Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Mendez named provost and vice president Adam Engel Co-Editor-in-Chief
Courtesy of Dr. Jeanette Mendez Oklahoma State University hired Dr. Jeanette Mendez as provost and vice president after a lengthy nationwide search.
The search is over. Oklahoma State University named Dr. Jeanette Mendez as provost and senior vice president after a nearly 13-month nationwide search. Mendez served as the interim provost after Gary Sandefur retired from the position in February 2021. As provost, Mendez said she will strive to advance OSU’s reputation as an academic powerhouse. “I will help lead OSU to be a premier, modern land-
grant institution marked by a commitment to excellence in research, innovative teaching and activities that extend these efforts to the broader communities of Oklahoma, the nation and the world,” she said. “We also need to better leverage our expertise and partner with K-12 schools to show the value of both a liberal arts and STEM education — and how they shape the ideal OSU graduate.” Mendez graduated as a first-generation college student from Santa Clara University in 1998. From there, she earned her master’s and doctorate in political science from Indiana University in 2003. She has worked at OSU since 2005. “Dr. Mendez’s impressive academic achievements and desire to build on the quality and effectiveness of our programs stood out during her interview.
Her familiarity with OSU and our state will serve her in advancing our statewide education, research and Extension initiatives. This is an exciting time at OSU, and Dr. Mendez has the leadership, experience and character to lead our academic units to new levels of success,” said OSU President Kayse Shrum. In addition to interim provost, Mendez served as cochair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, a member of President Shrum’s senior leadership team and several other committees. Mendez was selected from a field of three candidates. Pending approval from the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents, she will lead the Division of Academic Affairs, starting in fall 2022. news.ed@ocolly.com
Cowboys awarded No. 7 seed in NCAA tournament to some extent unlikely toward the end of the regular season, a far cry from the preseason ranking. However, following a bounce back series win over the Bears to end the regular season and a run to the Big 12 Daniel Allen conference semifinals, Holliday Staff Reporter remained confident his team was in the conversation to host The team meeting room a regional. at O’Brate Stadium had awo“We played a lot of good ken. teams,” Holliday said back on What was just moments Saturday evening. “I can’t see ago a room filled with anxiety why we wouldn’t be in that and eagerness from student discussion (to host). But I’m not athletes, awaiting their postsea- in the (committee) room and son fate soon turned into one I’m not the one that sits around filled with euphoria and joy. and worries about things out of As members of the OSU my control.” baseball team rose from their On Monday morning, chairs and exchanged hugs and the Cowboys officially learned handshakes, coach Josh Holtheir true postseason fate as liday stayed put in his chair, they were named the No. 7 smiling as he watched as his overall national seed. team embraced each other. For senior first baseThroughout the course man Griffin Doersching, it’s of the season, Holliday had an opportunity to finally be not been coy about the levaccustomed to postseason play. els of adversity his team had Doersching, who transferred to gone through, but for him to OSU from Northern Kentucky, see it all come into fruition on missed the postseason every Monday was a different type of one of his years in Highland feeling for him. It was a special Heights. type of feeling — one that he “Any reason to play envisioned feeling for quite more baseball, I’m in for it,” some time, yet, never managed Doersching said. “Being able to generate it. to bring (a regional) here to “There’s a lot that goes O’Brate, and being on that into this,” Holliday said. “You team who gets to first host it heard the share of joy (with) here, it means everything.” this team, kind of seeing what The Stillwater regional that (difficult) regular season will include Arkansas, Grand felt like and to see them getCanyon, and Missouri State, all ting recognized as a team. To of which have a large pedigree be awarded a host site, to do of baseball background. The that to this facility, and then Razorbacks and Lopes will to be recognized with a seed, open regional play at 12:00 it’s just a real compliment to p.m. on Friday afternoon and our players and the way they the Cowboys and Bears will competed.” follow with a game later at 6:00 After a preseason involv- p.m. that night. ing a top five ranked recruiting “It’s pretty awesome to class, a transfer portal class see that what we’ve done so far with key veteran pieces and gets that number seven (seed) a bevy of talent and a good in the country,” left fielder Jake amount of returning starters, Thompson said. “There’s the Holliday knew his team was regular season, there’s the (conready to take the next step. In- ference) tournament, and you surmountable amounts of hype got the regional, super regional, surrounded OSU as it revived and national championship. We a No. 7 preseason ranking, its just kind of take it one champifirst top 10 preseason ranking onship at a time and try to win since 2016. from there.” A top eight seeding, much less a top 16 seemed dim and sports.ed@ocolly.com
Stillwater Baseball Regional Information Ticket information can be found at tickets.okstate. com/baseball/ Games start at noon on Friday at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater. OSU will host Arkansas, Grand Canyon, and play Missouri State in their first game at 6 p.m.
