Sweet Caroline: OSU adds Caroline Hudson via the transfer portal

with one remaining year of eligibility.

Gajewski went out and found her.

“OSU competes at the highest level... I love how it’s a small-town feel, and everyone gets behind softball,” Hudson said. “My mom and I were in Stillwater for the Super Regional vs. Oregon this year and loved it.” eligibility concluding after this season, catcher was a definite question mark heading into next season, but it seems like Hudson is a viable option to be a Day 1 starter behind the plate.

Ashton Slaughter Staff Reporter

Kenny Gajewski is staying true to his word this offseason. Minutes after the Cowgirls were eliminated in the Women’s College World Series in May, OSU head coach Gajewski said he was planning on hitting the portal hard and that if you were out there, he was going to find you.

On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that Caroline Hudson, a two-time Atlantic Sun Player of the Year from Liberty, will be a Cowgirl next season

Hudson is the third player to find a new home at OSU via the transfer portal, joining McNeese transfer Jil Poullard and Mississippi State transfer Macy Graf.

Hudson’s name is a frequent flier in the Liberty softball record books. She’s sixth in career homers (35), seventh in career RBI (135) and eighth in total bases (326), just to name a few.

Hudson also sat atop the Atlantic Sun statistically. In 2023, she led the conference with 15 home runs, 17 doubles and 51 RBI, all while batting .318.

Hudson will be serving OSU as catcher, a position that has been locked down primarily by Taylor Tuck for the last two seasons. With Tuck’s

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Last offseason, additions like Rachel Becker and Lexi Kilfoyl through the transfer portal played a crucial role in the Cowgirls’ success; even additions Miranda Elish and Morgan Day in summer 2021 paid off. With this new group of players coming in — which more than likely will continue to grow before the season — Gajewski is looking to strike gold again with the portal and wants to add veterans to a talented, young team.

Hudson is another step in that direction.

“Caroline is going to give us real experience behind home plate along with a power bat that will help our team,” Gajewski said. “More importantly, she is an amazing person, an amazing teammate we believe she’ll fit right into the Cowgirl Way.” sports.ed@ocolly.com

Big 12...

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The Jayhawks return the firepower of their offense in 2023. Kansas’ top three receivers return, alongside quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal. Quentin Skinner hauled in five touchdowns, Lawrence Arnold led the team in yards with 716 and Luke Grimm caught a team-high 52 receptions.

No. 5: Oklahoma State

OSU lost Bryson Green, John Paul Richardson and Stephon Johnson Jr. to the transfer portal, but still fields a well-rounded wide receiver room. Brennan Presley returns as one of the best receivers in the conference, with more than 800 yards from last season. Jaden Bray dealt with an injury last season, but in his freshman season he had 250 yards and two scores. The Cowboys biggest question is the transfer portal additions. They added De’Zhaun Stribling from Washington State, Arland Bruce IV from Iowa and Leon Johnson III from George Fox. Stribling is projected to have the biggest impact amongst the transfers, he had more than 600 yards and five touchdowns last season.

No. 6: UCF

Javon Baker has the chance to be one of the top receivers in the Big

12. Baker caught 56 passes for 796 yards and five touchdowns. The former Alabama receiver was named second team All-AAC last season. Baker also has Kobe Hudson, who had more than 600 yards and seven touchdowns last season. The duo will have an advantage by having John Rhys Plumlee as their quarterback again in 2023.

No. 7: Kansas State

Malik Knowles and Kade Warner went to the NFL, but Kansas State still has talent at receiver for Will Howard. Phillip Brooks returns after 45 receptions with 587 yards and four touchdowns last year. RJ Garcia II and Jadon Jackson add depth to the position while the Wildcats brought in Keagan Johnson from Iowa, a former four-star prospect.

No. 8: Oklahoma

The Sooners will be without Marvin Mims Jr., but have a player to take his production. Jalil Farooq is expected to be OU’s No. 1 option after 37 receptions with 466 yards and five touchdowns last season. Drake Stoops, Gavin Freeman and Michigan transfer Andrel Anthony will have a chance to see more targets from Dillion Gabriel this fall.

No. 9: Houston

Nathaniel Dell, who had 1.398 receiving yards for the Cougars last year, is still in Houston. But now he’s playing for the Texans. KeSean Carter exhausted his eligibility, taking with him more than 600 receiving yards.

Samuel Brown, Matthew Golden and Joseph Manjack IV are the top returning pass catchers, who combined for more than 1,200 yards. Houston’s most notable pick-up at receiver from the portal was former OSU wideout Stephon Johnson Jr., who had nearly 300 yards as a freshman.

