How Karli Godwin anchored Oklahoma State softball's offensive resurgence

Scott Wright, The Oklahoman

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State pitcher Ivy Rosenberry hasn’t often needed a lot of run support from the Cowgirl offense when she has pitched this season.

But seeing the bats return to life over the weekend certainly brought some good vibes for Rosenberry and the pitching staff.

“It’s a great feeling,” she said. “I know they can always do it. Hitting is just like pitching. Some days are good, some days are bad. Everyone knows what we’re capable of. We’re one of the top offenses in the nation and that’s why we’re ranked No. 6.

“They’re always capable of it. Sometimes we hit a lull and it’s no big deal. We’re always gonna find the top. They did really good (over the weekend). It made me feel really good with runs on the board.”

After going through a rough patch that led to two losses at Iowa State, the Cowgirl offense returned to form by scoring at least six runs over all four wins last week, and is averaging 9.2 runs per game during its current five-game win streak.

Here’s a look at what we learned about the Cowgirls last week:

More: Oklahoma State softball wins series vs Texas Tech as Karli Godwin, Ivy Rosenberry shine

Oklahoma State infielder Karli Godwin (14) runs home after hitting a home run in the sixth inning of a college softball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.
Oklahoma State infielder Karli Godwin (14) runs home after hitting a home run in the sixth inning of a college softball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.

No. 6 Oklahoma State

  • Record: 39-8 (16-5 Big 12)

  • Last week: 4-0 (beat Wichita State 6-5, beat Texas Tech 11-3, 13-0, 6-4)

  • This week: vs. North Texas, 6 p.m. Wednesday; vs. Kansas, 6 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday

Karli Godwin on a tear

Freshman Karli Godwin’s power has been obvious from her arrival, when she started piling up extra-base hits in mid-February.

And it was the talk of the weekend when she homered three times in the first two games against Texas Tech to tie, break and extend the Cowgirl freshman home run record, now at 12.

All of that came after her longest offensive dry spell of the season — three hitless games.

Yes, the longest stretch of games without a hit this season has been three in a row for the freshman, who raised her batting average to .340 with the five-game hitting streak she’s on now.

Godwin has hit safely in 33 of the 47 games this season and has the second-best slugging percentage on the team at .646, which is valuable considering she’s been providing protection in the batting order for OSU’s top power hitter, Caroline Wang.

And Godwin has been at the center of the recent resurgence with four home runs and eight RBIs in the last five games.

“It’s been really great for our confidence and showing everybody that, yeah, we might fall down, but we’re gonna come back and fight harder than ever,” Godwin said of the offensive bounceback. “We’ve got the confidence that we’re good and when we stay within ourselves, we can do crazy things.”

More: How opportunity, timing have come together for Oklahoma State softball's Jilyen Poullard

Oklahoma State's Lexi Kilfoyl, left, hugs Karli Godwin as catcher Caroline Wang (66) approaches after a college softball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls and the Texas Longhorns in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, March 30, 2024. Oklahoma State won 3-0.
Oklahoma State's Lexi Kilfoyl, left, hugs Karli Godwin as catcher Caroline Wang (66) approaches after a college softball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls and the Texas Longhorns in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, March 30, 2024. Oklahoma State won 3-0.

Senior weekend

While the Cowgirls still have Bedlam, the Big 12 Tournament and what they hope is three weeks of NCAA Tournament games, this is the weekend they’ll celebrate their seniors with the final home games of the regular season.

While last year’s senior group was loaded with players who had been part of the development of the Cowgirl program after coming in as high school recruits, this year’s class highlights coach Kenny Gajewski’s prowess in the transfer portal.

Four of the five seniors to be recognized are transfers, with just one high school recruit — outfielder Scotland David.

Pitchers Lexi Kilfoyl and Ivy Rosenberry will be recognized along with first-year Cowgirls Caroline Wang and Jilyen Poullard.

Schedule change next week

If all goes right, the Cowgirls won't have to leave the state of Oklahoma again this season.

They had just one such game left on the regular-season schedule, but that game has been canceled. OSU was set to visit Texas-Arlington next Wednesday, but instead, will try to schedule a meeting next year.

That means OSU's remaining schedule includes four home games this week, Bedlam at OU and the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City. Then, if the Cowgirls land a top-eight seed, they'll be set to host regionals and super regionals prior to the Women's College World Series in OKC.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Karli Godwin anchored Oklahoma State softball's offensive resurgence

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