USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A controversy has erupted in Big 12 softball following the league’s postseason Pitcher of the Year award announcement. Oklahoma State’s coach Kenny Gajewski is not happy.
Cowgirls ace Ruby Meylan had the honor stripped following an initial win in the coaches’ vote. She will split the recognition with a rival.
Gajewski was informed of the switch in an email that offered little clarity. The league refused to explain its decision to override the individual win.
Who is Ruby Meylan?
The senior from Omaha, Nebraska is the best arm on the Cowgirls’ roster, and maybe in the Big 12. She transferred to Stillwater after two years at Washington. In her final season, she won a league-high 26 contests.
Meylan posted a 26-6 overall record across 38 regular season appearances. She pitched 213 innings to rank fourth in NCAA softball. That included 19 complete games and seven shutouts.
That does not include a complete game shutout victory over Utah in the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
Meylan dominated opposing hitters. She led the league in most every notable pitching category. As a result, she was voted Pitcher of the Year by rival coaches.
She did not receive the conference’s top honor, at least not in standalone fashion.
2026 Big 12 Season Honors | 🥎
Ruby Meylan | Co-Pitcher of the Year
Nijaree Canady | Co-Pitcher of the Year@cowgirlsb | @TexasTechSB pic.twitter.com/VpF1O3AueA— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) May 6, 2026
Oklahoma State’s softball star shared the award.
On Tuesday, it was announced that both Meylan and Nijaree Canady of Texas Tech would receive Co-Pitcher of the Year recognition.
Canady, too, experienced great success in her second season with the Red Raiders. She went 21-4, the second-best mark on her team. She threw six shutouts across 12 complete games.
Canady arrived in Texas following a two-year stint at Stanford. It came with a reported $1 million transfer payday.
Last year, she helped her team reach the Women’s College World Series final. The year prior, she was named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Both players boast All-American status. One had a better season than the other while playing on a less talented team. That’s no disrespect to the 15th-ranked Cowgirls, who went 37-14. It’s simply a fact.
Texas Tech won 50 games in the regular season. Its offense ranks second nationally hitting .390 as a team. The pitching staff posted a 1.70 ERA to lead the Big 12. The team is well rounded and deserving of its Top 5 standing in the polls.
Oklahoma State, meanwhile, recorded a 3.23 team ERA (45th), even with Meylan on the mound, alongside a .311 batting average (74th).
Meylan willed her team to success. An NCAA Tournament bid awaits.
Canady did have the edge in ERA at 1.30 to Meylan’s 2.03. All other stats point to Meylan being the more impactful arm.
Coaches agreed. They gave the nod to Ruby Meylan. In the end, the Big 12 overruled.
Kenny Gajewski ripped the decision.
Wow.
Kenny Gajewski says #OkState was told Ruby Meylan was the Big 12 pitcher of the year. Hours later, they received an email saying she was a co-winner with NiJaree Canady.
Why? “I get an answer they looked at it holistically … holistically wasn’t on my voting sheet” pic.twitter.com/eDlvcF6APN
— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) May 8, 2026
“We have a system in place here in the Big 12 where the coaches vote,” the Oklahoma State softball leader said. “Whatever the coaches vote should be what it is, period.
“We received an email on Tuesday that listed all the winners. Ruby was the outright pitcher. Then, I got an email at 10 o’clock at night that there’s now a co-pitcher. That’s not right…
“When I asked the question, ‘Why?’ I got an answer of, ‘We looked at it holistically.’ You’re going to have to explain to everybody out there what that means. Holistically wasn’t on my voting sheet.”
Gajewski confirmed that he voted for Canady as he could not vote for his own player. He urged the league to make the process public.
The Cowgirls’ coach was not the only person upset. He revealed that multiple Big 12 rivals called him personally to voice their disgust.
“It’s nothing against Nija or Texas Tech. This is what the coaches voted for, so make it public… I don’t have any sour grapes about the ‘co-,’ I have sour grapes that she was told outright and then we changed that…
“Why did my staff spend an hour and a half voting if it doesn’t matter?”
Gajewski does not know why the Big 12 did not go off of the coaches’ vote. He expressed disappointment in his league for disregarding those results.
At this point in time, he has very little clarity on the situation. You can’t blame him for supporting one of his own.