Kenny Gajewski on Kelly Maxwell transfer comments: 'A lot of people took it in a wrong way'

Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski cleared up some comments he made about one of his former players, Kelly Maxwell, this offseason. The former Cowgirls pitcher transferred to in-state rival Oklahoma in July, a stab in the heart for many OSU fans.

Speaking at “A Night With OSU” in August, Gajewski said that “as long as I’m here, it’ll be hard for her to come back here.” Maxwell faced off against her former coach and team for the first time since this weekend in Norman, with the Sooners losing on both Friday and Saturday. She got the first in Friday’s contest, giving up four hits and three runs in a 6-3 loss.

After the Cowgirls won again 6-2 on Saturday to clinch the series, Gajewski spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe to clarify that there is no “bad blood” between him and Maxwell.

“I think the only bad blood is my comments that a lot of people took in a wrong way,” he said. “Our girls, it’s nothing personal against them. It’s nothing personal against Kelly. It’s just me protecting our program here. Unfortunately, it got taken the wrong way. But it’s really no bad blood except we just want to beat those guys.”

This isn’t the first time Gajewski has defended his comments. He told The Oklahoman this preseason that though he wished he would have phrased it differently, he didn’t regret what he said.

He added that Maxwell was upfront about her decision to transfer, which he respected.

“I’m not stepping back from what I said,” he explained. “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… I think it’ll be very hard for her to come back here as long as I’m the coach here. She has a heart. A big heart.

“…I wish she would’ve gone somewhere else. I mean, we’re trying to beat those guys and now we gotta face her? That sucks. But I’m not cheering against her. I don’t wish her one ounce of harm. I don’t wish any of that, but it’s different now.”

Maxwell spent five seasons in Stillwater and left fourth all-time in program history with 746 career strikeouts and second with 12 career saves. She helped the Cowgirls to three straight appearances in the Women’s College World Series. However, the Sooners went on to claim the title in each of those seasons.

The star pitcher has picked up where she left off this season in Norman, leading the Sooners with 110 strikeouts and a 1.98 ERA. The former first team All-American will be a big part of OU’s push to win a fourth straight championship this year.

The series finale between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is set to take place at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday. Maxwell has already pitched five innings in the series, so it’s unclear whether she’ll get out on the mound for that one as Sooners look to avoid the sweep.