How Oklahoma State softball's Jilyen Poullard overcame her 'mental warfare' to ignite team
STILLWATER — Neither Kenny Gajewski nor Jilyen Poullard have gone into deep detail about the emotional conversation they had in early April.
But in many ways, the success of the Oklahoma State softball season hinged on that heart-to-heart meeting between coach and player.
The fifth-seeded Cowgirls enter the Stillwater Super Regional against unseeded Arizona two wins away from a fifth straight Women’s College World Series. The best-of-three battle is set to begin with Game 1 at 7 p.m. Friday at Cowgirl Stadium.
Maybe OSU would be in this position without Poullard digging herself out of the hole she found herself in two months ago. But it’s hard to imagine the Cowgirls being as overpowering as they’ve been the last six weeks without her.
“I think this mental warfare that I’ve been having internally has been one of the hardest things to crawl out of,” Poullard said. “I had to recognize how tough I really am, not only physically, but also mentally.”
How dramatic has Poullard’s turnaround been? The Moss Bluff, Louisiana, native had just two hits in 10 at-bats through all of March. She spent much of that time on the bench, appearing in just six of OSU's 18 games that month.
Heading into Friday, she has seven home runs in the past eight games, including one in each of OSU’s two Bedlam wins and three in last week’s Stillwater Regional. She's also getting on base, scoring runs and playing reliable defense in center field.
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But her production is only part of the story. Since returning to the lineup, and returning to form, Poullard has been the ignition switch to the Cowgirl offense.
Yet even that phrase doesn’t do justice to her impact.
Imagine lighting a birthday candle with a flamethrower. That’s Poullard’s effect on the Cowgirls the last six weeks.
“If you’ve followed this team and you haven’t seen that, you’ve missed the whole story,” Gajewski said. “She is the spark this team has been waiting for the whole year.”
From her infectious smile to her dugout dance moves to her increasingly more spirited home run celebrations, Poullard has brought to life a type of energy and confidence in the Cowgirl hitters that is nearly impossible to deliberately create.
“It’s so fun to watch her play,” sophomore outfielder Claire Timm said. “She brings so much energy to everyone around her. She’s a great teammate. She’s so competitive. She’s gonna do everything she can to go out there and win.”
Getting to this point, however, was far from simple.
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Poullard came in as one of the more exciting Cowgirl transfers last offseason, having shown power, speed and defense at McNeese State.
She looked perfectly suited for a major role as a starting outfielder batting near the top of the order.
She filled that role for a few weeks in February, but her production — and more importantly, her energy — waned to the point that Gajewski started leaving her off the lineup card.
Gajewski would pull her aside for regular conversations about her role, her goals and her urgency to finish strong in her final season of college softball.
“I was overwhelmed with pressure to perform,” Poullard said. “It’s not the pressure from the outside, but the pressure you subconsciously put on yourself to succeed.
“We had a team meeting about the seniors and how our games and our opportunities to be on a team and play the game that we love are winding down. Remembering this is only a game and putting more of my focus on enjoying it and playing the game because it is a game has freed me up a lot.”
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And Poullard plays best when she’s happy, so her flip in mindset resulted in an almost instantaneous explosion of production.
Immediately after their emotional talk in early April, Gajewski gave Poullard an opportunity as a pinch-hitter, and she drove in a run. The next game, he started her, batting ninth, and she hit a home run — her third of the year and first in five weeks.
The next day, Gajewski moved her to the leadoff spot. She homered again and has been in the top slot of the lineup card ever since.
“She is in a space that I wish we could’ve got her in by the first week, because I think her numbers would be off the charts,” Gajewski said. “She wasn’t performing the way she wanted to and not finding herself in the lineup as much. You get in this bad place. We had a great talk and a great response.
“It’s awesome. Honestly, it’s why I coach. It’s the only reason, to see stuff like that.”
A small-town Louisiana kid, who affectionately refers to her home as the Dirty South, Poullard admits to being both an emotional player and one who feels the need to prove herself at times.
“I had this negative mindset that I put myself in of, ‘Show everyone why you’re able to play here,’” she said. “I’m grateful to God that I’m able to give that stress to him and just enjoy the game.”
Gajewski and Poullard had several one-on-ones before the early April meeting where everything finally seemed to harmonize. And if not for that moment, it’s hard to project where Poullard or the Cowgirls would be right now.
“I told her, I don’t wanna have any more of these. I want you to be Jil,” Gajewski told her in their final meeting.
“And since then, it’s taken a trajectory that’s been wildly great.”
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Stillwater Super Regional
OSU vs. Arizona in a best-of-three series at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater:
Game 1: 7 p.m. Friday, ESPNU
Game 2: 6 p.m. Saturday (TV TBD)
Game 3: TBD Sunday (if necessary)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jilyen Poullard overcame 'mental warfare' to energize OSU softball
