The Basics
After earning the No. 5 national seed in the 2024 NCAA DI Softball Championship, the No. 5/4 Oklahoma State softball team (44-10 overall, 21-6 Big 12), welcomes the Big Sky regular season and conference tournament champions Northern Colorado (27-24 overall, 9-5 Big Sky), Kentucky (30-22 overall, 8-16 SEC) and the Big Ten Tournament champions Michigan (41-16, 17-5 Big Ten) to Cowgirl Stadium for the 2024 NCAA Stillwater Regional this weekend. Play begins this Friday, May 17, at 2 p.m. CT with Kentucky and Michigan squaring off on ESPN2, followed by OSU and Northern Colorado at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
Watch, Listen, Follow
Each contest from the 2024 NCAA Stillwater Regional can be seen on the ESPN family of networks with Beth Mowins, Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza on the call. Fans can listen to the games on stillwaterradio.net, or listen using the Varsity Network app with Bill Van Ness on the call. Live stats for all of OSU's games are available online at NCAA.com. Fans can follow @CowgirlSB on X all season for regular coverage and updates, including a live scoreboard.
 
In The Rankings
Oklahoma State is No. 5 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll and No. 4 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Softball America has the Cowgirls at No. 3 and D1Softball has the Pokes at No. 3. In the NCAA Softball Rating Percentage Index (RPI), OSU slots in at No. 12.
 
Oklahoma State from a Distance
After posting a program-record fourth-consecutive 40-win season, the Oklahoma State softball team earned the No. 5 national seed in the 2024 NCAA DI Softball Championship, which ties the 2021 Cowgirls for the highest national seed in program history. 2024 marks the fifth consecutive season in which Oklahoma State earned the right to host an NCAA Regional and the fourth straight season in which the Cowgirls secured a top-eight national seed. In each of the previous four seasons, OSU has advanced to the Women's College World Series. This is OSU's eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Softball Championship and its 26th appearance all time. Eight consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament is the second-longest streak in program history, trailing only the record mark of 11 set from 1988-98. The Cowgirls are led by Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and first team All-Big 12 honoree Lexi Kilfoyl, and fellow All-Big 12 first team selections Karli Godwin and Caroline Wang. A three-time Big 12/NFCA Pitcher of the Week, Kilfoyl sits fourth nationally in ERA (1.14) and leads the Big 12 in shutouts (six) and victories (21). Godwin, a TUCCI/NFCA DI Softball Freshman of the Year Top 10 finalist, has 13 home runs to go with 46 RBIs and a team-leading 12 doubles. Wang set a new OSU single-season home run record by a catcher (17, and counting) and has 12 doubles and 48 RBIs. Oklahoma State finished third in the Big 12 standings (21-6), marking the sixth-straight season finishing inside the top three (not including the shortened 2020 season due to COVID). The Pokes collected four series sweeps (UCF, Houston, Texas Tech and Kansas) to go with series wins over then-No. 19 Baylor, BYU, then-No. 2 Texas and then-No. 2 Oklahoma.
 
Notable Streaks and Trends
• In the last three seasons, Oklahoma State is 15-1 in postseason games played in Cowgirl Stadium with a combined score of 104-18.
• OSU has been ranked in the NFCA poll in each of its last 325 games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• Oklahoma State has scored first in 37 of its 54 contests this season.
• Oklahoma State has played 54 games so far this season, 34 of which were against opponents in the
Top 75 of the NCAA RPI.
• Oklahoma State has won 16 games via run-rule.
• Oklahoma State has scored 10+ runs in 14 games this season.
• OSU has outscored its opponents, 19-7, from the seventh inning on.
• OSU is 9-2 in one-run games.
• Dating back to the Washington game on Feb. 22, OSU has hit 66 home runs and allowed only 22.
• Oklahoma State has hit at least three home runs in 17 different games so far this season.
• Karli Godwin has started all 54 games this season, the only player on the team to do so.
 
Series History
In their fifth straight season as a NCAA Regional host, the Cowgirls hold a 52-28 all-time record in the Regional round of the NCAA Softball Championship, winning their last 12 Regional games. OSU and Northern Colorado have met seven times in the program's history, with the most recent meeting in 2011, a 6-0 victory for the Pokes. Against Michigan, OSU holds an 8-5 record all- time, including wins in the last two meetings. The Cowgirls hold a 4-1 advantage over Kentucky, most recently an 8-7 win in 2019.
 
