Oklahoma softball's Kelly Maxwell named Big 12 Pitcher of Week
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma softball pitcher Kelly Maxwell is the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for the season-opening week of the 2024 college softball season.
The left-handed Maxwell, who transferred to OU from in-state rival Oklahoma State after last season, started one game for the Sooners over the inaugural weekend and entered the game in relief in the other.
Maxwell made her Sooner debut against No. 10 Duke. She pitched 5.0 innings, allowing no runs and just one hit. She finished her start by retiring 11 consecutive batters in picking up her first victory as a Sooner.
The former Oklahoma State standout came out of the bullpen in Oklahoma's dramatic win over No. 9 Washington. Maxwell came on in relief in the sixth inning of that game with runners at first and third and one out and the score knotted at three runs apiece. The Sooners had just scored in the top of the inning to tie the game. She managed to get out of the inning without any damage and send to game to the seventh.
Maxwell retired eight of the nine batters she faced in 2.2 innings of relief work, striking out two, and earned her second win of the weekend when the Sooners scored the winning run in the top half of the eighth inning.
For her weekend's work, Maxwell logged 7.2 scoreless innings, allowed just one hit and struck out four. In the win over Washington marked her 70th win as a collegian and her 700th career strikeout.
This is the southpaw's seventh Big 12 Pitcher of the Week Award. She was so honored six other times at Oklahoma State.
The Big 12 Player of the Week is Reese Atwood of Texas. Atwood recorded 11 hits in 15 plate appearances for a .733 batting average in leading the Longhorns to four consecutive wins to open the season.