Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Karli Godwin’s home run, Lexi Kilfoyl’s pitching lifts OSU to fifth straight super regional Parker Gerl Assistant Sport Editor
Photo courtesy Tulsa World Archive, graphic courtesy Hayes Fawcett Oklahoma State coaches Gary Ward (left) and pitching coach Tom Holiday (right) believed the 1981 Cowboy baseball squad put the program “on the map.”
‘They put us on the map;’ the story of OSU’s 1981 team ance about the impending lineup. Entering Year 4 of Ward’s tenure, both coaches knew the program needed a breakthrough. The fan support around the program prior to Ward’s tenure had dwindled drastically. NineDaniel Allen consecutive seasons of regionalStaff Reporter deprived teams put a damper on the program’s outlook. However, Ward and Holliday bolstered the In this four-part series, The fan investment, notably with a Big O’Colly will revisit the 1981-87 Eight Tournament championship in Oklahoma State baseball teams, 1978 during the coaching tandem’s which have one of the most domifirst season in Stillwater. Winning nant stretches in college baseball seasons in 1979 and 1980 – includhistory. ing a 43-10 campaign in ’80 – only The Cowboys’ seven-consecuenhanced that. tive College World Series appearBut OSU hadn’t appeared in the ances mark the longest stretch in College World Series in 12 years. the sport’s history, but they never And in Holliday’s mind, the 1981 came away with a national cham- team was the one to make it happionship. pen. “We’d pieced together a lineup Tom Holliday gripped his phone of nine guys where, in all honesty, with a pressing opinion. we felt like we were better than any As a phone call with Oklahoma team we played at every position,” State coach Gary Ward regarding Holliday said. “I mean, we were the Cowboys’ 1981 lineup progood. Really good.” gressed, Holliday, OSU’s pitching So, as the phone conversation coach, grew bullish as he read each between the two winded down, name off the handwritten roster. Holliday gave his two cents. The returning production of“I like this team this year,” Holfensively and on the mound. The liday told Ward. “I think this is the surplus of veteran experience. All one.” of it provided Holliday more assur“You think so?” Ward ques-
tioned. “Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. First base slugger Jim Traber returned to OSU after a flashy freshman season in 1980. Mark Poole and Mickey Tettleton were set to man the catching position, with Poole being “the deep thinker” and “brains behind the plate that held a team together,” according to Holliday, while Tettleton was the “freak athlete” who could also slot in an outfield position. The pitching rotation, however, was all the more enticing for Ward and Holliday. Two-way star Darren Dilks, a left-hander and pinch-hitter who had transferred to OSU in 1979 from Chaffey Junior College in Rancho Cucamonga, California, highlighted the core. No one, in the minds of the OSU coaching staff, was more paramount within the lineup than the elusive talent of Dilks. “Dilks was the ultimate movearound kind of guy who could really play first base, could pitch and could just excel anywhere you put him,” Ward said. “He was just a star. And we needed someone, like him, who could pick a team up and lead by example. And we got that in (Dilks).” See Dynasty on page 3
to come by, while Lexi Kilfoyl did Lexi Kilfoyl things in the circle. “That was a grind, we knew it was going to be Jilyen Poullard’s tough,” Kenny Gajewski, message to Karli Godwin OSU’s ninth-year head was simple. coach, said. “She was like, ‘We OSU and UM duked don’t need you to be a it out for four innings, hero, we just need you with scoring starting to be Karli Godwin,’” in the first inning. The Godwin said. “And then Cowgirls struck first on I think that kind of just Tallen Edwards’ RBI took the pressure off my single. Then UM’s Keke shoulders.” Tholl evened it up at 1-1 The Cowgirls, the with an RBI single of her five-seed in the NCAA own. Tournament, defeated But Lexi McDonald, Michigan 4-1 Sunday in with an assist from the the Stillwater Regional wind, helped the Cowfinal to clinch a fifthgirls regrab a lead with a straight super regionals second-inning solo home appearance. It was OSU’s run that put OSU up 2-1. 18th-straight regional No more runs were win at Cowgirl Stadium scored until the fifth and set OSU up to host inning, when Poullard ofArizona in supers next fered Godwin confidence. week. “Sometimes you And it was Godwin, just get worked up and OSU’s standout freshman you need to take a deep first baseman, who gave breath,” Godwin said of the Cowgirls two much- the moment leading up to needed runs in a game her at-bat. See Godwin on page 6 where they weren’t easy
Kaytlyn Hayes Karli Godwin hit a fifth-inning home run to help OSU pull away.
OSU hosts 55th Special Olympics Summer Games, 39th on campus Courtesy of OSU News
Unified students, staff and faculty in a variety of sporting events. Through OSU Unified, the university welcomes nearly 100 adult athletes for weekly OSU Unified More than 4,600 athletes traveled intramurals. There are weekly opto Stillwater last week to attend the portunities to participate every Thurscountry’s largest Special Olympics day evening in addition to the Special Summer Games. This year marked the Olympics Summer Games in May. 39th Summer Games hosted at Okla“For over 20 years now, Summer homa State University with the City of Games has been some of my favorite Stillwater and the 55th anniversary of days to be on the OSU campus. Sumthe annual event in Oklahoma. mer Games expands the Cowboy welIn 2022, OSU increased opportuni- come to thousands of athletes, partners ties for participation in Special Olymand families every May,” said Dr. Jenpic events by developing the first Spenifer Jones, OSU Director of the Center cial Olympics Unified college program for Developmental Disabilities. “I am in Oklahoma. The program allows adult thrilled that our OSU Unified team will Special Olympic athletes to compete See Olympics on page 5 alongside Unified partners, who are
Courtesy of OSU News OSU hosted the Special Olympics Oklahoma Summer Games last week.