Team and Player Notes
 
Postseason Success in Stillwater
In the last three seasons, Oklahoma State is 15-1 in regional and super regional games played in Cowgirl Stadium with a combined score of 104-18. A closer look:
 
5/21/21 (R) Campbell W 10-0 (5)
5/22/21 (R) Mississippi State W 9-3
5/23/21 (R) Mississippi State W 10-2 (5)
5/28/21 (SR) No. 11 Texas W 6-1
5/29/21 (SR) No. 11 Texas L 2-4
5/30/21 (SR) No. 11 Texas W 2-0
5/20/22 (R) Fordham W 12-0 (5)
5/21/22 (R) No. 25 Nebraska W 7-4
5/22/22 (R) North Texas W 2-0
5/26/22 (SR) No. 14 Clemson W 2-0
5/27/22 (SR) No. 14 Clemson W 5-1
5/19/23 (R) UMBC W 9-0 (6)
5/20/23 (R) No. 21 Wichita State W 6-0
5/21/23 (R) Nebraska W 5-2
5/25/23 (SR) No. 19 Oregon W 8-1
5/26/23 (SR) No. 19 Oregon W 9-0
 
Getting Hot at the Right Time
Oklahoma State enters the NCAA tournament with a 10-2 record in its last 12 games, including a 3-0 record in its final three Big 12 series against Texas Tech, Kansas and then-No. 2 Oklahoma. In their last 12 games, the Pokes have outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 82-42 and have hit 19 home runs and 15 doubles. OSU's hot stretch has been fueled by strong numbers from Lexi McDonald, Karli Godwin, Claire Timm and Caroline Wang, all of whom have batting averages over .360 during the last 12 games. Godwin leads the team with five home runs and 15 doubles during the stretch while posting a .361 batting average and a .886 slugging percentage. Timm has tallied a team-leading four doubles. McDonald has a team-best .385 batting average in the last 12 games.
 
Big 12's Best
The Cowgirls were well-represented in this year's crop of Big 12 yearly awards, highlighted by Lexi Kilfoyl earning Pitcher of the Year, marking OSU's third hurler in the last four years to win the award. Kilfoyl also collected first team All-Big 12 honors, joined on the first team by Karli Godwin and Caroline Wang. Ivy Rosenberry picked up All-Big 12 second team recognition, with Godwin and Rosie Davis both being named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
 
League-Bound Lexi
Lexi Kilfoyl was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 Athletes Unlimited College Softball draft, one of 15 players selected to join the league that begins play in late July. She is the seventh Cowgirl to be drafted by Athletes Unlimited, and the 25th Cowgirl in program history to be selected in a professional draft.
 
Record Year
The Cowgirls of 2024 have (so far) set 73 personal single-season career highs, and are on pace to set multiple more. Ivy Rosenberry, Lexi McDonald and Claire Timm all set single-season career-bests in virtually every statistical category. Some of the other notable achievements include Jilyen Poullard setting a single-season best in home runs with eight, while Caroline Wang and Micaela Wark both tied their respective career-bests in home runs, with 17 and 10, respectively.
 
2023 Cowgirls vs. 2024 Cowgirls
Despite losing five starters from last year's team, the Cowgirls of 2024, comprised of mainly underclassmen, have not missed a beat. In fact, this year's group of Cowgirls have elevated their play in areas compared to last season. OSU has nearly doubled its home run total from this point last season, sitting at 81 dingers now (compared to 46 at this point last season). Additionally, OSU has hit four more triples this season, totaled 51 more total bases, and is slugging at a .551 clip, compared to last year's .5496. Additionally, at this point last season, the Cowgirls only had one player with double-digit home runs, whereas this year three different Cowgirls have at least 10 home runs on the year (Caroline Wang, Karli Godwin and Micaela Wark).
 
40 Wins - Again
After securing its 40th win of the season, the Cowgirls of 2024 became the 16th team in program history to reach the 40-win mark, and are the fourth consecutive to do so. Four straight 40-win seasons is a program record. Oklahoma State is one of just 28 teams in the nation with at least 40 wins entering the 2024 NCAA Softball Championship.
 
Clutch Hitting
As a team, OSU is batting .347 with runners in scoring position. Rosie Davis (20-for-38, .526 avg.), Tallen Edwards (11-for-34, .324 avg.), Caroline Wang (19-for-50, .380 avg.), Micaela Wark (13-for-32, .406 avg.) and Karli Godwin (16-for-46, .348 avg.) lead the Cowgirl hitters with RISP. With two outs, the Cowgirls are batting .297.
 
