Berry Tramel: OSU Softball Could Deliver the Ultimate Payback to the Departing Sooners
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Sooners’ time in the Big 12 is nearing its end, with just 32 days until OU joins the Southeastern Conference.
The opportunities for the Sooners to represent the Big 12 are dwindling: a bit of track and field, the NCAA baseball playoffs, and the Women’s College World Series. Consequently, the window for OSU to exact revenge on OU for their departure is also closing. Although State might dismiss the Sooners’ exit, nothing compares to the satisfaction of victory.
In Stillwater, nothing would be more gratifying than the Cowgirls winning the softball national championship, a title that has become almost a given for the Sooners.
This year, it could happen. OSU has made it to the World Series five years in a row, but this Kenny Gajewski-led team is better positioned than ever to challenge the Sooners. Despite being seeded fifth nationally, OSU has a 2-1 record against the Sooners this season, winning the Bedlam Series for the first time in the 21st century. While OU remains the team to beat, their dominance is more fragile in 2024, and they are not even the top seed; that honor belongs to Texas, which also defeated the Sooners but lost to OSU. The Cowgirls have a 6-2 record against the rest of the eight-team World Series field.
“It gives you a little bit of confidence knowing we can look back at those games and pull out all the good,” said OSU ace pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl.
A Cowgirl title would be historic for the school (their first female NCAA team championship) and thrilling for a fanbase passionate about softball. Winning at OU’s expense, preventing the Sooners from claiming a fourth consecutive national title, and sending them out of the Big 12 would be especially satisfying.
For Sooners fans, a defeat in softball, particularly at Devon Park where OU has won seven NCAA titles, is devastating.
The drama is heightened this year with the convergence of NCAA athletics’ realignment and transfer portal chaos, especially since OU ace Kelly Maxwell transferred from OSU, where she was a standout.
“Honestly, we don’t get caught up in the drama,” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “We focus on the moment. If we need to go through OSU, we’ll be ready.”
However, Gasso would prefer to avoid the drama. The thought of using Maxwell in a Bedlam Championship Series is daunting, as she has been superb for both sides but hasn’t excelled in big games.
Gasso would never admit it, but she’d likely prefer facing Texas in the final rather than the Cowgirls.
Gasso avoided Bedlam talk, but veteran catcher Kinzie Hansen did not.
“They’ve been chasing us for a long time,” Hansen said. “In my five years, the rivalry has always been intense. Whether Kelly was pitching or not, they’re tough teams with aggressive players. Off the field, we might be friendly, but on the field, it’s a fierce battle.”
Two years ago, OSU nearly reached the Bedlam championship series but lost due to a poor half inning, allowing Texas to advance. An OU-Texas championship this year would be just as disheartening for OSU as a Cowgirl national title would be for the Sooners.
If OU and Texas compete for the championship, the SEC’s influence would overshadow the Big 12, highlighting what the conference will lose with the departure of its marquee schools.
Like Gasso, Gajewski downplayed any special significance in this WCWS.
“It’s different. It’s a new day, and nothing really matters now. It’s just about whoever’s next,” Gajewski said.
Gajewski knows his team is strong. Kilfoyl has become a dominant pitcher, even more so than Maxwell in her OSU days. The Cowgirls have been formidable, with a combined run differential in super regionals surpassing that of OU and UCLA.
“If we play our best, I don’t think anyone can match us,” Gajewski said.
He likely includes the Sooners in that assessment. The Sooners aim to enter the SEC with another softball trophy, but they may first have to face an old rival playing for the highest stakes of conference pride.
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