The Oklahoma State Cowgirls softball team represents

Oklahoma State University–Stillwater Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I

college softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the Intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is nor ...

. The team participates in the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

. The

Cowgirls A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

are currently led by head coach Kenny Gajewski. The team plays its home games at

Cowgirl Stadium Cowgirl Stadium is a softball facility and home field to the Oklahoma State University softball team. The team is an NCAA Division I competitor, and plays in the Big 12 Conference. The stadium is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on the northea ...

located on the university's campus.

History

1977 AIAW College World Series

The 1977 Oklahoma State softball team was the first Oklahoma State team to reach the Women's College World Series, going 25–13 and representing the

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate ...

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. The Cowgirls fell in the opening game to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

before rebounding to defeat

Southern Illinois Southern Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois comprising the southern third of the state, principally south of Interstate 70. Part of downstate Illinois, it is bordered by the two List of U.S. rivers by discharge, most voluminous ri ...

for the first Women's College World Series win in program history. The Cowgirls were eliminated from the tournament after a loss to Missouri State.

1980 AIAW College World Series

The 1980 Oklahoma State softball team won the Big Eight tournament title en route to a 34–20 record and second Women's College World Series qualification. In Norman, the Cowgirls rattled off two quick wins against

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...

and

Cal Poly Pomona California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) is a public polytechnic research university in Pomona, California, United States. It is the largest of the three polytechnic universities in the California State University syst ...

to move into the national quarterfinals. After being shutout by

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, Oklahoma State was elimimated after falling in a rematch to Western Michigan.

1981 AIAW College World Series

The 1981 Oklahoma State softball team was the first team in the history of the program to win 40 games in a season, going 40–16 and winning another Big Eight tournament title. At the program's third Women's College World Series, the Cowgirls opened with a win over

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

before being defeated by

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. Oklahoma State was then unable to stave off elimination, falling to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

to end the season.

1982 AIAW College World Series

The 1982 Oklahoma State softball team qualified for both the AIAW Women's College World Series and the NCAA Women's College World Series with a 35–19 record. In Norman for the program's fourth Women's College World Series trip, the Cowgirls cruised through the first three games, notching shutout wins against Western Illinois,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to earn a spot in the national semifinals. Oklahoma State would then punch their ticket to the national championship series with a one-run victory over

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Facing off in the national championship series against

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, the Cowgirls needed just one win to claim the national title. Oklahoma State was unable to find it though, falling to the Aggies twice and being forced to settle for a national runner–up finish.

1982 Women's College World Series

Just two days after a heartbreaking national runner–up finish in Norman, Oklahoma State competed in the inaugural NCAA Women's College World Series in Omaha. The program's fifth Women's College World Series trip was a short one however, falling in extra inning contests to eventual national champion

and

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

to end the season.

1989 Women's College World Series

The 1989 Oklahoma State softball team was one of the most dominant in school history, going 46–6 en route to winning both Big Eight regular season and tournament titles. In the Stillwater Regional, the Cowgirls swept

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 ...

in the two games to punch their sixth trip to the Women's College World Series. In

Sunnyvale Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by portions of San Jose to the north, ...

, Oklahoma State began their tournament with a win over Toledo before picking up another win over

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

in extra innings. The Cowgirls were unable to find the win column again, dropping a close game to eventual national champion

before being elimimated with a blowout loss to

1990 Women's College World Series

The 1990 Oklahoma State softball team went 43–11 and won both Big Eight regular season and tournament titles for the second straight year. The Cowgirls would punch their seventh ticket to the Women's College World Series in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

with a win over Adelphi in the Storrs Regional. In the Women's College World Series, the Cowgirls picked up two quick wins over

and

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

to move into the national semifinals. In a repeat of the previous year, Oklahoma State would again be elimimated from the tournament after a loss to eventual national champion

and then to

in extra innings.

1993 Women's College World Series

The 1993 Oklahoma State softball team went 50–9, becoming the second team in program history to reach 50 wins en route to winning the Big Eight regular season title. The Cowgirls would sweep Utah State in the Stillwater Regional to clinch the eighth Women's College World Series appearance in program history. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State began their tournament run with a win over

in the opening game. The Cowgirls would continue with a victory in extra innings over top-seeded

, before falling in extra innings to eventual national champion

. Oklahoma State would then be elimimated after being shutout by UCLA in a rematch.

1994 Women's College World Series

The 1994 Oklahoma State softball team went 46–12, winning another Big Eight regular season title with a dominant 15–3 conference record. In the Stillwater Regional, the Cowgirls would win three one-run games over Providence and rival

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

to clinch the program's ninth Women's College World Series appearance. In Oklahoma City, a loss in extra innings to

would push Oklahoma State to the edge of elimination. However, the Cowgirls would battle back, grabbing wins over

and

to make their way back to the national semifinals. Needing two wins against Cal State Northridge to stay alive, Oklahoma State notched a victory in 15 innings before losing a close game to the Matadors, and were eliminated.

