What Delainey Everett and Payton Kennedy add to the Oklahoma State bullpen

The Oklahoma State bullpen will have a much different look in 2027. The Cowgirls graduated All-American Ruby Meylan, who carried one of the heaviest workloads of any pitcher this past season. Meylan threw about 65% of the team’s innings. Rylee Crandall and Preslee Downing, who threw the most innings behind her, have also departed. Oklahoma State returned only Makala Smith and Madison Hoffman—the latter better known for her hitting—who combined for just 2.2 innings in 2026. Head coach Kenny Gajewski had work to do this offseason to bolster his pitching staff. Gajewski was able to land Mississippi State postseason hero Delainey Everett and former Ole Miss righty Payton Kennedy to join Smith, who redshirted most of 2026, and incoming four-star freshman Peyton May. What should Cowgirls fans expect from Everett and Kennedy? Let’s check out the Synergy Softball data. Can Delainey Everett be the ace for Oklahoma State? Everett turned heads with her Super Regional performance against Oklahoma, becoming the first pitcher to shut out the Sooners in 399 games. She didn’t throw much in 2026, accumulating only 24.1 innings, with half of those coming in the postseason. The rising fourth-year player has 126.1 career innings, 74.1 of which came in 2025. She has been highly successful in those appearances, holding a 2.55 career ERA. Everett’s stuff is very good, so her strong results shouldn’t be surprising. She throws hard from the left side, primarily using her curveball and riseball while mixing in a screwball and dropball. Dating back to 2025, Everett has performed better against left-handed hitters—a notable advantage against Oklahoma’s heavy lefty lineup. According to Synergy, she has held lefties to a .237 batting average and .379 slugging percentage, compared to .279 and .457 against right-handed hitters. She also generates a 19% swing-and-miss rate versus lefties (dropping to 10% against righties). The difference is especially dramatic with her curveball: 21% whiff rate against lefties versus just 5% against righties. The 2026 sample size is much smaller, but Everett threw her riseball and dropball far more frequently than in 2025. It wouldn’t be surprising if her dropball usage continues to climb under Oklahoma State pitching coach Carrie Eberle Parker, who has had excellent success with dropball pitchers. In her limited action, Everett allowed a .231 batting average and no extra-base hits. The biggest question for Everett in 2027 won’t be how she performs, but how much she can throw. Based on Oklahoma State’s needs, she projects to throw at least 100 innings next season—essentially matching her total over the past three years combined. The Cowgirls need her to stay healthy and effective if they want to host another regional. Payton Kennedy’s Pitch Profile Similar to Everett, Kennedy is expected to take on a much larger role than she had at her previous school. She threw only seven innings at Ole Miss, but she offers significant potential and brings a strong mentality from her travel ball days with Arizona Storm. As previously noted, Eberle Parker excels with dropball pitchers—having been one of the best herself over the past decade—and Kennedy fits that profile perfectly. According to Synergy, Kennedy threw her dropball over half the time last season and generated a 50% groundball rate across her three appearances. Kennedy will need innings to develop. In her limited opportunities, she left the dropball elevated too often and will need to develop a reliable second pitch. Still, there is plenty of reason to believe she can carve out a meaningful role in the Stillwater staff. Between Everett, Kennedy, Smith, and May, there is a lot to learn in 2027. Eberle Parker will have her work cut out for her, but the Cowgirls have given themselves a fighting chance with these transfer additions.