin has started 121 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team.
Series History
Oklahoma State is competing in Clearwater for the fifth straight season.
OSU and Georgia's ninth all-time meeting will break a 4-4 split in the series, although the Pokes lead, 3-2 on neutral sites.
LSU leads the series against Oklahoma State, 12-6. This season marks the third time in the last five years the two teams have met in Clearwater.
Texas A&M holds a 52-27 advantage in the series against the Cowgirls, however, OSU enjoyed a walk-off win against the then-No. 5 Aggies last season following Karli Godwin's two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
OSU and UCLA have met 18 times, with the Bruins holding a 13-5 series lead.
The Cowgirls and Blue Devils have only met once, a 4-0 win in 2022 for Duke played in Clearwater.
Here's to 400
Head coach Kenny Gajewski tallied his 400th career win in last year's NCAA Regional win against Indiana. He's the second Cowgirl Softball head coach to reach 400 career wins, joining Hall-of-Famer Sandy Fischer, who totaled 901 wins in her 23 seasons at the helm.
Gajewski is the fastest coach in school history to 400 wins, securing his 400th in his 568th career contest while Fischer obtained hers in her 569th career game.
Route 66
Returning NFCA All-America Ruby Meylan pieced together a record year in her first season at Oklahoma State. The dominant righty set single-season career bests in ERA (1.81), wins (21), strikeouts (238) and opponents' batting average (.201) while being one of 10 pitchers in the country to reach the 20-win, 200-strikeout mark.
Rightfully so, Meylan is a unanimous preseason All-American and figures to be one of the most dominant pitchers in the nation. The Omaha, Nebraska, native enters the weekend five punchouts shy of 600 for her career and would become one of seven active players with at least 600 career strikeouts.
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Sisters Aubrey and Jayden Jones are the second set of sisters to play for Oklahoma State, joining Linda and Sharon Sodano (1990-91).
According to an SID survey, they are one of 17 sets of sisters competing on the same team this season in Division I.
Fresh Faces
The Cowgirls welcome 11 newcomers to the mix - eight freshmen and three transfers - that are all expected to contribute. Freshmen Jayelle Austin, Gabby Castillo, Preslee Downing, and Aubrey Jones have made immediate impacts and will see significant playing time.
Kenny Gajewski has enjoyed success in the transfer portal during his time at Oklahoma State. This year's group of transfers includes Kaya Booker (Georgia Tech), who redshirted her freshman season in Atlanta but has impressed with her speed and bat ability and can slot in anywhere in the outfield. Jayden Jones (Virginia Tech) batted .250 with 14 runs and 12 RBIs across 26 appearances in her first season of collegiate softball last year. Melina Wilkison (Indiana/Ohio State) was a two-time NFCA All-Region honoree at Ohio State and boasts a career .349 batting average with over 70 extra-base hits and 102 RBIs.
Another Tough Schedule
Kenny Gajewski has consistently crafted tough schedules, and this year is no exception.
Over 60% of OSU's games (34 of 53 scheduled contests) are against opponents who finished last season inside the Top 75 of the RPI. The Cowgirls match up against 15 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago and 12 opponents who received votes in the 2026 preseason NFCA/GoRout Coaches Poll.
Returning Production
While the Cowgirls lost 11 players to graduation/departures, OSU returns most of its key offensive performers. The Pokes welcome back 64.6% of their run production from last season, highlighted by Rosie Davis, Karli Godwin and Amanda Hasler.
New Board Who Dis?
The Cowgirls may not play a home game until February 26, but they'll have college softball's largest LED video display awaiting their return.
The nearly 28 feet high by 40 feet wide videoboard was installed this offseason, replacing the old scoreboard in right field. It'll deliver crisp, clear imagery that enhances the gameday experience for all fans throughout the stadium.
Bringin' the Juice
Freshman Jayelle Austin, nicknamed Juice, performed well in her first weekend in America's Brightest Orange. The Owasso, Oklahoma, native became just the seventh OSU freshman to hit a grand slam, and the third to do so on opening weekend, with her four-run blast against California.
Austin slashed .385/.467/.923 in the first action of her collegiate career and totaled seven RBIs to go with a double and two home runs.
The Timm Reaper Strikes Again
Senior Claire Timm's senior season is off to a good start. Hailing from Buena Park, California, she enjoyed being back in her home state on opening weekend and batted .444 with a home run and five RBIs. Timm received NFCA All-Region honors in 2024 after tallying 10 homers and driving in 30 runs.
