Oklahoma State University postponed its scheduled softball game against Wichita State University after the team bus was involved in a fatal accident.
The accident occurred in Noble County, Oklahoma along Interstate 35 on Wednesday, April 8, resulting in the death of one woman, who was struck by the bus. The northbound lanes on the highway were closed for two hours following the crash.
“Today’s scheduled softball game between Oklahoma State and Wichita State has been postponed after the Cowgirls’ team bus was involved in an accident on the way to Wichita,” the team announced in a statement posted to the Cowgirls’ website. ”No one from the OSU travel party was injured.”
The statement added, “When the new game day and time are set, those details will be shared.”
The Athletic reported on Thursday, April 9 that police notified the victim’s next of kin early that morning and that her name will be released at a later time.
Oklahoma State’s next game, scheduled for Friday, April 10, at Iowa State University, remains on as scheduled.
Oklahoma’s KOCO News reported on Thursday that prior to the accident, authorities had already received a 911 call about a woman running in and out of traffic on the highway near the accident. It’s not clear if that was the same woman involved in the accident, but The Athletic reported that the first 911 call of a woman being struck by a bus came less than one minute later.
Cowgirls softball coach Kenny Gajewski took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal the team ultimately made the trip to Wichita, Kansas, and shared photos from the Shockers’ softball facility.
“Thank you to @goshockerssb for allowing us to come by and heal a bit this morning,” he wrote in the caption. “When times are tough, we turn to our friends 🧡💛 #GoPokes.”
The Wichita State softball account added a pair of heart emojis in the comments.
Oklahoma State was on its way to Wichita at the time of the crash to finish a game from earlier in the season that was suspended due to rain. The Shockers held an 8-3 lead in the seventh inning.
The Cowgirls are currently ranked No. 20 in the country in Softball America’s latest Top 25 poll and have won four straight games and eight of their last nine thanks to their high-powered offense, which includes 11 players currently hitting .300 or better. Their 6.7 runs per game put them on track to set a program record.
Oklahoma State’s upcoming series against Iowa State will be streamed on ESPN+.
