Lexi Kilfoyl, Kenny Gajewski go back a long way before joining Oklahoma State softball

STILLWATER — Softball recruiting starts early. OSU hired coach Kenny Gajewski almost eight years ago. June 2015.

Lexi Kilfoyl had just turned 14 years old. And already Gajewski, then a Florida assistant coach before coming to the Cowgirls, had been recruiting Kilfoyl for the Gators.

Kenny G. ended up in Stillwater and Kilfoyl ended up at Alabama, but their connection of almost a decade ago is paying off.

Kilfoyl, a transfer from Bama, has become a major part of the second-ranked Cowgirls’ pitching staff. She’s 9-1 with a 1.35 earned run average and serves as quite the sidekick to all-American pitcher Kelly Maxwell.

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“He was definitely one of the first people on my list when I went into the recruiting process again,” Kilfoyl said the other day at Cowgirl Stadium.

Kilfoyl has been a huge addition for OSU, helping create the deepest pitching in Cowgirl history. OSU (32-3) opens a Big 12 series Thursday at Kansas. The Cowgirls lost 8-7 at Wichita State on Tuesday night, but Kilfoyl did not pitch.

Kilfoyl was the No. 2 pitcher behind Montana Fouts at national power Alabama the past two years but sought a change.

She was looking to make softball fun again. She found that in Stillwater.

“It just seemed like they had an awesome program here that was starting to be built up,” Kilfoyl said. “Sounded like they made softball fun. That’s really what I wanted at the end of the day.

“Just enjoying it and not making it feel like a job or a chore. Like you’re playing like you did when you’re little, going out there and having fun with your friends.”

Before the fun, Kilfoyl faced hip surgery, last June. Some doctors said she might be sidelined a year, but she’s been fine in the circle. She’s a hitter, too, and Gajewski has limited her at-bats (19, with four hits, one home run) because running occasionally causes discomfort. But pitching has been no problem for Kilfoyl.

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“That’s one of those things you kind of have to build up mental toughness, just know that there’s going to be hiccups and you have to accept it,” Kilfoyl said. “Trust the coaches and trust the trainers.

“It’s awesome knowing we have a pitching staff that if I’m injured and I can’t perform, anyone else is going to get it done.”

This kind of pitching depth lifts the Cowgirls’ Women’s College World Series hopes even more. OSU has been to the WCWS three straight times, finishing third a year ago.

“It’s amazing,” Gajewski said of his pitching staff. “I knew Kilfoyl was good. Kelly’s obviously good.”

The Kilfoyl story is instructive for coaches. Don’t ever slack on the recruiting trail. Even when you don’t win immediately, you might win later. Kilfoyl, from Land O’ Lakes, Florida, chose Alabama over Florida. But she didn’t forget Gajewski.

“She’s a kid I really liked back when I was at Florida,” Gajewski said. “I liked her, I liked her family, I liked the whole vibe.”

And seven or eight years later, he got the chance to recruit Kilfoyl again.

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“It’s never easy,” Gajewski said. “But I felt good, if that makes sense. When I first reached out, the conversation was easy. We already had a little bit of connection.

“When we got her here, I just said, ‘Hey, I think you’d really thrive here. But you gotta feel it. If you don’t feel it, it’s all good.’ We were going up against some good schools. Everyone wanted her. But I felt like our connection beforehand was good.”

Gajewski had strong relationships with some of Kilfoyl’s travel-ball coaches, including the East Cobb Bullets out of Atlanta. That’s the connection that helped Gajewski get Texas A&M transfer Samantha Show a few years ago.

"They trust us,” Gajewski said. “No matter what, in recruiting, it’s about who you know and all that. So that’s helped us. I felt good when she came here. When she got here, I was like, I think she likes it here. Now it’s just, hey, is this the right place?”

Turns out it was the right place, and the Cowgirls have a serious 1-2 punch at pitcher.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. 

More: Oklahoma State basketball star Avery Anderson III enters portal as graduate transfer

How to watch Oklahoma State vs. Kansas softball

WHEN: 5 p.m. Thursday, 5 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday

WHERE: Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas

STREAMING: ESPN+

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State softball: Lexi Kilfoyl, Kenny Gajewski go back a decade