How a Wiffle ball game got Oklahoma State softball 'back to having fun'

STILLWATER — After two dismal offensive performances at Iowa State, Kenny Gajewski decided his team needed a new bat.

So, prior to the series finale last Sunday, the Oklahoma State softball coach headed to the store.

“We made a Target run,” Gajewski said. “Got some ice cream and a Wiffle ball bat.”

Yes, with his team slumping at the plate in two straight upset losses, Gajewski decided it was time for a game of Wiffle ball. So he bought the ball and bat and cut a chunk of time out of Sunday’s pregame practice.

“A friend of mine told me, 'Hey, you ought to try to get back to having fun,'” Gajewski said.

The result was an offensive explosion with four home runs in a 10-2 run-rule victory to close the series at Iowa State — and he hopes it carries over.

More: How Karli Godwin's 'mean look' is producing results for Oklahoma State softball

Sixth-ranked OSU plays host to Texas Tech in a three-game series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday at Cowgirl Stadium to kick off a homestand that makes up the final seven home games of the regular season.

And it’ll go a long way toward deciding how many additional home games the Cowgirls have in their future.

Sitting at 11th in the Ratings Percentage Index, which is often a good predictor of NCAA Tournament seedings, the Cowgirls should be a virtual lock to host a regional in mid-May.

But the way the regular season finishes — with home series against Texas Tech and Kansas before heading to Norman for Bedlam and Oklahoma City for the Big 12 Tournament — will decide their fate in potentially hosting a super regional for a fourth straight year.

“I had a pretty good talk with our team at breakfast on Sunday morning about making sure they’re keeping the main thing the main thing,” Gajewski said. “What we talk about here always is going to OKC and being one of the final eight teams to have a chance to win the final game.

“I just wanted to remind them that all that is ahead of us. We’re still in a really good spot in our league. If we just take care of ourselves, we have a really good shot to do what we wanna do.”

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

Part of taking care of themselves is having fun. Playing like 8-year-olds in the backyard, as Gajewski often describes it.

That’s where the Wiffle ball game came in.

“Hitting a Wiffle ball is so hard,” pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl said with a laugh. “I went up there and struck out three times, swing and miss. It was just fun to get the team excited, and it was a good perspective for all of us, just go out there and hit the ball as hard as you can and make something happen.”

Gajewski organized it like a playground game. Two freshmen, Karli Godwin and Rosie Davis, were captains charged with picking their teams. Coaches played, too.

“I was the pitcher,” Gajewski said. “Threw overhand, trying to carve ‘em up.

“It was just fun. I watched them running around and laughing and talking trash, and I was like, ‘We’re back.’ It was kinda cool to see.”

Sacrificing some practice time, Gajewski wanted to make sure his point got across that the game needs to be fun, and the smiles that carried into Sunday’s actual softball game told him his answer.

“I thought that was really cool,” said first-year Cowgirl Jilyen Poullard, a senior who transferred from McNeese State. “Obviously, we came from two games where we didn’t play our best and we struggled to generate runs and even get people on base. I think everybody immediately was able to take a breath and be like, ‘You know what, whatever.’

“I think that was a cool moment, because the coaching staff could’ve been upset with us, but they chose to use that as a learning moment. But at the end of the day, when you’re able to have fun, that’s when you’re gonna be your best.”

More: Big 12 softball power rankings: New No. 1 as Texas continues building momentum

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How a Wiffle ball game gave Oklahoma State softball a mental reset