Cowgirls Open 2026 Ranked No. 19 in Preseason Poll

A new year means another preseason with lofty expectations for Oklahoma State softball.

OSU debuted at No. 19 in D1Softball’s preseason poll, which was released Wednesday. The Cowgirls are the second-highest ranked Big 12 team, only behind reigning Women’s College World Series runner-up Texas Tech, which checked in at No. 2. Arizona was the lone other conference foe ranked, checking in at No. 21. It marks the eighth-straight season in which OSU has been ranked to open the season.

The Cowgirls, led by 11th-year coach Kenny Gajewski, are coming off a 2025 campaign, which featured a 35-20 record, including a 13-9 mark in Big 12 play, and an abrupt exit in a loss to host Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional. Rated as the preseason No. 4, OSU underperformed down the stretch, extinguishing a streaking of five consecutive appearances in the Women’s College World Series, dating back to 2019.

In hopes of navigating his team’s return to Oklahoma City, Gjaweski ushered in four transfers to complement a roster of eight returning starters from a season ago.

OSU opens its 2026 campaign at the Stanford Invitational against the hosting Lady Cardinal on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. central standard time. Afterward, the Cowgirls will face San Jose State, California twice and Stanford once more before traveling to Clearwater, Florida for the renowned Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational the following weekend.

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Meylan OSU’s lone delegate in preseason All-American lists

After plenty of preseason All-American representation in recent years, the Cowgirls had only one representative this offseason.

Oklahoma State assistant coach Carrie Eberle Parker in dark cap and shirt talks with pitcher Ruby Meylan in black pinstriped uniform during game at Cowgirl Softball Complex April 23, 2025. — Oklahoma State assistant coach Carrie Eberle Parker talks with senior pitcher Ruby Meylan during the Cowgirls' game against Texas Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Cowgirl Softball Complex in Stillwater. Meylan earned preseason Second Team All-American honors after striking out 243 batters as a junior in 2025. — Photo by Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Ruby Meylan was slotted into D1Softball’s preseason Second Team All-American list, which was released Wednesday. Heading into her senior season, the Cowgirls’ ace right-hander will headline a pitching staff including returning starter RyLee Crandall and Georgia Tech transfer Kaya Booker. And while Meyland will likely endure an enhanced workload, barring a substantial jump from Crandall, past seasons show it’s nothing she isn’t accustomed to.

After transferring in from Washington as a two-time All-American, Meylan dazzled in her inaugural campaign as a Cowgirl. As a junior in 2025, Meylan logged a 1.84 ERA, to go with 243 strikeouts and a .201 batting average against through 209 innings pitched and 43 appearances — 28 of which were starts. That earned her All-Big 12 First Team honors and a spot as a consensus Second Team All-American.

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