THREE STORYLINES
Oklahoma State opens its softball season with a pair of games Friday at the Houston Invitational. Here's a look at three key storylines for the Cowgirls, who begin the year ranked No. 21:
Show time
Texas A&M transfer Samantha Show — whose last name isn't pronounced the way it looks, but rather, rhymes with “chow” — has thrust herself into the heart of everything the Cowgirls will do this season.
She's the ace on a deep and talented pitching staff and likely the Cowgirls' cleanup hitter. She has a career 2.88 earnedrun average over 442 1/3 innings pitched. And though she's not the type to hit for a high batting average, she has enough power to provide some protection behind No. 3 hitter Madi Sue Montgomery. Montgomery, who was named to the preseason watch list for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, set the OSU single-season record for home runs with 15 a year ago.
OKC on their minds
The Cowgirls aren't obsessing over the Women's College World Series just yet. They know they've got a lot of games to play to build toward their ultimate goal.
But they're keeping some subtle reminders around, so they don't forget the big picture while they're focusing on the day-today grind of the season.
A wall with stickers that reference the WCWS. Sayings that only the team understands, like Hall of Fame Stadium's exit number off Interstate 35. OSU coach Kenny Gajewski was an assistant at Florida for a pair of WCWS championships, and he's working to build that winning mentality in his team.
Left side, strong side
Gajewski figured out early in the fall that he had a problem at shortstop: two elite-level defensive players. He approached returning starter Sydney Pennington and freshman Kiley Naomi, explaining to them that he needed both of them on the field. Pennington, a sophomore, offered to move to third base, giving Gajewski what he believes might be the best left side of the infield in the country from a defensive perspective. Scott Wright, staff writer swright@oklahoman.com