1998 Women's College World Series

The 1998 Oklahoma State softball team went 42–19 with a 9–7 conference record. The Cowgirls hosted the Stillwater Regional and opened with a pair of shutout victories over

and Missouri State. Oklahoma State would notch their third–straight shutout victory in a win over

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, punching their ticket to the Women's College World Series for the 10th time in program history. In Oklahoma City, the Cowgirls opened the tournament with a one-run loss to

to enter the losers bracket. Oklahoma State would stave off elimination twice, blowing out UMass and winning a close game over

to fight their way into the national semifinals. Needing to beat Arizona twice, the Cowgirls failed to win once, being eliminated with a shutout loss to the Wildcats.

2011 Women's College World Series

The 2011 Oklahoma State softball team went 42–20 with an 8–10 conference record. In the Knoxville Regional, the Cowgirls began their postseason run with a one-run win over

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

before knocking off host

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

twice to advance to the Stillwater Super Regional. Oklahoma State would defeat

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in three games to advance to Oklahoma City for the 11th time. In the Women's College World Series, the Cowgirls would lose a one-run contest against Big 12 rival Baylor before being elimimated with a blowout loss to

2019 Women's College World Series

The 2019 Oklahoma State softball team went 45–17 with a 13–5 conference record. Hosting the Stillwater Regional, the Cowgirls began their tournament with a tight win over BYU before knocking off rival

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

twice to advance. In the Tallahassee Super Regional against

, Oklahoma State won an extremely competitive series in three games and advanced to the Women's College World Series for the 12th time in program history. In Oklahoma City, the Cowgirls continued their run with an upset win over

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

before a Bedlam showdown with

. The Sooners would cruise to an easy win, and Oklahoma State was later elimimated after a one-run loss to

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

2021 Women's College World Series

The 2021 Oklahoma State softball team went 48–12 with a 15–3 conference record. Hosting the Stillwater Regional as the 5th seed nationally, the Cowgirls cruised with a dominant win over Campbell and a pair of blowout victories over

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

. In the Stillwater Super Regional, Oklahoma State would outlast

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in three games to punch their ticket to Oklahoma City for the 13th time. In the Women's College World Series, the Cowgirls began their run with a win over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

before suffering a major upset loss at the hands of

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

. Oklahoma State would lose again in a close game to

, ending their season.

2022 Women's College World Series

The 2022 Oklahoma State softball team went 48–14 with a 14–4 conference record, winning the first

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

conference tournament title with a victory over Bedlam rival

. In the Stillwater Regional, the Cowgirls picked up a blowout win over Fordham before adding a pair of victories over

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and

North Texas North Texas is a term used primarily by residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to refer to a geographic area of Texas, generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, Texas, Abilene, west of Paris, Texas, Par ...

to advance. In the Stillwater Super Regional, Oklahoma State swept Clemson in two games to advance to the 14th Women's College World Series in program history. In Oklahoma City, the Cowgirls opened with a pair of close wins over

and

, moving just one win away from the national championship series. Oklahoma State was unable to find it, falling to

twice and being eliminated in heartbreaking fashion.

2023 Women's College World Series

The 2023 Oklahoma State softball team went 47–16 with a 10–8 conference record. The Cowgirls opened the Stillwater Regional with a pair of shutout victories over UMBC and

before defeating

to advance. In the Stillwater Super Regional, Oklahoma State would demolish

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, outscoring them 17–1 over two games and punching their ticket to Oklahoma City for the 15th time. In the Women's College World Series, the Cowgirls suffered a blowout loss to

to enter the losers bracket. Oklahoma State would stave off elimination against

in a dominant victory, but would be elimimated after a close loss to

2024 Women's College World Series

The 2024 Oklahoma State softball team went 49–12 with a 21–6 conference record. In the Stillwater Regional, the Cowgirls would open with a shutout win over

Northern Colorado Northern Colorado is the name for a region in the state of Colorado and a proposed state in the northeastern portion of Colorado. Region Northern Colorado is a region in the northern portion of Colorado. It borders northwestern Colorado, nort ...

before adding two comfortable wins over

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and

to advance. In the Stillwater Super Regional, Oklahoma State would once again find complete dominance, cruising by

in two games to reach the program's 16th Women's College World Series. The Cowgirls would struggle to find scoring in Oklahoma City, falling in a pitchers' duel to

before being obliterated by

in a shutout loss, ending the season.

Coaching history

Current coaching staff

Season-by-season results

NCAA Tournament seeding history

National seeding began in 2005. The Oklahoma State Cowgirls have been a national seed five times.

Championships

Conference championships

Conference tournament championships

Notable players

Conference awards

; Big 12 Player of the Year * Lauren Bay, 2003 *Vanessa Shippy, 2016, 2018 ; Big 12 Pitcher of the Year *Carrie Eberle, 2021 * Kelly Maxwell, 2022 * Lexi Kilfoyl, 2024 ; Big 12 Freshman of the Year *Jaime Foutch, 1996 ;Big 12 Newcomer of the Year *Leanne Tyler, 1996 *Shelly Graham, 1999 ;Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year *Vanessa Shippy, 2017, 2018 Source:

References

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