OSU Softball Coach Blasts Big 12 For ‘Holistically’ Selecting Pitcher of Year

Officially, Oklahoma State’s Ruby Meylan and Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady are Big 12 co-pitchers of the year. OSU coach Kenny Gajewski has issues with how it went down.

With a tense, nearly four-minute answer after his No. 2 seeded Cowgirls defeated the No. 7 seeded Utah Utes in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, he laid bare the issue behind a social media post after the Big 12’s official softball team was announced.

Can we make the Coaches’ vote public?May find out there is a different result! https://t.co/0kKgteYYmg
— Kenny Gajewski (@OSUcoachG) May 6, 2026

Gajewski’s post could be interpreted a number of ways. He said his issue was not with Canady or Texas Tech. It was with the Big 12. And he had a lot to say on the topic, as recorded by outlets covering the tournament including the Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey.

Kenny Gajewski Calls Out Big 12

Wow.

Kenny Gajewski says #OkState was told Ruby Meylan was the Big 12 pitcher of the year. Hours later, they received an email saying she was a co-winner with NiJaree Canady.

Why? “I get an answer they looked at it holistically … holistically wasn’t on my voting sheet” pic.twitter.com/eDlvcF6APN
— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) May 8, 2026

The league’s coaches vote on the official Big 12 team, which is the same process in most team sports. Gajewski said he and his staff spent more than an hour working on their ballot before returning it to the league.

Gajewski said that on Tuesday he received an e-mail from the league that his starter, Ruby Meylan, was selected as the “outright” pitcher of the year. Later that night, Gajewski got an e-mail from his sports information director that Meylan was now sharing the award with Canady.

He said he asked the league for an explanation as it rolled out the team on Wednesday. Gajewski was clearly unhappy with what he was told.

“I got an answer and they said ‘They looked at it holistically,” Gajewski said, without noting who in the Big 12 office he spoke to. “You’re going to have to explain to everybody out there what that means because holistically wasn't on my voting sheet.”

Gajewski said he voted for Canady. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their players. He reiterated that he wants the votes made public, as he asked in his original post.

“That’s why I said make this public,’ he said. “I have a lot of coaches in this league — and I didn’t have to call them, they called me — and they’re not happy. I’m not happy and it’s not right.”

Canady and Meylan both had exceptional seasons. Canady was 22-4 with a 1.25 ERA in 24 starts and 33 games, with 200 strikeouts and 41 walks. Meylan was 27-6 with a 1.97 ERA in 26 starts and 39 games. She had 204 strikeouts and 54 walks. Neither slowed down in conference play. Canady was 11-2 with a 1.54 ERA with 96 strikeouts and 20 walks. Meylan went 15-2 with a 1.57 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 24 walks.

OSU and Texas Tech did not play each other in the regular season, but could play in the championship game if both win their semifinal games on Friday.

Gajewski said he does not intend to bring it up again — at least not publicly.

“Until we get this right, I’m severely disappointed in that whole situation and whoever's in charge of doing that, it's not right,” he said. “I’m not sure where this where this lands me but I'm here for these kids and I would have the same backing for somebody else if it happened to their kids.”

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