No. 10: Iowa State

The Cyclones will be without their top receiver from a year ago, Xavier Hutchinson, who accounted for 1,171 yards (more than 37% of the team’s receiving yards) and a teamhigh six touchdowns. The good news is that ISU returns its top two receivers other than Hutchinson. Jaylin Noel and Dimitri Stanley combined for just shy of 1,000 yards last season and had the two longest receptions of the season for the Cyclones. The addition of 6-foot-4 receiver Jayden Higgins, who had 87 receptions and 1,151 yards with 13 TDs last year at Eastern Kentucky, will help patch up the core.

No. 11: Baylor

Baylor had a decent group of receivers last season – most return for 2023. The passing attack for the Bears is played out best by sharing the football. Monterey Bradley, Hal Presley and Josh Cameron all return for Baylor after similar numbers in 2022. Bradley had 33 receptions for more than 500 yards, Presley with 32 receptions for more than 350 yards with Cameron having 28 receptions for 386 yards.

No. 12: TCU TCU lost a lot to the draft. Quentin Johnson, Taye Barber and Derius Davis went to the NFL and left the receiver group reeling. Savion Williams is the lone 100-plus yard receiver still on the team from last year. TCU brought in former OSU receiver John Paul Richardson to fill the void, he caught 49 passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns. The Horned Frogs also brought in Alabama receiver JoJo Earle and Ole Miss transfer Jaylon Robinson to strengthen the depth of the decimated position.

No. 13: West Virginia

The Mountaineers lost the bulk of their receiving core. Sam James and Bryce Ford-Wheaton are now in the NFL, and Kaden Prather transferred to Michigan. Cortez Brahm has the most experience of returning Mountaineers, with 147 receiving yards. WVU added two noteworthy portal receivers in Devin Carter (NC State) and Ja’Shaun Poke (Kent State). Both are experienced – Carter is in his sixth season and Poke is in his fifth – but neither have had a season surpassing 600 yards.

No. 14: Cincinnati sports.ed@ocolly.com

Cincinnati lost a lot in one offseason. It lost its head coach, quarterback and its top three wideouts. The Bearcats brought in a bevy of receivers to make up for the loss. The biggest additions are Donovan Ollie from Washington State, Dee Wiggins from Louisville and Xzavier Henderson from Florida. The three combined for more than 900 yards and five touchdowns last season.

Last year, The O’Colly looked back and added up the potential earnings of a bettor who correctly bet $100 on the moneyline, spread and over/ under of all OSU football games in 2021.

So, how about the 2022 season?

On the season total payout, keep in mind that the Cowboys played one less game than in 2021 after missing the Big 12 title game.

Correct picks of OSU vs Central Michigan (per Caesars Sportsbook):

Moneyline: OSU -2000

Spread: CMU +20.5 (-110)

Over/under: o58 (-110)

Total Payout: $486.82

Correct picks of OSU vs Arizona State (per Caesars Sportsbook):

Moneyline: OSU -480

Spread: OSU -11.5 (-110)

Over/under: u58 (-110)

Total Payout: $502.65

Correct picks of OSU vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff (per Action Network):

Moneyline: OSU -100000

Spread: OSU -55 (-108)

Over/under: o64.5 (-110)

Total Payout: $483.60

Correct picks of OSU vs Baylor (per Caesars Sportsbook):

Moneyline: OSU +118

Spread: OSU +2.5 (-110)

Over/under: o56(-110)

Total Payout: $599.82

Correct picks of OSU vs Texas Tech (per Caesars Sportsbook):

Moneyline: OSU -420

Spread: TTU +11 (-110)

Over/under: o65.5 (-110)

Total Payout: $505.63

Correct picks of OSU vs TCU (per Caesars Sportsbook):

Moneyline: TCU -220

Spread: OSU +5 (-110)

Over/under: o70 (-110)

Total Payout: $527.27

Correct picks of OSU vs Texas (per Caesars Sportsbook):

Moneyline: OSU +205

Spread: OSU +6.5 (-110)

Over/under: o58.5 (-110)

Total Payout: $686.82

Correct picks of OSU vs Kansas State (per Caesars Sportsbook):

Moneyline: KSU -135

Spread: KSU -2.5 (-110)

Over/under: u57.5 (-110)

Total Payout: $555.89

Correct picks of OSU vs Kansas (per Caesars Sportsbook): Moneyline: KU -165 Spread: KU -2.5 (-110)

Over/under: u59 (-110)

Payout: $542.43 Correct picks of OSU vs Iowa