Oklahoma State has been one of the most consistent winners in the country over the past five seasons, but heading into the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament, the Cowgirls are something of an afterthought.
After starting off the year as one of the favorites to win the Big 12, the Pokes put together a 33-18 season and look to be on the verge of snapping their five-year streak of WCWS appearances.
Kenny Gajewski’s squad did not earn one of the 16 national seeds and will head to Arkansas for the Fayetteville Regional this weekend, hosted by No. 4 Arkansas.
Here’s an overhead view of what each team brings to the field.
Bracket Breakdown: Fayetteville Regional
| Team | Conf. | Record | RPI | SOS | ERA | OBP | FLD% | Runs/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 33–18 | 21 | 20 | 2.76 | .391 | .973 | 4.9 |
| (4) Arkansas | SEC | 40–12 | 7 | 3 | 3.00 | .441 | .983 | 7.6 |
| Indiana | Big Ten | 33–18 | 43 | 47 | 4.34 | .457 | .957 | 7.6 |
| Saint Louis | Atlantic 10 | 34–22 | 150 | 215 | 3.12 | .383 | .965 | 5.1 |
The Favorite: Arkansas
Coming into the SEC Tournament, Arkansas recorded consecutive series victories over Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and LSU—for those counting, that’s wins over the No. 3, No. 8, No. 1, and No. 10 seeds in this year’s tournament field. The Razorbacks score runs with the best of them, and their defense is also among the best units in the country. Arkansas is a trendy pick to win the national championship, and there are plenty of stats to back up those who feel that way.
The Contender: Oklahoma State
There are championship-caliber pieces on this Oklahoma State roster—they just haven’t come together this year. The Cowgirls have the best pitching staff in this regional, and their defense is consistent enough to keep teams like Arkansas from hurting them with small-ball tactics. Unfortunately, the Pokes find themselves in an offensive region, and it’s not just because of what the host team can do.
The Dark Horse: Indiana
Talk about a tough draw for the Pokes in Game 1. Indiana leads the country in batting average (.368), on-base percentage (.457), and doubles per game (2.10), but also ranks ninth in scoring (7.55) and sixth in slugging (.613). The Hoosiers have a whopping four players batting over .400 heading into the weekend, with Taylor Minnick leading the way with an incredible .470 average on the year.
Regional X-Factor: Bri Ellis, INF, Arkansas
Arguably the most dangerous hitter in the country, Bri Ellis leads all Power Conference hitters in batting average (.475), slugging (1.189), and on-base percentage (.649), while also ranking second in home runs (26) and seventh in RBIs (72). The Razorbacks’ senior slugger is one of the best players in the country and is the top player to watch coming out of this regional.
Fayetteville Regional Schedule
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Friday, May 16
Game 1: Indiana vs. Oklahoma State | 4 p.m. | ESPN2
Game 2:Â Saint Louis vs. No. 4 Arkansas | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Saturday, May 17
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 1 p.m. | TV TBD
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 3:30 p.m. | TV TBD
Loser eliminated
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 6 p.m. | TV TBD
Loser eliminated
Sunday, May 18
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 | 4:00 p.m. | TV TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD | 6:30 p.m. | TV TBD
The winner of the Fayetteville Regional will advance to play the winner of the Tucson Regional, hosted by No. 13 seed Arizona.
Prediction: Arkansas advances, 3-1
I want to believe that this is when Oklahoma State figures out its offensive woes and becomes the team we’ve all come to expect in the postseason. However, the Cowgirls got a tough draw with two of the best offenses in the country, and that alone gives me pause about having them emerge out of this regional. They do carry the best pitching staff of the bunch into Fayetteville, and I believe that gets them to Sunday, but in the end, Arkansas is just too potent for the Pokes to match hit for hit.
