Mussatto: No other Bedlam transfer carries weight of Kelly Maxwell's move to OU softball

Nine months from the day Kelly Maxwell announced her decision to cross Bedlam lines and transfer from OSU to OU, Maxwell will surely be in the circle on Friday for the Sooners, staring down some of her former Cowgirl teammates.

Luckily for Maxwell, this Bedlam series, the last of the Big 12 era, is being played in the friendly confines of Love’s Field in Norman. We don’t know if Maxwell would’ve been cheered or booed — a smattering of both? — if this series was in Stillwater, but it would’ve been terribly uncomfortable for all involved.

For Maxwell, for Cowgirls coach Kenny Gajewski and for OSU fans, who would have to welcome back the former All-American only to see her arrive in crimson and cream.

Maxwell, who’s 17-1 with a 1.66 ERA, wasn’t the first Bedlam turncoat and she won’t be the last, but she’ll likely be the first name we think of in this transfer era of a player who flipped Bedlam schools.

More: OU softball pitcher Kelly Maxwell gives Bedlam vs. Oklahoma State a different edge

From now on, it just won’t mean as much as OU heads to the SEC, where it just means … sorry. OU coach Patty Gasso said earlier this week that Bedlam softball will be played next season at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, but future iterations of Bedlam won't carry the weight of conference play. Now, if OU and OSU meet in a super regional or the Women’s College World Series, Bedlam will be back back.

Maxwell’s decision stung OSU so hard because of the timing, because it coincided with the Sooners’ last season in a conference they’ve laid waste to.

The same applies to when defensive lineman Trace Ford defected from OSU to OU, but that was a mere tremble compared to the quake of Maxwell’s decision.

This is a football state, but it’s also a softball state. The only thing akin to an ace pitcher switching Bedlam rivals would be a star quarterback doing the same.

Even that won’t be as big of a deal. The Sooners and Cowboys have no intentions of meeting on the gridiron anytime soon. An OSU football player who transfers to OU, that’s a problem for South Carolina and Tennessee. An OU player who leaves for OSU? It affects the Sun Devils and Mountaineers more so than the Sooners.

Football players who cross Bedlam lines won’t have to run into their ex. Other athletes might in a non-conference clash, but the temperature, even in softball, won’t be this high.

Not compared to what Maxwell will face this weekend against the Cowgirls.

Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kelly Maxwell's move to OU softball will be Bedlam's biggest transfer