Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Overall Rank: #27
Conference Rank: #4 Big 12
Much of the talk around Stillwater heading into the 2019 season will be about what Oklahoma State lost. Vanessa Shippy was a dominate force at the plate for the Cowgirls and wrapped up her collegiate career by leading the team to the NCAA Tournament. During her senior season Shippy hit .471 with four homeruns and 30 RBIs. The loss of Emmie Robertson is significant as well. She went 14-7 in the circle last season with a 2.29 ERA.
2018: 39-22, 12-6
2018 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Kenny Gajewski
Key Departed Players:
Vanessa Shippy, UTL, .471 BA, 4 HR, 30 RBI
Maddi Holcomb, OF, .371 BA, 15 RBI, 11 SB
Whitney Whitehorn, UTL, .287 BA, 9 HR, 37 RBI
Emmie Robertson, P, 2.29 ERA, 14-7 W/L, 128.1 IP, 86 SO
Key Returning Players:
Taylor Lynch, UTL, .358 BA, 8 HR, 47 RBI
Madi Sue Montgomery, IF, .344 BA, 15 HR, 68 RBI
Sydney Pennington, IF, .300 BA, 7 HR, 42 RBI
Samantha Clakley, P, 2.76 ERA, 16-9 W/L, 164.2 IP, 80 SO
Logan Simunek, P, 2.44 ERA, 8-5 W/L, 97.2 IP, 50 SO
Projection:
Coach Kenny Gajewski is bringing in some pretty good talent too. Most notable is Samantha Show. With Texas A&M last season Show made 18 starts in the circle and went 12-5 with a 2.24 ERA in the extremely difficult SEC. She will team up with returning pitchers Samantha Clakley and Logan Simunek to form a superb pitching trio. Things may be slightly more difficult at the plate without Shippy, but there are some newcomers who will help fill the gaps. The return of Rylee Bayless, who missed last year with an injury, will help too. Taylor Lynch, Madi Sue Montgomery and Sydney Pennington figure to make the biggest impact among the returning players. Lynch hit .358 last year with eight homeruns and 47 RBIs. Montgomery led the team last year with 15 homeruns and 68 RBIs. Pennington added seven long balls and 42 RBIs. With those three and Bayless leading the charge, this offense should again be among the best in the Big 12. However, there will be a big hole in the lineup without Shippy and it may take a little bit of time for Oklahoma State to adjust to life after Shippy.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
