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Report: Oklahoma Shocks World Again, Adds Bedlam Rival Out of Transfer Portal

Patty Gasso is once again at the center of a high-profile transfer, this time adding an elite veteran to Oklahoma's pitching rotation.

Ryan Chapman

Report: Oklahoma Shocks World Again, Adds Bedlam Rival Out of Transfer Portal
Report: Oklahoma Shocks World Again, Adds Bedlam Rival Out of Transfer Portal /

Patty Gasso wasn’t done making waves in the softball world. 

Months after losing star pitcher Jordy Bahl to the transfer portal, Oklahoma added another high profile pitcher.

According to a report Thursday morning from Extra Inning Softball, pitcher Kelly Maxwell, who spent the last five years as a key piece of Kenny Gajewski’s Oklahoma State Cowgirls, has crossed Bedlam lines to join the Sooners.

In a move that's been long anticipated since she entered the transfer portal, the veteran hurler became the first high-profile transfer to move between the two in-state powers in the portal era.

Gasso teased the news on Wednesday night with her usual Twitter post.

Maxwell’s entrance into the portal was a shock in itself, as Gajewski had already announced she would return for her final year of eligibility before the 2023 season even got rolling.

A two-time All-American, Maxwell anchored the Cowgirl pitching staff the past two seasons.

The left-hander finished the 2022 season with a 1.22 ERA, firing 313 strikeouts in 189 2/3 innings of work. She was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2022, sharing the honor with Bahl.

Maxwell’s work load was cut back in 2023 as Oklahoma State’s pitching staff stayed healthy, but she was still the ace of the staff, finishing with a 1.91 ERA and 229 strikeouts in 142 2/3 innings of action.

With one year of eligibility remaining, Maxwell brings a wealth of big game experience to Jennifer Rocha’s pitching staff alongside Sooner right-hander Nicole May.

After redshirting in 2019, Maxwell played a role for OSU in every season, ending in Oklahoma City each year.

She helped the Cowgirls upset the Sooners in the 2022 Big 12 Tournament Championship, as well as guiding Oklahoma State to the semifinals at the 2022 Women’s College World Series.

At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Cowgirl pitching coach John Bargfeldt retired, meaning Maxwell would play one final season under a new coach’s watchful eye.

SB - Taylor Tucker, John Bargfeldt, Kelly Maxwell
Oklahoma State pitching coach John Bargfeldt retired at the conclusion of the 2023 season :: BRYAN TERRY / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

It turns out, the new coach Maxwell would pitch under is Oklahoma’s Rocha, who has plenty of recent experience with graduate transfers.

Hope Trautwein and Alex Storako both excelled the past two years in their single season under Rocha’s guidance, and Maxwell will now benefit from the same level of coaching as she works through the pressure of trading her Orange and Black for Crimson and Cream.

For Oklahoma, Maxwell’s addition is the cherry on top of a transfer class that filled immediate needs.

Storako and Bahl’s roles have been replaced with an elite battle-tested super senior in Maxwell, veteran Liberty pitcher Karlie Keeney and a young arm with plenty of potential in Wisconsin’s Paytn Monticelli.

OU also filled a need at backup catcher, landing Furman’s Riley Ludlam after Sophia Nugent transferred to Tennessee and Jocelyn Erickson hit the portal as well.

With plenty of run support behind her and a talented pitching staff to help keep her fresh, Maxwell’s experience navigating the Big 12 will help the Sooners attack the 2024 schedule seeking an unprecedented fourth straight national title.

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is managing editor at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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