OU softball notebook: Kelly Maxwell off 'n running

Any questions about how Kelly Maxwell would fare at OU were answered rather quickly and rather emphatically last weekend.

There’s always going to be that backstory. That’s never going away about Maxwell leaving Oklahoma State for the rival, Bedlam rival Oklahoma. It will be in the narrative all season long.

But what Maxwell can do is remind everybody it’s not just a juicy storyline. She’s still one of the best pitchers in the country.

That’s exactly what she showed at the Puerto Vallarta College Classic last week in earning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.

She went 2-0 in her two appearances, wins against top-10 teams Duke and Washington. Maxwell threw 7.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit with four strikeouts and two walks.

“I feel her really confident and one thing that we talked about as a team, we can win without any one of you,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “Take any of you away, we’re still going to win. So you don’t have to be the big hero. You don’t have to pitch the perfect game. You don’t have to hit a home run or overswing, don’t have to be that athlete.

“I think some of them understand that. I think Kelly was really start to hit her stride towards the end of January, so I was really excited to see her up against someone else. She was cool and calm and money. It was really enjoyable to watch.”

Duke and Washington combined to go 1-for-23 (.043 average) against Maxwell. Against Duke, Maxwell retired the final 11 batters she faced.

Against Washington, she showed she is ready for that clutch moment in helping OU to the 4-3 victory in eight innings preserve the winning streak, now at 57 games.

No easing into for Maxwell, not like there needed to be. She has been on the biggest stages. Maxwell knows what’s expected. And now being guided by pitching coach Jen Rocha, it’s just adding things to Maxwell’s game.

It’s a combination that is clearly working early. 

“I think Jen and Kelly, they kind of started from ground zero and Kelly hadn’t really looked at numbers,” Gasso said. “She didn’t look at a lot of video. There was a lot of exploring, a lot of learning. Kelly has learned a lot from Jen Rocha. It’s really starting to stick and it’s really starting to show in her pitches. She was really sharp.”

Maxwell has been consistent that the pitching coach change at OSU was a catalyst for her move. What she is realizing already is how quickly Rocha can help Maxwell improve.

“It was very different from where I came from,” Maxwell said. “I’ve never really watched much film and never really took the time to study other hitters. So having this new knowledge is really elevating my games and I think it’s going to help me in the long run.”

Not all of it is mechanics or physical. Alone in that circle, the mind can be the biggest enemy. It’s just as big to work mentally as anywhere else.

“I think just we work a lot on kind of your mental state and your tempo,” Maxwell said. “And just being able to keep that under control at times so that when you do fall out of it, you can get back into it. So just being aware of your own body.”

There are six pitchers for OU. Gasso used five of them last weekend. Maxwell isn’t going to be expected to carry this team to Oklahoma City. She’s simply going to be a key cog in the wheel. And her transition couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

Week 2: Cowgirl Classic

Time for No. 1-ranked OU to hit the road again, heading to Lake Charles, La., for the Cowgirl Classic. OU will play five games in three days against Central Arkansas, Lamar and McNeese State.

Game 1: OU vs. Central Arkansas – 3:30 Friday
Game 2: OU vs. McNeese State – 6 p.m. Friday
Game 3: OU vs. Lamar – 1:30 p.m. Saturday
Game 4: OU vs. McNeese State – 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Game 5: OU vs. Central Arkansas – 11 a.m. Sunday

“Some good teams. Central Arkansas was a tournament team last year,” Gasso said. “Lamar is a program on the rise. McNeese had one of the most exciting Super Regionals. They were almost at the World Series.

“Looking at their numbers, they had over 148 stolen bases last year, which is unheard of. So it’s going to be fast and furious. It’s going to be a lot of short game, slapping, runners in motion … our defense is going to have to be on point. They had a good weekend this last weekend.”

The McNeese games are on ESPN+, while everything else can be watched at SoonerSports.com.