Cowgirl Softball set to open 2026 season at Stanford Invitational

Thursday, February 5

Stanford, CA

8 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Stanford University

Cowgirl Softball set to open 2026 season at Stanford Invitational

February 03, 2026 | Cowgirl Softball

2026 Cowgirl Softball Media Guide

The Basics
   The No. 24/20 Oklahoma State softball team begins its 52nd season of competition at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California, from Feb. 5-7. The Cowgirls open against Stanford, followed by contests against San Jose State and California (twice), and end with a rematch against the Cardinal.

Watch, Listen, Follow
   Both of OSU's contests against Stanford will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. The remaining three games will not be streamed anywhere.
   All contests can be heard live on KGFY-FM 105.5, except for Saturday's California contest, which can be heard on Pete 94.3 FM. All five games will be streamed 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 a consistent fixture in the preseason Top 25, coming in at No. 24 in the NFCA/GoRout Coaches poll and No. 20 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Both Softball America and D1Softball have the Pokes at No. 19.
   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
   Coming off a season that didn't end in Oklahoma City for the first time since 2018, the Oklahoma State softball team enters 2026 with renewed energy and purpose. Head coach Kenny Gajewski brought in 11 newcomers – eight freshmen and three transfers – to go with 11 returners to fill out his 2026 roster.
   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 Jayelle Austin, Gabby Castillo and Aubrey Jones have all impressed in the offseason, 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 in the NFCA poll in each of its last 387 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• OSU has won each of its last five season openers (12-11 vs. No. 18 Arkansas on Feb. 11, 2021; 5-2 vs. No. 21 Arizona State on Feb. 10, 2022; 3-0 vs. No. 24 Oregon on Feb. 10, 2023; 8-0 (5) vs. CSUN on Feb. 8, 2024; 9-6 vs. No. 9 Florida State on Feb. 6, 2025).
• OSU is 31-13 on opening weekend in the Kenny Gajewski era (since 2016).
• Dating to last season, Karli Godwin has started 116 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team.
• Dating to last season, Rosie Davis has reached base in 11 straight contests.

Series History
   The Stanford Invitational marks Oklahoma State Softball's first trip to Stanford.
   Stanford holds an 8-6 advantage in the series history. Under Gajewski, the Pokes are 1-2 against the Cardinal. The last meeting between the two came at the 2024 Women's College World Series, an 8-0 win for Stanford.
   San Jose State and Oklahoma State have met just once before, a nine-inning thriller in 2012 that went the Spartans' way, 1-0. That contest was played in Santa Barbara, California.
   California holds an 8-7 lead in the series with the Cowgirls, with all games played at neutral sites. OSU is 1-1 against the Bears under Gajewski, however, including a 4-1 win in 2019 in the last meeting between the two.

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.

Keeping Up with the Joneses
   Sisters Aubrey and Jayden Jones reunited when the latter committed to Oklahoma State in the offseason after spending her freshman season at Virginia Tech. The Gaylord, Michigan, natives 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 freshman and three transfers - that are all expected to contribute. Freshmen Jayelle Austin, Gabby Castillo, Preslee Downing, and Aubrey Jones have all made immediate impacts and will see significant playing time.
   Kenny Gajewski has a knack for finding gems in the transfer portal and there's reason to believe he struck gold yet again with this transfer class. Kaya Booker (Georgia Tech) 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
   Head coach 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 that are receiving 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 the dynamic duo of Rosie Davis and Karli Godwin and senior catcher 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.