Fab Freshmen
Roommates off the field, freshmen Rosie Davis and Karli Godwin have been mainstays in the OSU lineup, with Godwin the only Cowgirl to start every game this season. Both NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 Finalists, the pair are both among the top five on the team in batting average (.329 for Davis and .341 for Godwin) and they combine for 75 RBIs to go with 20 home runs and 21 doubles. Additional freshman contributors are Taylor Anderson and Tia Warsop. Perhaps the two fastest players in the Gajewski era. Both are threats on the basepaths and commonly used in pinch running scenarios, combining for 27 runs scored. In her first career start at BYU on March 22, Anderson blasted her first career home run. Of Oklahoma State's 304 RBIs so far this season, freshmen account for 25% of them (78/304) and of its 417 hits, freshmen account for 28% of them (120/424).
 
Home Sweet Home
OSU has dominated at home since 2019, boasting a 115-16 record at Cowgirl Stadium. At home this season, the Pokes are 19-1, have outscored opponents, 139-37, and have hit 30 home runs while only giving up six. With the latest addition of the right field bleachers added for the Big 12 home opener, a new attendance record was set at Cowgirl Stadium on March 30, when 1,757 fans watched OSU clinch the series against then-No. 2 Texas. In addition to its new single-game attendance record, OSU set a new home regular season attendance record, with 22,070 fans packing into Cowgirl Stadium this season.
 
Make it Grand
The Cowgirls have blasted two grand slams on the year, with Lexi McDonald (April 6 at Houston) and Claire Timm (April 28 vs. Kansas) each notching the first of their respective careers. They are the 37^th and 38th Cowgirls in program history to launch a grand slam.
 
Selected Cowgirl Tidbits
Kyra Aycock - Top-10 national recruit as a prep and member of the 2023 Big 12 all-freshman team. Candidate for a breakthrough season in 2024.
Megan Bloodworth - All-region honoree while at Alabama in 2022. Enjoys hunting in her spare time.
Tallen Edwards - Outspoken advocate for people with alopecia. Enrolled at OSU a year early and earned 2023 freshman All-America honors when she should have been a senior in high school.
Karli Godwin - Top-10 national recruit who enjoys hunting and fishing in her spare time. Chose OSU largely because Stillwater feels like her home of Lake Waccamaw, N.C.
Macy Graf - Mississippi State transfer who runs her own apparel company called Shady Cowboy.
Lexi Kilfoyl - 2023 All-American and 2024 Preseason All-American. Alabama transfer who pitched in the 2021 Women's College World Series for the Crimson Tide and in the 2023 WCWS for Oklahoma State. Brother, Andrew, plays football at South Florida.
Katie Kutz - An elite-level competitive bodybuilder who has earned her pro card.
Lexi McDonald - Product of baseball hotbed Silo, Oklahoma. Brother is training to be a college softball umpire.
Kathryn Ogg - Has played internationally for the Hungarian National Team. Brother, Alexander, pitches for Michigan.
Jilyen Poullard - High-energy member of the team who was a standout at McNeese but transferred to Oklahoma State to rekindle her own love for the game. Is developing a clothing line, Yet To Come: Manifest Greatness, with her partner, Madysin.
Ivy Rosenberry - Virginia Tech transfer who grew up in Virginia but was drawn to OSU not only to play at the highest level but also because she has family in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Is enjoying a career-year in her final season of collegiate softball.
Haidyn Sokoloski - Two-time gold medalist for Team USA (U17 and U18) at the Pan American Championships. Played summer ball in Nashville in 2023 and was offensive MVP of the league. Has her own series on OSU Max, OSU's streaming service, called Hangin' with Haidyn, where she vlogs most of the road trips from this season.
Caroline Wang - Formerly Caroline Hudson before marrying Matthew Wang in the summer of 2023. Her father, John, won a Super Bowl as a member of the Baltimore Ravens and her grandfather played for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills. Mother was a gymnast at Auburn and sister played softball for Chattanooga.
Micaela Wark - A prep star in Frisco, Texas, who enrolled at Kansas but didn't play as a freshman due to injury, then transferred to Oklahoma State in part to be closer to family. A realistic candidate to have a breakout year in 2024.
Tia Warsop - Selected to play for the Great Britain senior national team at age 17 and helped the squad to silver at the 2022 European Championships - its best finish at the event since 2009. Born in Northampton, England, but her family moved to Texas when she was four years old. One of the fastest players of the Kenny Gajewski era at Oklahoma State.