Oklahoma State Softball Coach Puts Big 12 on Blast Over Controversial Award Changes

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Oklahoma State softball head coach Kenny Gajewski is putting the Big 12 on blast after the league allegedly made a last-minute change in its 2026 season awards.

On Thursday, the league announced that Ruby Meylan was its Co-Pitcher of the Year alongside Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady.

Gajewski hinted in a post on X that the results might not have been accurate and expanded on it after the Cowgirls beat Utah 7-0 in the Big 12 Tournament. Meylan pitched a complete game and allowed only one hit.

“We received an email on Wednesday, or Tuesday, I think it was,” Gajewski said. “It listed all the winners. Ruby was the outright pitcher.

“Then I got an email from my SID, Serg, that there’s now a co-pitcher. That’s not right. I don’t appreciate it. It’s not the way we should be doing our business here.

“When I asked the question why, I got an answer, ‘We looked at it holistically.’ You’re gonna have to explain to everybody out there what that means. It’s not right. ‘Holistically’ wasn’t on my voting sheet. It asked who the best pitcher was. I voted for NiJa because I can’t vote for (Meylan). And that’s why I said ‘Make this public.’”

“I have a lot of coaches in this league. I didn’t have to call them. They called me. They’re not happy. I’m not happy. It’s not right, and it’s nothing against NiJa or Texas Tech. It’s what the coaches voted for. So make them public. I think we’re probably not wanting to do that, to be very honest,” Gajewski added.

“I don’t have any sour grapes about ‘co.’ I have sour grapes that my kid was told that she was outright, and then we changed that, for whatever reason. You guys can write about that. But it’s not right. It’s not fair to her. It wouldn’t be fair if it was NiJa and then they changed that. A vote is a vote. Why did my staff spend an hour and a half voting if our vote doesn’t matter? And that’s what I’m being told. Your vote doesn’t matter.”

Gajewski wants to make sure people know that he isn’t upset with Canady. In fact, he said he recruited her out of high school, and it came down to Oklahoma State and Stanford.

However, the head coach is “disappointed in that whole situation and whoever’s in charge of doing that.”

Gajewski ended his press conference by saying he wasn’t sure where his response would land him with the conference and that he is there to support the kids.

Those kids will play in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. CT at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

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