Kennedy Proctor Transfers to Oklahoma State
She led Utah in every offensive category as a sophomore. Then she chose to start over somewhere with more to win.
Kennedy Proctor grew up behind the plate in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. She was a two-time team captain at Tesoro High School and a First Team All-CIF selection. Coaches knew her as a catcher who could hit. She arrived at Utah as a freshman and made it work. Then she made it better. Then she made a decision.
Proctor signed with Oklahoma State on June 16. She brought two years of eligibility and a career .329 batting average with her. D1Softball then ranked the Cowgirls’ transfer class No. 9 in the nation on August 12. Proctor is the anchor.
Her sophomore season at Utah tells you why coaches took notice. She led her team in every meaningful offensive category. The numbers were prodigious. An OPS over a thousand means you are getting on base and hitting for power at an elite rate. Proctor did it with room to spare:
| Season | BA | HR | OPS | R | 2B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (freshman) | .319 | 6 | .910 | — | — |
| 2026 (sophomore) | — | 14 | 1.167 | 49 | 13 |
| Career (95 G) | .329 | 20 | 1.053 | 72 | 23 |
That jump from .910 to 1.167 in one season is what development looks like. Proctor didn’t just repeat herself. Instead, she built on her freshman year, added power, and added discipline — 34 walks in 2026, also team-leading. D1Softball had named her a First Team Freshman All-American in 2025. But Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski saw what came next. He said at the June signing: “She has a big-time bat and the ability to be one of the best catchers in our conference.”
That is a real statement from a Big 12 coach, and it says something about what the Cowgirls are building. The class also includes pitcher Delainey Everett from Mississippi State and utility players Maddie Hartley, Payton Kennedy, and Kendra Lewis. Softball America ranked the class No. 3 nationally in July. D1Softball put it at No. 9 later in August. Two methodologies, same conclusion: OSU recruited well.
Still, Proctor’s move is not a story about escaping something. Utah gave her two seasons and a real stage. She used that stage to build a résumé worth moving on, and then she moved on. The transfer portal, for Proctor, was a tool for ambition. She looked at her situation, read what the field was offering, and made her call. That is what catchers do behind the plate every inning — read the situation, then act.
Her junior season at Oklahoma State starts in the spring. She wore the Utah jersey for 95 games. Now she wears orange and black, and the Cowgirls are ranked.
Try this at your next practice
- Plate discipline reps. Ask your pitcher to throw 10 pitches at random. Take every one — no swings. Call ball or strike aloud before the catcher signals. Proctor drew 34 walks in a single season because she knew the difference. You build that by watching, not hacking.
- Season-to-season tracking. After each season, write down your batting average, on-base percentage, and one defensive area you want to improve. Then compare it to the year before. Proctor’s OPS jumped from .910 to 1.167 in one season. That arc doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because she knew what she was building toward, and she tracked it.
- The portal mindset drill. After a big game, ask yourself: what did I do well enough today that I could bring to a better team? Not as a plan — just as a habit of self-assessment. The catchers who move up are the ones who know their own résumé.
Sources: Cowgirl Softball signs All-American catcher Kennedy Proctor · OSU claims No. 9 in D1Softball Transfer Class Rankings
