Baylor rider ‘hungry for a win’ in Oklahoma State game

By Nate Maki | Sports journalist

After a week off, Baylor Equestrian looks forward to an away match against Oklahoma State on Friday at noon at the Pedigo-Hull Equestrian Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Head coach Casie Maxwell had only one word to describe her team: excitement.

“The team is really in great shape,” Maxwell said. “Everyone is motivated and hungry for a win. It’s an exciting time. We’re just waiting for the results and for everyone’s hard work to finally pay off.”

The Cowgirls (2-1-0, 0-1-0 Big 12) are already in the heat of contention, having played in two more meetings than the Bears (0-1-0, 0-1-0 Big 12). ). However, the first home game of the season will take place on Friday.

Baylor hasn’t beaten the Cowgirls since 2019 and has never picked up a win at Oklahoma State’s home game.

“I find [Oklahoma State] is a strong team,” said Maxwell. “They are well placed, have a veteran group with a lot of experience and have done really well. We know they want to win the Big 12, so they’re going to do their best and we’re going to meet them up there.”

This fall marks Maxwell’s eighth season as head coach. Last season, she led the Bears to a 3-11 record, but had highlights including a win over No. 5 Georgia and three Big 12 Rider of the Month awards.

“Last year was tough statistically; “We were really young,” Maxwell said. “It was all about the process and trust in the process, but we had to get through that to get to where we are now. We had a tough schedule and now we have a higher standard. We have to get better with every single game for the rest of the season.”

The Bears began their season on Oct. 10 with a meet against No. 3 TCU. Despite a strong comeback in the flat event with standout performances from fifth-grader Madison Mitchell and senior Lauren Stebbins, the green and gold were unable to overcome TCU’s lead and opened their season with a 12-8 loss.

“We went up against a really tough TCU team and held our own,” Maxwell said. “We came back strong in the second half. Right now we just want them to play hard and get some wins. This is how we continue to build our confidence.”

The Oklahoma State equestrian program is currently working on getting Snoop Dogg, along with Martha Stewart, to attend one of their meets. What started as a joke on TikTok has gained traction, and the prospect of his appearance at the meeting has become increasingly likely through the efforts of university President Kayse Shrum.

“This is the 10th day we’ve asked Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart to come to an OSU Equestrian,” Shrum said on OSU Equestrian’s Instagram page.

The trend has since increased until day 38, where they were announced before a football game.

“We had about a week and a half to prepare for Oklahoma State,” Maxwell said. “We’re preparing for the course they sent us, but with this extra time we also have the opportunity to go back and work on some fundamentals. It’s nice to get away from the tedious pattern work and work on things that we can apply to all tests.”

The Bears will face Oklahoma State at noon Friday at the Pedigo-Hull Equestrian Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma.