Oklahoma State has boasted one of the most successful softball programs in the country over the last half-decade, advancing to five consecutive Women’s College World Series appearances under head coach Kenny Gajewski.
In each of the last five seasons, the Pokes have returned to Oklahoma City just a few weeks after the Big 12 tournament, but with their eyes set on a trophy even bigger than the one that’s being played for right now.
However, if Gajewski gets this team back to Devon Park next month, it will be the best coaching job he’s done in his nine seasons at the helm in Stillwater.
After a frustrating 2-1 loss to Arizona State on Thursday, the Cowgirls dropped to 33-18 on the season, and as a result, will likely enter the NCAA Tournament unseeded. Perhaps the more alarming stat is that this has become a trend in recent years, as Oklahoma State has now been to three straight Big 12 Tournaments without putting a notch in the win column.
The Cowgirls overcame a massive hurdle to end the 2022 season when they finally dethroned Oklahoma to win their first ever Big 12 Tournament Championship with a 4-3 win at Hall of Fame Stadium. Things have been much different since then, however.
In fact, Oklahoma City has been anything but home to Oklahoma State over the last three seasons—it’s been more like a house of horrors.
Since the beginning of the 2023 season, Oklahoma State has a combined 1-8 record in games at Devon Park, and has lost six straight games there dating back to the 2023 WCWS:
2025 Season
- Arizona State: L, 1-2 (Big 12 Tournament)
- Oklahoma: L, 3-11 (Reg. Season)
2024 Season
- Stanford: L, 0-8 (WCWS)
- Florida: L, 0-1 (WCWS)
- BYU: L, 2-7 (Big 12 Tournament)
2023 Season
- Tennessee: L, 1-3 (WCWS)
- Utah: W, 8-0 (WCWS)
- Florida State: L, 8-0 (WCWS)
- Kansas: L, 7-8 (Big 12 Tournament)
To make matters worse, they’ve been outscored 48-23 in those games, and three losses have come via run-rule.
Sure, it’s easy to chalk it up to stiff competition, since the majority of those games have come in the Big 12 Tournament or in the Women’s College World Series. But, when you consider that the expectations in Stillwater have been as high as anywhere else in the country, it’s a trend that’s become more than reasonable to be worried about.
