How Oklahoma State softball found comfort in new hitting coach Vanessa Shippy-Fletcher

STILLWATER — When Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski changed hitting coaches in December, parting ways with Whitney Cloer and promoting Vanessa Shippy-Fletcher, Gajewski was also abandoning the hitting philosophy Cloer had spent about 18 months teaching the Cowgirls.

It was a unique philosophy not widely used, but often successful — and the Cowgirls were a good offensive team with Cloer last year.

Gajewski has never questioned the results of her work, only saying that he “had to make a really tough change. It was the right change. At the end of each day, I have to do what’s best for this program first. I’m gonna do what I feel is in the best interest.”

And in his mind, that was the switch to Shippy-Fletcher, a three-time All-American as a Cowgirl, who has been on the OSU staff as a volunteer assistant the past three seasons.

Sixth-ranked OSU (6-2) has averaged 7.3 runs per game heading into Monday night's game at Florida.

More: Liberty transfer Caroline Wang shows off power in her Oklahoma State softball debut

Yet while eight games doesn’t make this a successful season for Shippy-Fletcher, her approach has been warmly welcomed by players, thanks to one of her often-used phrases.

“Tell me what you need and I’ll help you,” she regularly tells her hitters.

In preseason interviews, Gajewski noted the improvement of Lexi Kilfoyl at the plate this season, and Kilfoyl was quick to credit Shippy-Fletcher’s “help me help you” approach.

“One thing I told her I wanted to work on was live at-bats, and that’s literally all we did almost all of January,” Kilfoyl said. “Get comfortable at the plate, get the live reads, and I think it’s really helped me.

“She has a very simple way of coaching and I love that. She asks what we need. She asks us how we want to be coached. She just goes person by person and coaches them based on how they’ve always swung the bat, because she trusts that we’ve always been good and that’s why we’re here.”

Shippy-Fletcher played one season of pro softball and spent the 2019-20 seasons on the coaching staff at Syracuse before returning to Stillwater as a volunteer.

She has coached infielders, outfielders and catchers, in addition to her work with hitters and base-runners. And the last two years, she’s been the recruiting coordinator.

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“We’re seeing a dramatic change in the way we’re doing things,” Gajewski said of her strategy for recruiting. “She’s got me traveling more than I ever have, which is probably a good thing. It gets me out there. She’s young and hip and keeps us rocking there.”

Shippy-Fletcher, who has given birth to her two children since returning to Stillwater, was the runner-up for the job when Gajewski hired Cloer in the summer of 2022, and now that she’s in position, she’s taking advantage of the opportunity.

“She has had so many ideas,” senior outfielder Scotland David said. “She took a backseat for a couple years, and I think that allowed her to see what’s going on. But having a coach who’s also been a starter and an All-American and played every single position here, I think it’s cool. She brings so much to the table and she has so much knowledge, and she cares so much.”

While Shippy-Fletcher is a trusted voice to veterans like David, now in her fourth year as a Cowgirl, the coach has shown the ability to adapt to newcomers quickly, too.

“I love how she wants to do what’s best for you,” said senior catcher Caroline Wang, who transferred from Liberty last summer. “She has some non-negotiables, and I think there’s just some things you have to have to be successful. But other than that, she wants to work with you how you feel comfortable and how you feel you’re gonna be the most successful, rather than a cookie cutter of what you have to be.

“We don’t all look the same. Our bodies don’t all work the same, so we’re not all gonna be successful doing the exact same thing.”

Gajewski has been relying on conversations from his players to get a feel for their work with Shippy-Fletcher, but he’s happy with the reports so far.

“I’ve stayed very far away from our hitters, and I’ve done that for a reason,” Gajewski said. “I don’t want Vanessa thinking that I’m looking over her shoulder. I trust her 1,000%. We’ve talked about hitting for years. I love what she’s up to.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State softball: Vanessa Shippy-Fletcher fits coaching staff