Reload and regroup

Gajewski recruiting players to join Kilfoyl, Maxwell for ‘team nine’

Rachel Becker’s historic one season in Stillwater ends her collegiate career.

Ashton Slaughter Assistant Sports Editor

Minutes after OSU’s season-ending loss to Tennessee, the Cowgirl faithful were given something to be happy about and look forward to.

After playing out her senior season this year, Lexi Kilfoyl will return to the circle for OSU next season, exercising her additional season of eligibility.

“I’ll be coming back, for sure,” Kilfoyl said. “...I think we have so much room for growth and potential with our team next year.”

Kilfoyl’s announcement means the Cowgirls will have the one-two punch of Kelly Maxwell and Kilfoyl again next season, as OSU head coach Kenny Gajewski announced earlier this year that Maxwell would be returning to OSU for another season.

Team eight, as Gajewski called this year’s squad due to it being the eighth team he’s coached in Stillwater, experienced a roller coaster of emotions. The Cowgirls had their best start in program history before ending the season on a disastrous 2-11 skid and still finishing as a top-six team in the country. Gajewski said this year was the most difficult but also the most rewarding season he’s had during his time as a head coach.

Despite keeping the duo in the circle for another year, Gajewski is losing some key players, ones that helped build his program into a Women’s College World Series regular. Kiley Naomi, Chyenne Factor and Taylor Tuck are finished after five seasons with the program; Morgyn Wynne’s two seasons at OSU wrap up her softball career; and

“One day when we hoist the trophy, we’ll be able to look back at all of them (the graduating seniors), and they’ll be a major part of that,” Gajewski said.

However, as one group leaves, another group enters.

The Cowgirls’ Class of 2023 recruits are headlined by two top-10 players (ranked by Softball America) and a quartet of top-25 prospects (ranked by Extra Inning Softball). Not to mention Tallen Edwards, Micaela Wark, Kyra Aycock, Katelynn Carwile, Claire Timm and Katie Lott looking to return for another season under Gajewski.

In Gajewski’s eyes, the key three are Edwards, Wark and Aycock. As a freshman, Edwards started 58 games and batted .328, and Wark and Aycock were named to the All-Big 12 freshman team.

Along with the returning Cowgirls and the 2023 class are whoever Gajewski adds from the transfer portal, an area that he’s found real success in. The additions don’t stop on the field either, as a fourth assistant coach will be added to the staff and the part-time video coordinator job will become a full-time position.

The Cowgirls are set to reload this offseason in hopes of another OKC trip next season, but until then, they have to get tougher, Gajewski says.

“We’ve got to be tough, and we’re not quite tough enough yet,” Gajewski said. “And that’s on me. When you’re here (in the WCWS), it’s the tough of the tough; it’s like an MMA fight.

“We’ll do a better job at that and keep growing this, and we’ll start looking forward to team nine in a couple days.” sports.ed@ocolly.com

Washington State is more of a package-deal, as it is intense rivals with Washington, and is also the most appealing school in the Pac-12 remaining. Colorado has been forgetful until Deion Sanders, and past membership doesn’t mean much of anything anymore.

Step 3: Room needs to be made. Sorry, Iowa State, West Virginia and Houston.

Now, this will never happen. And frankly, these three schools are great fits in the Big 12 (for the most part). But by my arbitrary rules, for the conference to stay at 12 teams with new additions, some teams got to go.

Iowa State is a solid team, but their biggest rivals aren’t in the Big 12, and Iowa isn’t as cool as the conference wants to be. The Cyclones are also the only team in the conference without a baseball team, too. Likewise with West Virginia. Morgantown is too far for basically every other school in the conference, and it belongs in the Big East. Well, ACC now, I guess. And Houston, while excellent in basketball and solid in football, there’s too many schools in Texas, and the Houston market doesn’t fit the Big 12.

These teams will likely always be in the Big 12, but for me, they’re outliers, and I’d rather see the Pacific Northwest trio.

Step 4: Divide ‘em up.

With more than 10 teams, the Big 12 can’t do its normal round-robin scheduling format in all sports. And with the conference growing from