Why Oklahoma State Softball’s High Transfer Portal Ranking Matters for 2027

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls got their report card for their transfer portal class for the 2027 season.

Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski and his staff went right to work in the transfer portal and it paid off in a big way.

Softball America (subscription required) ranked the transfer classes collected this summer, one week after the portal window closed, and the Cowgirls game in at No. 3 in the publication’s rankings.  

The only two schools ranked ahead of OSU were Texas Tech at No. 1 and Texas at No. 2. The Red Raiders got to the Women’s College World Series for the second straight year, and Texas won its second straight national title.

The Cowgirls reached super regionals but lost to Nebraska in two games. So what does this ranking mean? It means that OSU did it job this offseason and built a team that should be competitive nationally in 2027.

OSU’s Transfer Portal Ranking Meaning for 2027

Mississippi State's Delainey Everett. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Gajewski knew he was going to have to replace pitching with the losses of Ruby Meylan and Rylee Crandall. He also lost some of the pop in his lineup with the graduation of players like Amanda Hasler, Lexi McDonald, Audrey Schneidmiller and Claire Timm. He and his staff addressed both in the portal.

When it comes to pitching, he landed two SEC players in Mississippi State’s Delainey Everett and Ole Miss’ Payton Kennedy. Everett has more experience and a big claim to fame — slaying Oklahoma in Game 3 of super regionals in May. But she wasn’t used as much as that win would lead one to believe. She went 3-2 with a 1.15 ERA in 12 games, with two starts. She struck out nine, but walked 10, in 24.1 innings.

Kennedy has talent but it wasn’t used much by the Rebels. She appeared in three games, going 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA. But she was a Top 25 prospect coming out of high school.

Everett and Kennedy figure to be OSU’s pitching tandem this season, with holdovers Makala Smith and Madison Hoffman filling in the rest of the innings. There is also four-star incoming freshman Payton May.

The Cowgirls also landed a pair of two-way players that will probably see more time in the batter’s box than the circle. Houston’s Maddie Hartley was an All-Big 12 selection last season who led the Cougars with a .345 batting average, 20 home runs and 47 RBI. A star pitcher at Georgetown (Texas) High School, the Cougars rarely asked her to pitch.

Wisconsin’s Kendra Lewis pitched more often for the Badgers in two seasons. She’s appeared in 42 games, 16 of which were starts, across two seasons with a 5.63 ERA. But at the plate she batted .408 as a freshman and .328 as a sophomore.

OSU also addressed the one significant position player issue by signing Utah’s Kennedy Proctor to play catcher. She batted .338 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI last season, all of which were career bests. In 2025 she was a D1Softball First-Team Freshman All-American.

So, the Cowgirls addressed their pitching with volume and a pair of SEC products itching for more opportunity. They also bolstered their offense, added depth to their pitching and addressed a significant need at catcher. Plus, they accomplished one other thing — they barely lost anyone in the transfer portal.  

Gajewski managed to hang onto most of the talent he had. The only significant loss was pitcher Preslee Downing, who transferred to North Texas. Both Texas Tech and Texas lost at least one transfer to a power conference school.