OSU Softball Starts Out at No. 14 in Softball America Preseason Poll

Oklahoma State softball is a month away, and it will start out as a top-15 team in the country. 

Softball America revealed its preseason top 25 on Thursday, and the Cowgirls were ranked No. 14 in the country. 

The poll has four Big 12 teams inside the top 15, with Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor in front of the Cowgirls.

OSU is coming off a 47-16 season, including making its fourth-straight Women's College World Series, but they fell short of the title, losing to Tennessee 3-1. 

Kenny Gajewski and his squad will look a little different this season, including losing a familiar piece in the pitching staff. 

Four-year starter Kelly Maxwell transferred to OU this offseason, putting Lexi Kilfoyl as the top dog in the pitching rotation alongside Kyra Aycock.

Kilfoyl transferred from Alabama, and she was a bright spot for the Cowgirls in the 2023 season. She posted a 1.70 ERA this past season, giving up only six home runs and collecting 130 strikeouts in 2023. 

Aycock came on strong this past season, giving OSU a much-needed third option in 2023. 

She tossed a 2.51 ERA last season, including 65 strikeouts. Her best performance came against Central Florida last March, where she gave up no runs on two hits and five strikeouts in seven innings pitched. 

OSU did lose some position players as well, for Kiley Naomi, Rachel Becker and Chyenne Factor all graduated. 

The Cowgirls will turn to sophomore Tallen Edwards, who had a terrific freshman season. She racked up a .328 batting average with 57 hits, three home runs and 26 RBIs last season. 

Gajewski did add a couple of transfers in the offseason, including two-time ASUN Player of the Year Caroline Wang. 

Wang comes from Liberty, where she put up big numbers last season. She secured a .318 batting average, and she collected 15 home runs and 51 RBIs on the season. 

Wang led Liberty to its first at-large bid in the NCAA tournament in program history, where it eliminated the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA regional last season. 

Oklahoma State will kick off its season on Feb. 8, taking on Cal State-Northridge. The Cowgirls' first home game is on Feb. 27 when it battles South Dakota State. 

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