What is up with this guy?

[SoonerGirl1201]

I can understand being upset when a star player leaves. But the position he is putting Kelly in is unforgivable. He needs to be the bigger person and wish her well and move on. No player should have to deal with this kind of back lash from a coach publically. My guess (and he aludes to it in this video) is that his original comments were not intended to be published. The "she will not be welcomed back here and she has ruined her legacy here." But still, to double down and even say that he has "OU people who support everything he has said about it" is incredulous.

I'm really hoping she has an amazing season that tops everything she did at OSU and am extra hoping for #4 in a row just for her!

[White River]

II don't blame him for being hurt, he lost a star player to his biggest rival. It's only natural he would be a bit jealous as well. However, no matter what he felt inside he should have taken the high road publicly. He may have thought he was commenting privately and someone went public with it but at this point he needs to get on the high road and stay there. He needs to wish her well and move on.

When you've dug yourself into a hole, you need lay down your shovel and stop digging. As long as he keeps digging, people will continue to ask him those questions.

[inconnu]

The guy conducting the interview is the bigger slug in my mind. Why would he ask that question?(bringing up that subject again) It looked like Kenny knew he was being heard and recorded, so the whole thing is disgraceful on the part of both those people.

[TropicalSooner]

I really hope Kenny didn't suggest to the guy to bring it up beforehand.....that would be just gross.

On the other hand....whenever Kenny get interviewed regarding softball, it will probably come up this whole season unless Kenny comes out and says "Stop!"

[SoonerTX]

I have some grace for him for several reasons. (1) He is a sooner grad who played baseball on the OU baseball team that won the 1994 national title, (2) the reporter who asked him about this again was looking to stir the pot, and (3) it is difficult to celebrate a player that left your team for your schools' most bitter rival. I can't imagine Kelly going back to an alumni event and being welcomed by her former teammates. Kelly would have had her name, jersey number, and image plastered around the OSU softball office for her accomplishments, but it would be hard to do so now that she has gone to OU. Going off of public knowledge, I can't imagine a mentor advising her to transfer to OU. It is one thing if she wanted to develop her craft to make big money in the professional ranks. For now, that is not an option for softball players. I realize there are probably data points about this situation that are not public that could change my view, but just going off of public information, it doesn't seem that it was the best long-term move for her. That said, I have a lot of faith in Patty and don't see her bringing Kelly to the team unless she thought it was best for Kelly and OU. Bottom line: I'm torn about this one.

[1KCSoonerFan]

I like the manikin in the OSU uniform in the background....with a black hat slouching on the headless shoulders. Eerily apropos. Creepy.

I did not hear anything in that clip that was THAT offensive. Not defending KG here. He's in an impossible spot with this Maxwell issue. If he wishes her the best, his fan base is gonna scream. If he wishes her demise, he looks like a jerk to the entire sporting community and his peers outside of Stillwater.

It just seems to me that bad-mouthing a young woman who made good grades, kept her nose clean, and won a lot of games for you is not a great way to build a brand of excellence for the future. Maxwell has a lot of friends and family members who are supportive of her, too.

In comparison, the GOAT said very little to nothing about the players she lost to the portal. She is looking out the windshield, not at the rear-view mirror. Top recruiting classes roll right in year after year to OU...we don't have much time to cry because we have so much to cheer about!

"Yes, we will miss Kelly playing on our team. She was an essential part of our success and certainly left a great legacy of winning at our university. She is a marvelous young lady with a very bright future, and we are proud to be a part of her life story."

That's all that needs to be said.

[MsProudSooner]

This is the article from The Tulsa World.

TULSA WORLD/ALERT/TOP STORY
Oklahoma State Softball

Oklahoma State's Kenny Gajewski clarifies comments on Kelly Maxwell's transfer to Oklahoma: 'I'm not cheering against her'
Sep 27, 2023 Updated 36 min ago
Dean Ruhl
Tulsa World Sports Writer

STILLWATER — For a couple of days, Kenny Gajewski was social media famous.

His words. But it wasn't for the reasons he wanted to be. After comments Gajewski made during a fundraising event for the university went viral on social media in August, the Oklahoma State caught backlash.

Play Video
The Cowgirls finish the season at 47-16 and earned their fourth straight appearance in the WCWS. Video courtesy/NCAA

The topic? Kelly Maxwell, OSU's ace pitcher who transferred to Oklahoma in August. Maxwell's in-state transfer resulted in raised tensions, including a comment Gajewski made about being disappointed Maxwell transferred to OU and "lost everything here that she's ever done," according to an article published by OSU's student newspaper, The O'Colly.

"It was tough to have to manage that," Gajewski said Wednesday. "To be clear, what I said was that I felt like the only place she could go and lose her legacy here would be OU. I'm not mad at her, she gave us everything.

"I'm not stepping back from what I said, I wish I wouldn't have said, 'As long as I'm the head coach here' because that sounded very selfish and about me. But what I meant by that, and I'll explain it one more time, is I just think it will be very hard for her to come back here as long as I'm the coach here. I mean, she has a heart, a big heart, so you're going to feel weird ever wanting to come back here, if that makes sense."

