Gajewski...

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Former OSU pitcher Kale Davis transferred to OU. Sooner pitcher Ben Abram spent his final season in Stillwater. Cowboy defensive end Trace Ford will chase down quarterbacks in a crimson jersey this year. That Bedlam back-and-forth all happened in just the past two athletics seasons.

Gajewski said it’s frustrating but warned fans that’s going to become the new normal. In Maxwell’s case, Gajewski doesn’t know if athletes see a full picture of what a transfer decision like hers means in the long run.

“I think the biggest thing that we’re dealing with now with these young kids – and they’re still kids, they’re still young – is that they just can’t get out and kinda see 10 years down this road,” Gajewski said. “They kinda see what’s under their feet.”

Maxwell’s decision came shortly after pitching coach John Bargfeldt retired, which could have factored into the move, but Gajewski points to himself as part of the problem for that mindset. He said he always tells his team to be present where their feet are at.

“But if you don’t think that making that choice is going to affect how we all think, something’s broke,” he said.

The Maxwell decision was the last thing Gajewski brought up in his 15-minute address. His main focus was on his 2023-24 team. He said with returners and a top-five recruiting class on the way, it could be the best team he’s had in his time at OSU.

The Cowgirls also dipped into the portal, picking up catcher and two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year Caroline Hudson from Liberty and Mississippi State infielder Macy Graf, to name a couple. That comes a year after gaining All-American infielder Rachel Becker from Purdue in the portal.

“We have benefitted very much out of the portal, as well,” Gajewski said. “So, it’s probably time we took a little bit of our own medicine, but we’ll be just fine.”

So Gajewski said he’d not mad at Maxwell, like he was for a short moment. He’s appreciative of everything she did for the program, and he watched her build a legacy at OSU for five seasons: four Women’s College World Series appearances,

746 strikeouts, a career 1.58 ERA, two All-American seasons, 2022 Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.

Gajewski’s anger and frustration over Maxwell’s decision looks more like regret for where she went. He’s made peace with Maxwell and her decision. It’s OK that she isn’t in Stillwater anymore, but her being in Norman is hard to shake.

And carries consequences.

“My only disappointment for Kelly is that she went to OU, because now she’s lost everything here that she’s ever done,” Gajewski said. “And as long as I’m here, it’ll be hard for her to come back here. That’s just the way it is.” sports.ed@ocolly.com

Wildlife...

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“We often associate bird collisions with big city skyscrapers, but more birds are dying at smaller buildings in communities all over the country,” said Dr. Tim O’Connell. “Corey’s work helped us determine which buildings on campus were killing the most birds and what parts of those buildings were most dangerous.”

Recently, OSU has installed Feather Friendly window markers on two buildings. The markers are small white dots placed in 2-inch x 2-inch increments, allowing the birds to recognize that there is an object in their way. OSU bus shelters had a previous study that followed the same markers, which estimated they reduced collisions by 64%.

Riley Lawson, a graduate student, will now track bird collisions at the buildings containing the markers and the ones without, thus evaluating how effective the markers are.

“I think this project is just one of many examples of how OSU and the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management are really pioneering research like this in so many ways, especially with wildlife and environmental conservation techniques,”

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Lawson said. “There are few other institutions that have committed to this type of project on such a huge scale.

I think it shows how unique OSU is in its commitment to helping conserve bird populations.”

Dr. Scott Loss, professor in the OSU Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, and Dr. Tim O’Connell, associate professor in the OSU Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, are two experts on the matter of bird-window collision and are available for interviews related to research and inhibitory measures. To learn more about bird collision prevention and how to reduce collisions around homes and communities, visit the websites of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, American Bird Conservancy and the National Audubon Society.