Oklahoma State Softball's Season Ends With Loss to Arkansas

Oklahoma State’s season is over after another rough performance against Arkansas.

OSU softball ended its season with a 12-0 loss against Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional Final on Sunday. After a lengthy weather delay pushed the first game back hours, Arkansas pounced on the Cowgirls and ensured there would be no need for a second matchup.

The Razorbacks started strong with three runs in the top of the first and another three in the top of the third. While the Cowgirls have shown their ability to have massive offensive outings, that deficit was simply too much for Kenny Gajewski’s team to overcome.

The Cowgirls’ hopes of making a sixth straight Women’s College World Series were always somewhat slim, given their tough path, but they still had their chances. After beating Indiana to open Regional play, the Cowgirls earned a matchup on Saturday against Arkansas, where they led for most of the game before the Razorbacks walked it off in extra innings.

Although that was a heartbreaker for the Cowgirls, they still had another game to play that night, needing a win over Indiana to keep their season alive for at least one more day. A 12-run inning against the Hoosiers sent the Cowgirls into the Regional Final against Arkansas, but OSU’s hopes of winning the Regional likely hinged on the first matchup.

While a couple of good performances on Sunday could’ve left Saturday’s blown lead as a distant memory, that first matchup will now be a “what if?” for the Cowgirls as they enter the offseason. OSU’s last trip to the Fayetteville Regional came in 2018 and also marked the last season they failed to make the Women’s College World Series. 

While getting home-field advantage also means being one of the top teams in the nation and playing likely worse competition, the impact of playing outside of Stillwater was evident for the Cowgirls, who have one of the best fanbases in college softball. Over the Cowgirls’ five-year streak of trips to Oklahoma City, they hosted every Regional and only had to go on the road for one Super Regional, which came on their first run in 2019.