Why did Gajewski hire Eberle as OSU's new pitching coach? 'In my gut, I knew it was her'

Carrie Eberle used to be a planner.

She didn’t just organize her schedule for the next few days and weeks. She had plans for herself months and years into the future.

Now?

“My family and I always joke about how crazy my life is,” she said with a chuckle.

Her perspective on planning changed when she transferred to Oklahoma State in 2019 to play her final year of college softball. Then came a pandemic. And an extra year of eligibility. And a delayed entry into law school. And a decision to give coaching a try.

Now comes another change of plan: Eberle was officially named OSU’s new pitching coach on Wednesday.

It's a hire that has garnered a lot of outside interest since John Bargfeldt's surprising retirement eventually led to Kelly Maxwell's transfer. But the drama and the headlines that were created in no way deterred Eberle from seeking the job.

“I’m so excited to be back and blessed with the opportunity,” she said in an interview with The Oklahoman. “I’m just happy that I got a chance at it.”

Returning to OSU is something Eberle hoped might happen one day, but even six weeks ago, it wasn’t something she thought would be a possibility so soon. Then Bargfeldt unexpectedly retired.

“Obviously, I wanted to be in the conversation,” Eberle said.

She let Cowgirl coach Kenny Gajewski know that.

More: Kenny Gajewski explains why he believes Kelly Maxwell is leaving Oklahoma State softball

“I interviewed a ton of people, but in my gut, I knew it was her because I want somebody that wants to be here,” Gajewski told The Oklahoman. “I want somebody who’s younger that we can mold and help and that has humility to have conversations with (former OSU greats) Michele Smith or Lauren Bay and wants to take that type of help. I just want somebody that wants to be part of this program for a long time.”

Gajewski is a big reason why Eberle got into coaching.

When Eberle arrived at OSU, Gajewski remembers her being in a bad spot. She'd spent three years at Virginia Tech and been wildly successful, even being named ACC pitcher of the year in 2019.

But before that season, the Hokies went through a coaching change.

Eberle, who has deep family roots at Virginia Tech, made the decision to transfer.

“She came in here wounded and lacking being able to trust coaches and teammates,” Gajewski said.

But over the next two years, he witnessed big changes. She healed and grew and matured, not only as a player but also as a teammate.

“Man, this girl needs to coach,” Gajewski remembers thinking during Eberle’s final year in 2021, a season that culminated with her being named Big 12 pitcher of the year and the Cowgirls making the Women’s College World Series. “She’s too good.”

He approached her with the idea, and Eberle decided to dip her toe in the water, working as a graduate assistant on the OSU softball team in 2022. She thought of it as a breather year, a chance to figure out what was next.

More: What does Oklahoma State softball's pitching staff look like after Kelly Maxwell's exit?

She even carried on with a long-held plan to attend law school.

She didn’t just get in to several law schools.

“I was committed. Had the deposit down. Ready to go,” she said.

But as the 2022 season wound down, she realized it didn’t feel right.

“It wasn’t 100% what I wanted to do,” she said. “I’d never taken a break from school in my life, so I kind of took a step back and was fully prepared to just take a gap year and kind of figure out what was next.”

Eberle was playing pro softball later that summer with Athletes Unlimited when she got a call from Lipscomb in Nashville. It needed a pitching coach.

Was Eberle interested?

“It just seemed like, ‘OK, I’ve thought about coaching being the other option besides law school. Let’s see. Let’s try it out and see if I enjoy it and can see myself doing this long term,’” she said.

More: Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy trying to prove 'things don't fix themselves'

Two months into the job at Lipscomb, Gajewski got a call from Eberle.

“I love this,” he remembers her telling. “I cannot believe this.”

“Carrie, if you love this, you need to chase it,” he said. “There’s not enough good pitching people out there.”

Gajewski kept tabs on Eberle not only by talking to her but also by touching base with her bosses at Lipscomb. He had recommended Eberle to them, so Gajewski wanted to make sure she was doing good work.

“But I just got rave reviews back,” he said.

“Her brain works in a unique way. She’s uber smart, really smart. She has a great memory.”

Yes, Eberle is young. Only 25 years old. But she sees that as a positive.

“Because I feel like this time in the world of softball, you’re seeing more and more how important the female athletes (believe) building relationships with their coaches and feeling that personal connection is,” Eberle said, referring to the massive changeover that has come as a result of the transfer portal. “I feel like I’ll be able to relate to them more because obviously, I was in their shoes pretty recently.”

More: What does Kelly Maxwell want in OSU's next pitching coach? 'Crazy amounts of knowledge'

Like many players today, she also knows what it’s like to transfer and change schools.

Eberle will have at least two pitchers on the OSU staff who are transfers, Lexi Kilfoyl and Ivy Rosenberry. And of course, the Cowgirls have lost three to the portal, prime among them Maxwell.

Then, there are pitchers such as Kyra Aycock and incoming freshman Katie Kutz who were recruited out of high school by Bargfeldt and committed to OSU when he was the pitching coach.

Eberle knows she will be new to all the pitchers regardless of their backgrounds, but she’s excited about the pitching staff that she is taking over.

“It’s a really cool mix of older vets and young,” she said. “I think that’s going to lend itself to a good mix and a great staff.”

And Gajewski believes OSU got a great leader for that staff. He admits he didn't anticipate needing to hire a pitching coach this offseason ― he previously said Bargfeldt's resignation “completely blindsided” him ― but once Eberle got into coaching, Gajewski hoped he might one day be able to bring her back to OSU.

Turns out, he had a plan of his own.

Even though the timing was sooner than he anticipated even a couple months ago, he is excited about having Eberle on his team again.

“Carrie just fell into the right spot,” he said. “It was the right move.”

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok or on Threads at jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State softball: Kenny Gajewski explains Carrie Eberle hire