Abby Smith Karli Petty runs home to teammates after scoring a homerun during Friday’s super regional matchup against Clemson.
OSU endures "hardest year" to clinch third consecutive Women's College World Series appearance Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter Amid a slew of abandoned gloves and an occasional wayward black visor, OSU’s celebration began. The hugs revealed everything. After the final out, a manic dogpile of players started in the infield. The party moved to left field, where OSU fans perched in the wooden decks above the field bounded over the black wall and onto the field’s warning track. The Cowgirls beat Clemson 5-1 Friday night to win the Stillwater Super Regional and advance to the Women’s College World Series. Morgan Day, OSU’s senior pitcher who threw five and a third strong innings, found herself in a swarm of fans. She said there was cheering — and even a hug or two — from fans she had never seen before. Not something Day, an Illinois State transfer, was accustomed to. “Where I came from, admission was free,” Day said. “Mainly the people in the stands were just parents and a couple alumni from the 70’s. It’s just kind of crazy, this is why I came here.” Day did not want to bash Illinois State. She said she is proud of her time there.
But she wanted to emphasize the feeling of winning games deep in the postseason and advancing to the WCWS. It is why she came to OSU (46-12). “The stakes just keep getting bigger, but it takes actually experiencing it to realize, ‘Wow’ this is what I came here for,’” Day said. The Cowgirls have advanced to their third consecutive Women’s College World Series. They made it in 2019 and 2021 as well, with the 2020 season being cut short. “Very happy for this team,” coach Kenny Gajewski said. “For our fans, for our school, for our department to be able to represent us in OKC for the third year in a row. I think we’re coming in hot, and I can’t wait to get (to OKC) and be able to play that first game in front of a sold-out crowd.” Perhaps the reason for the frantic hugging among strangers was a release for the toll the season took on the Cowgirls. An injury to senior Miranda Elish shuffled OSU’s rotation and thrusted Day into a key role. The Cowgirl batting lineup has evolved constantly as even accomplished hitters such as Karli Petty and Haley Busby went through slumps. “It’s been a hard year. It’s been the hardest year,” Gajewski said. “This lineup doesn’t look the way we thought it was going to look. That’s the first thing. There’s been a lot of people like Karli (Petty) that have been in and out, but continues to work.” Day and Petty, two play-
ers who have had inconsistent playing time in parts of the season, carried the day for the Cowgirls. While Day pitched five innings of one-run ball, Petty hit a key home run in the fourth inning. She took an 0-1 pitch from Valerie Cagle over the left-center field wall to give OSU a 5-1 lead. “I don’t go up to bat trying to hit a home run,” Petty said. “I’m just trying to do my best to get on base for the tam. I was so happy to hit a home run. I feel like it is a big momentum changer. It got the crowd going, it got our girls going.” Petty’s home run served as a response to Clemson (4217) scoring in the half inning prior. It would be the last run of the game. All-Big 12 First Team pitcher Kelly Maxwell pitched the final two innings for OSU. She kept Clemson off the board and finalized OSU’s place in the WCWS. “It wears on me when I don’t start (Petty),” Gajewski said. “It wears on me when Morgan Day doesn’t get innings. It wears on me when I have to take Busby out. It’s really hard.” The Cowgirls earned at least two more games to start players, and a chance to win their first national title. OSU will play the winner of Arizona and Mississippi State. “To see people come back and go through it and then perform well in these moments, it’s gratifying,” Gajewski said.
sports.ed@ocolly.com