The Basics
The No. 6/7 Oklahoma State softball team (31-7, 8-1 Big 12) is home to host Kansas for a three-game series starting Thursday. Games are slated for 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 12 p.m. on Saturday.
Watch, Listen, Follow
All three games can be streamed on ESPN+ and heard on 105.5 KGFY FM or online at stillwaterradio.net with Bill Van Ness on the call.
Live stats are available online on okstate.statbroadcast.com. Fans can follow @CowgirlSB on Twitter all season for regular coverage and updates.
In the Rankings
As of April 12, Oklahoma State ranks:
• No. 6 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll
• No. 7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
• No. 8 in SoftballAmerica's NCAA Division I Softball Top 25
• No. 8 in D1Softball's Top 25
• No. 9 in NCAA DI Adjusted Rating Percentage Index
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Eight starters and several other important performers are back from the 2021 team that finished No. 6 in the final rankings and played in the Women's College World Series. Five of OSU's returning starters were also starters on the Cowgirls' 2019 WCWS team.
Some of the most decorated players in Oklahoma State softball history are back, including returning All-Americans Hayley Busby and Sydney Pennington, plus 2022 preseason All-American Kiley Naomi. Pitcher Kelly Maxwell is on the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List and was invited to try out for a spot on the U.S. Senior National Team in January.
Impact newcomers include the 2020 Shortened Season National Player of the Year and first team All-American Miranda Elish, 2022 preseason All-America first baseman Morgyn Wynne, 2021 first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference pitcher Morgan Day and 2021 All-Southeast Region catcher Julia Cottrill.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• OSU has won 25 of its last 28 games.
• OSU has won seven of its last 15 games via run rule.
• OSU has eight wins against teams with a top-50 adjusted RPI.
• OSU has outscored Big 12 opposition by a combined score of 64-13 through nine games.
• OSU has committed zero errors in 16 of its last 20 games.
• OSU has tallied double-digit hits in 12 of its last 21 games.
• OSU has out-hit its opponents in 31 of its 38 games this season.
• The Cowgirls have kept opponents to three runs or less in 20 consecutive games, including seven shutout performances during that stretch.
• The Cowgirls have been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of their last 179 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• Miranda Elish is batting .423, slugging .923 and leads all Cowgirls in home runs (four) and RBI (13) against Big 12 opponents.
• Sydney Pennington has started 245 consecutive games, which amounts to every game of her career.
• Sydney Pennington has at least one hit in 16 of her last 20 games and has driven in 25 runs in that stretch.
• Kelly Maxwell has tallied double digit strikeouts in nine of her 15 starts this season.
• Kelly Maxwell is currently averaging 12.5 strikeouts per seven innings, which ranks second nationally.
• Katelynn Carwile has reached base in 16 consecutive games, the team's longest active streak.
• Katelynn Carwile has at least one hit in 19 of her last 25 games.
• Katelynn Carwile leads all Cowgirls in multi-hit games this season with 12 (nine two-hit games, two three-hit games and one four-hit game).
Series History
The Cowgirls own an 81-52 series advantage over Kansas and a 26-13 advantage over the Jayhawks in Stillwater.
OSU head coach Kenny Gajewski is 13-1 against KU since his arrival in 2016.
The Cowgirls took two of three from Kansas in Lawrence last season. Those two wins marked the start of a program record 15-game win streak in conference play.
Defense First
OSU has committed zero errors in 16 of its last 20 games and committed just five errors in a 17-game stretch in the month of March.
The Cowgirls rank third nationally with just 18 errors. Their .981 fielding percentage is fourth in the nation.
Built For The Big 12
After grinding through a nonconference slate that ranked top 20 in strength of schedule and featured 11 games against teams with a top-50 adjusted RPI, OSU opened Big 12 play with
three consecutive series wins over Texas Tech, Baylor and Iowa State.
The Pokes' 8-1 start to conference play is the second-best Big 12 start in program history; only the 2010 Cowgirls' 9-0 start against conference competition ranks higher.
Oklahoma State's first conference loss came in the first game of a doubleheader at Iowa State. Despite the defeat, the Cowgirls bounced back right away to win the next two by a 16-4 combined margin, including an 11-1 run-rule victory on Sunday.
To The Max
At 13-1 on the year, Kelly Maxwell's .929 win percentage ranks second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally.
A three-time selection as Big 12 Pitcher of the Week this season, the lefty out of Friendswood, Texas, boasts top rankings in more than just win percentage.
In 19 appearances and 100.2 innings pitched, she ranks second in strikeouts per seven innings (12.5), fifth in hits allowed per game (3.27), 11th in ERA (1.11) and 12th in shutouts (six).
The Two-Way Specialist
In the final season of her collegiate career, Miranda Elish has proven her ability to play at an All-American level, both at the plate and in the circle.
As a hitter, Elish's most notable performance came during the Cowgirls' Big 12 conference opening series against Texas Tech. She was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after going 8-for-8 and blasting four home runs – including a grand slam – in the three-game stretch.
She's just as capable as a pitcher. The two-time 2022 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week pitched no-hitters against Minnesota and Wichita State in March.
Young Guns
In a roster loaded with All-American talent, a pair of underclassmen are standing out.
Sophomore Katelynn Carwile has at least one hit in 19 of her last 25 games and has tallied 12 multi-hit games on the season to lead the team.
Since earning her first career start on February 27, Carwile's batting average has risen 206 points from .214 to .420. She has reached base in 16 consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team.
Brianna Evans – a freshman out of Red Oak, Texas, and a day-one starter at second base – owns top five marks in batting average (.352), runs scored (23), hits (32) and on-base percentage (.430) among her teammates.
Evans boasts the longest hit streak of any Cowgirl this season – 11 games from March 4-19 – which ties for 14th in program history, and an active 10-game reached base streak.
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