As the Cowgirls prepare to open up their fall schedule against Central Arkansas on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Conway, Arkansas, the program will be without their ace. With 11 new players — including eight freshmen — OSU's roster will begin to take shape before the season opens in February.

This summer, Gajewski realized losing Maxwell was a possibility after pitching coach John Bargfeldt retired the Cowgirls were eliminated in the Women's College World Series. He would be replaced by Carrie Eberle, who served as OSU's ace pitcher in 2020 and 2021.

"Her transferring, I get it. I knew it could happen," Gajewski continued. "I could have probably asked her, 'Hey, who do you want me to hire' and if I'd have hired them, she would have stayed. But I don't know that she's in a position to tell me that. She's still a young kid, right. I'm going to do what I think is best, even if it meant her deciding to leave."

Gajewski explained the Eberle hire in-depth, saying the choice was made for "long-term" success at the position. The ace role this year belongs to Lexi Kilfoyl, an Alabama transfer who posted a 1.70 ERA in Stillwater last season.

Kilfoyl spoke with the media Wednesday, saying her hip injury, which held her out of hitting for most of last season, was 100% recovered, outside of occasional soreness. Behind Kilfoyl, sophomore Kyra Aycock and senior Ivy Rosenberry, who Gajweski said has been the surprise of the offseason.

"I wish she would have went somewhere else, I mean we're trying to beat those guys and now we've got to face her," Gajewski said. "That sucks. But, I'm not cheering against her, I don't wish her one ounce of harm. But it's different now. That's the only thing."

Maxwell's transfer was a contentious topic on social media this summer, highlighting the exponential growth the softball transfer portal has undergone.

"I've been very frank, we've benefited out of the portal," Gajewski said. "As long as it's here, we're going to try to continue that. If it goes away, I'm all for it. Whatever the rules are, I'm all for, but we're going to play by those rules."

The Cowgirls added former Mississippi State infielder Macy Graf, McNeese State utility player Jilyen Poullard and Liberty catcher Caroline Wang in the portal this offseason.

"She (Maxwell) played by those rules, she was honest and upfront, I have zero issues and so I knew that people as soon as John was out, there were people trying to poach," Gajewski continued. "I'm very aware of who those people are, Kelly was very honest and upfront, because at that time I don't think that she wanted to leave, so what comes around will go around."

[MsProudSooner]

He has to make an excuse the aggie faithful will like. If I remember correctly, he had specifically asked the pitching coach to let him know in advance if he was going to retire. But the pitching coach didn't do that. He just walked after their last game and said he was retiring. That tells me that everything wasn't peachy keen in Stillwater.

[TN Sooner]

I really want to give Kenny the benefit of a doubt here, but he’s making it very hard to do. I think it was a fair question to ask and Kenny clearly wanted to talk about it. I think he needed to have one more bite at this apple to “clean it up” a bit. What he said didn’t do that, which is a shame.

But I think it comes down to perspective, which is heavily influenced by each person’s frame of reference. I (like some on here) think what Kenny said was unfairly coming at a player that is one of the best 4-5 to ever put on a Cowgirl uniform.

But, to OSU fans, perhaps they like his “fire” and they are very mad at Kelley and don’t mind him piling on. Oh, and hinting that the Evil Empire somehow did something untoward in this whole thing helps salve their wounds.

I hope Kenny is done talking bout this until the bedlam series and, at that time, he would be wise to just say, “I’ve said all I’m going to say about that - we have games to play that we’re trying to win”.

[Sooneryankee13]

So it's OK for Kenny who played at ou to coach at rival osu? And it was ok for Kenny to take transfer alexx waitman who played softball at ou and transfered to osu? But how dare kelly maxwell transfer to ou. Kind of hypocritical.

[waddy's ghost]

For comparison sake did PG make any negative comments after Bahl bailed ? Did anyone on staff say anything ? Patty as far as I know took the high road as always . I do know there was a little negative fan reaction but to my knowledge NOBODY with OU trashed Jordy . Am I wrong ? Did I miss something ?

[SoonerTony]

This is just one example of why I cannot “root for OSU except when they are playing OU” as some of our fans do.

I tried to do so when I was younger. But as I got older I came in contact with more and more OSU folks - and every single one of them HATES us with a burning passion. Every single one of them. They wish nothing but utter failure for any of our teams. So why would I root for someone who hates my school?

OSU can take a long walk off a short pier.

[waddy's ghost]

Bullseye SoonerTony you have shared the exact same things as I have when dealing with Aggies .

I worked at a warehouse for twenty years and never had to even think about talking football smack to the inbred orangeclad sheephumpers among my coworkers....then came Smells of bourbon and Blake . OMG ! Puke fans crawled out of the woodwork to harass me . Thank goodness Mike Gundy became HC at Payne County Tractor Driving Academy , It made my life much easier.ells you a lot that the best osu football coach ever has a record against OU that is actually lower than the overall Pukes record .

[OU_Tom]

Who is the biggest jerk? Mike White or Kenny Gajewski?

[TN Sooner]

In my view, it’s Mike white and not even close - interesting question for sure!