2023 Oklahoma State Position Preview – Infield

Fresh off a 3rd-consecutive journey to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma State has reestablished itself among the many nation’s elite softball packages. As the 2023 Cowgirls put together for his or her probability to play on the game’s greatest stage, examine again in often at okstate.com for a breakdown of the OSU roster by place group. This week we breakdown the OSU infield.
 
With the commencement of All-Americans Sydney Pennington and Hayley Busby, the Cowgirls’ infield undoubtedly misplaced some veteran management. Nonetheless, head coach Kenny Gajewski has refreshed the group with a gifted mixture of excessive-profile transfers and a promising freshmen.
 
Returning for the Cowgirls, Kiley Naomi and Morgyn Wynne will function leaders for a place group with appreciable depth. Newcomers to the Oklahoma State infield embody All-American graduate senior Rachel Becker, sophomores Megan Bloodworth and Sophie Page, redshirt freshman Micaela Wark and true freshmen Claire Timm and Lexi McDonald.
 
Captaining the infield is 2-time All-Big 12 standout Kiley Naomi, who has began all however 4 video games of her OSU profession at shortstop. She ranks within the prime 15 in a dozen of Oklahoma State’s all-time profession lists, together with six prime-5 spots, having already established herself in this system report books. Naomi tallied six multi-hit video games final 12 months, with six residence runs and a .333 season on-base proportion. One of the most effective defensive abilities within the nation, the graduate senior will function a veteran for the OSU roster as she chases All-America standing in her last collegiate season.
 
Rachel Becker is an enormous addition for the Cowgirls’ center infield. The graduate switch from Purdue etched her identify into the Boilermakers’ historical past books because the second participant in class historical past to hit .400 or higher in again-to-again seasons (.479 and .429, respectively). In her last season as a Boilermaker, Becker turned this system’s second-ever All-American and in addition earned first-workforce All-Big Ten honors, tabbing 17 RBI and ending the 12 months with a .662 slugging proportion. She additionally tallied 77 putouts and 102 assists final season. Among the various mixtures obtainable to Gajewski within the infield, Becker at second and Naomi at shortstop will make for a dynamic center infield duo.
 
Morgan Wynne returns for her last collegiate season and her second as a Cowgirl as an skilled possibility at first base. Smashing 4 homers and tallying 9 RBI, Wynne performed in 38 video games for the Cowgirls, together with 25 begins at first base. Perhaps much more spectacular is the 1.000 fielding proportion she boasted final season, committing zero errors whereas notching 132 putouts. Her defensive reliability paired along with her enhancing offensive numbers might imply an enormous position for Wynne in 2023.
 
Alabama-transfer Megan Bloodworth collected a number of honors in her freshman season with the Crimson Tide, being named a NFCA second-workforce All-Region honoree and voted a Schutt Sports/NFCA D1 Freshman of the Year Top 25 Finalist. She began 45 video games in her debut season, hitting seven residence runs, 30 RBI and tallying a .961 season OPS. Bloodworth has made a high quality first impression, beginning at third base in all however two of Oklahoma State’s fall exhibition video games. Gajewski will proceed to rely on her because the season will get underway in February.
 
Micaela Wark will get her first collegiate recreation motion in 2022. The Frisco, Texas-native redshirted her freshman 12 months at Kansas and joined the Cowgirls this fall with 4 years of eligibility. Wark has a formidable highschool resumé and received loads of reps throughout the Pokes fall slate. With loads of pop in her bat, she has potential to be a dependable offensive possibility in what’s already a stacked OSU infield.
 
Sophie Page involves Oklahoma State from UAB, the place she began 24 video games for the Blazers, primarily at shortstop and second base. She tallied 56 assists and 30 putouts in her 42 video games performed. At the plate, she tallied 11 hits and 6 runs and she or he nabbed a stolen base as nicely. Page’s expertise on the collegiate degree will show helpful for Gajewski, as she will be able to excel at a number of positions within the infield.
 
Rounding out the gifted infielders, freshmen Lexi McDonald and Claire Timm each featured within the fall ball season, proving to be promising choices. McDonald, hailing from Silo, Oklahoma, ranked because the No. 43 total prospect in Extra Innings Softball‘s 2022 Extra Elite 100. Timm was a 4-12 months letterwinner at Kennedy High School in Buena Park, California, and was awarded first-workforce All-League honors on three events.
 
The OSU 2023 infield can be extraordinarily priceless in each aspect of the sport because the Cowgirls compete for a fourth-consecutive WCWS look.