3 Things Oklahoma State Softball Fans Should Know About Eastern Illinois

Oklahoma State softball head coach Kenny Gajewski admitted he didn’t know much about Eastern Illinois when he found he his Cowgirls would play them on Friday.

Along with hosting a regional, the Cowgirls are working to learn as much as possible about the Panthers, who won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament title and enter the postseason with a record of 36-21. This is the second year in a row the Panthers have reached the NCAAs and the third time in program history.

Oklahoma State (38-15) is trying to return to the Women’s College World Series after a one-year absence. Here are three things that Cowgirls fans should know going into Friday’s opener.

The Panthers Can Hit

2026 @OVCSports Champions pic.twitter.com/UlRCRsLQR2
— Eastern Illinois Athletics (@EIU_Panthers) May 9, 2026

Among EIU’s eight qualifying hitters, six of them are batting .300 or better going into Stillwater, led by Lizzie Stiverson, who is batting .376 and has a team-leading 88 total bases. She has the team’s best on-base percentage at .476 and is one of three qualifiers with an OBP of .400 or better, along with Alisha Frederick (.417) and Sophia Olman (.422).

EIU doesn’t have a lot of power. The Panthers have hit 42 home runs this season and their best power hitters are Lexie Griffin (nine home runs) and Olman (nine home runs). Griffin bats .275, the lowest average among qualifying batters.

Their lineup is incredibly consistent, and the Panthers score runs like OSU, just in different ways. EIU has 316 runs to OSU’s 337 this season.

The Pitching

𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐕𝐏🔥#EIUBleedBlue | #OVCit pic.twitter.com/ZYLNkAH0Aw
— Ohio Valley Conference (@OVCSports) May 9, 2026

The Cowgirls are most likely going to see Panthers starter Karlie McKenzie in the circle, who started 24 of her 33 appearances. The senior was named the OVC Tournament’s MVP for the second straight year after helping EIU clinch the tournament title.

She is 13-9 with a 4.16 ERA with a 1.66 WHIP. She’s pitched four complete games, including two shutouts. He has 108 strikeouts and 67 walks in 109.1 innings.

Depending on how the game goes, OSU could see Bryanna French (10-6, 3.55 ERA, six saves) or Rylan Gick (12-4, 3.94 ERA, one save). Gick has started 19 games and French has started eight.

Big 12 Experience

The final out that crowned @EIU_Softball 2026 OVC Tournament Champs🏆#EIUBleedBlue | #OVCit pic.twitter.com/fvlROgrtQw
— Ohio Valley Conference (@OVCSports) May 9, 2026

The Panthers have played two games against Big 12 opponents this year, both on the road. On Feb. 26 they went to Tucson to face then-No. 14 Arizona and lost, 8-0, in a five-inning run rule game. Abbi Hatton and Mo Hance had the only hits for EIU. McKenzie and Gick did not pitch in that game.

From there, the Panthers went north to Tucson to face Arizona State in the Arizona State/Grand Canyon Tournament on Feb. 27. The then-No. 24 ranked Sun Devils won, 9-5. EIU had a 5-2 lead after three innings before the Sun Devils exploded for six runs in the fifth inning. Griffin had a home run and three RBI for EIU, while Frederick had three hits. McKenzie didn’t pitch in this game, either. Gick started and limited ASU to two runs (both unearned) before French gave up the bulk of the Sun Devils’ remaining runs.

NCAA Tournament

Stillwater Regional

Friday’s Games

Game 1 – 1 p.m. CT – Princeton vs. Stanford (ESPN2)

Game 2 – 3:30 p.m. CT – Eastern Illinois at Oklahoma State (ESPN+)

Saturday’s Games

Game 3 – Noon CT - Winner G1 vs. Winner G2

Game 4 – 2:30 p.m. CT - Loser G1 vs. Loser G2

Game 5 – 5 p.m. CT - Winner G4 vs. Loser G3

Sunday’s Games

Game 6 – 3 p.m. CT - Winner G3 vs. Winner G5

Game 7 – 5:30 p.m. CT - Winner G6 vs. Loser G6 (if necessary)

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