Oklahoma State’s season is over, and it could lead to some interesting discussions.
On Sunday, OSU softball’s season came to an end in the Fayetteville Regional Final. After a lengthy rain delay, the Cowgirls fell to Arkansas in the first and only game of the day to finish the year.
OSU began its Regional journey with a win against Indiana and was in a prime position to defeat Arkansas and advance to the final in its second game. However, the Cowgirls couldn’t hold on to their late lead and needed another win against Indiana to punch their ticket to Sunday’s rematch.
While the Cowgirls’ losses to Arkansas aren’t anything to be distraught about, considering the Razorbacks are the nation’s No. 4 seed, it is still somewhat disappointing. OSU had been to five straight Women’s College World Series and entered this season in a position to make it six.
Throughout the regular season, Kenny Gajewski’s team struggled to find the magic that had been present with so many of the Cowgirls’ squads in recent years. While many players returned, and the Cowgirls added plenty of talented players through the transfer portal, it wasn’t enough to get them over the hump at any point this season.
Following the loss to Arkansas in the Regional Final, the Cowgirls wrapped up their season at 35-20, the worst record for the program since 2017. That season was Gajewski’s second season at the helm in Stillwater.
Since arriving, Gajewski has led the program to new heights, but he has yet to help get the Cowgirls fully over the hump. With so much criticism surrounding his ability to lead the program, this early exit after entering the season with high expectations only added fuel to the fire.
However, the Cowgirls shouldn’t consider making any changes at the top, even if this season didn’t go as planned. Sure, the Cowgirls have had some disappointments on the biggest stage over the past few years when it felt like a national title was there for the taking.
Yet, through all of those pains, Gajewski has consistently built and led teams right back to college softball’s biggest stage. Although he was unable to get the Cowgirls to Oklahoma City this season, sticking with him could soon get OSU in the WCWS again, and perhaps finally capture that elusive national title.
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