Cowgirls Open Big 12 Conference Play

March 24, 2000

STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State's 18th-ranked softball team travels to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend for the Cowgirls' Big 12 Conference opener with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The two teams will play one game each day on Saturday and Sunday, both starting at 1 p.m.

COMING UP - Next Wednesday, the Cowgirls will travel to Wichita, Kan., for a doubleheader with the Wichita State Shockers (7-15). Game time for the first game is set for 4 p.m. On Friday, March 31, Oklahoma State will host the Iowa State Cyclones (11-8) in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. The site of those games is yet to be determined.

LAST TIME OUT - OSU fell to the NAIA second-ranked Oklahoma City Stars Tuesday afternoon, 3-1. It was OCU's sixth win in 45 tries vs. the Cowgirls all-time. The Stars scored all the runs they would need in the top of the third, when Tiffany Kissee hit a two-run double to right centerfield, scoring both Stacey Polonich and Christi Liu. OSU cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fifth when, with two outs, Shelly Graham hit a bullet down the first-base line, scoring Paula Garman from second. Jenny Kipp walked to load the bases, but Amanda Hayes hit a deep fly to centerfield for the final out of the inning. The Stars added an insurance run in the sixth when Kami Brokaw scored from second on a blooper off the bat of Stephanie Grange. OSU rightfielder Stephanie Hodges made a dive at the ball, but came up short. Cowgirl hurler Lauren Bay and OCU pitcher Lindsey Voss combined for 21 strikeouts and seven walks in the game. Voss improved her season record to 14-1, while Bay fell to 8-6. OSU's Graham went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and shortstop Casey O'Neill went 1-for-1 with two walks.

Oklahoma State Cowgirls (23-10)
at Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-24)
Saturday-Sunday - March 25-26, 2000 - 1 p.m.
Intramural Fields - Lubbock, Texas

OSU Probable Starting Lineup

##	Name	Pos	BAvg	Miscellaneous Stats
11	Shelly Graham	CF	.352	17 runs, 1 3B, 9-12 SB
14	Jenny Kipp	3B	.356	14 runs, 26 hits, 1 3B, 8-8 SB
20	Amanda Hayes	LF	.247	24 hits, 5 2B, 10 RBI
9	Kirsty Jennings	DP	.349	30 hits, 8 2B, 2 HR, 28 RBI
7	Christina Shaddox	1B	.203	16 hits, 3 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI
23	Stephanie Hodges	RF	.281	9 runs, 9 hits, 1 HR, 6 RBI
16	Paula Garman	C	.222	17 runs, 3 HR, 15 RBI
27	Lezli Leathers	2B	.271	13 runs, 16 hits, 6 2B, 6 RBI
22	Casey O'Neill	SS	.381	32 hits, 16 runs, 3 2B, 13 RBI

OSU Pitching Rotation

##	Name	Record	ERA	Miscellaneous Stats
25	Annie Gunderson, RHP	0-0	0.00	-----
35	Lauren Bay, LHP	8-6	2.07	94.2 IP, 112 Ks
45	Karla Rivera, RHP	9-2	1.73	81.0 IP, 59 Ks

COWGIRLS IN THE NATIONAL POLL - For a second-straight week, Oklahoma State is ranked 18th nationally, according to the NFCA Coaches Poll, released weekly on Wednesday mornings. The Cowgirls reached No. 17 two weeks ago, their highest ranking since a No. 15 ranking in the 1999 preseason poll. Here is a look at where OSU has been ranked each week during the course of the season ...

	Preseason	Not Ranked
	Feb. 23rd	tied for 25th
	March 1st	21st
	March 8th	17th
	March 15th	18th
	March 22nd	18th

FISCHER REACHES 800TH VICTORY - With a 6-2 win over Drake on Feb. 20, Head Coach Sandy Fischer became just the fifth softball coach in NCAA history to reach the 800-victory plateau. She is currently 814-322-3 (.716) in her 22nd season at Oklahoma State. She is just the third active coach to reach that milestone, as Fresno State's Margie Wright and Bill Galloway of Louisiana Tech did so two seasons ago. Fischer's all-time NFCA record, which includes games played during the falls of 1979-81, is 862-338-3 (.717). Also, the game vs. Virginia Tech in the Speedline Invitational was Coach Fischer's 1,200th career game at OSU. She is just the second coach in OSU history to coach in at least 1,200 contests, following baseball's Gary Ward, who coached in 1,265 games.

SOPHOMORE SHORTSTOP SHOWING STUFF - Oklahoma State sophomore shortstop Casey O'Neill has improved dramatically at the plate this season, batting a team-leading .381 in 84 at-bats. She has scored 16 runs this season, second-highest on the team, and leads the team with 32 hits. She has already exceeded her hit total of last season (25), when she batted .240 for the 1999 year.

FRESHMAN HURLERS TAKING CHARGE - With the loss of senior pitcher Sarah Knife Chief to shoulder surgery, two star freshmen have taken over the pitching duties for Oklahoma State. Karla Rivera, from Whittier, Calif., has a record of 9-2 and a 1.73 earned run average. She has given up just 72 hits in 81 innings pitched. Lauren Bay, from Trail, British Columbia, is 8-6 this season with a 2.07 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 94-2/3 innings, 8.28 Ks per game.

NINE-HOLE HITTING WELL - As a whole, the nine-hole hitters this season are batting .413, with 31 hits in 75 at-bats. That crew has 14 runs scored, 15 RBIs, and a .472 on-base percentage. The last spot in the lineup is led by sophomore Casey O'Neill, who is batting .444 (20-for-44) in the nine-hole, while sophomore Jenny Kipp is batting .400 (8-for-20) in the last spot.

SUBS SHOWING OFF - In 69 plate appearances this season as a pinch hitter, the Oklahoma State bench is batting .340, has scored 25 runs and has 15 RBIs. The bench crew is led by sophomore Courtney Pinion, who is batting .857 in pinch-hit situations, going 6-for-7. She also has four RBIs and a 1.000 slugging percentage. On the mound, freshman Lauren Bay is 2-1 with three saves as a reliever, and has a 0.47 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 30 innings, while giving up a .125 batting average to opponent hitters.

SERIES WITH TEXAS TECH - Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 12-2, although the Red Raiders won the last meeting, an 11-3 victory over OSU in the UTA/Pepsi-Cola Intercollegiate Tournament last year in Grand Prairie, Texas. The conference series between the two teams last season was cancelled due to rain. OSU won 11 games straight before TTU picked up its first win in 1998. In Big 12 Conference games, OSU is 6-1 vs. the Red Raiders. In Lubbock, OSU is 4-1. Here is a look at the all-time series ...

Year	W/L	Score	Location
1980	W	10-0	Stillwater, Okla.
1980	W	10-0	Stillwater, Okla.
F1980	W	3-0	San Antonio Tournament, San Antonio, Texas
1983	W	2-0	Texas-Arlington Tournament, Arlington, Texas
1984	W	2-0	Roadrunner Invitational, Las Cruces, N.M.
1996	W	7-4	Lubbock, Texas
1996	W	16-8	Lubbock, Texas
1996	W	18-3	Lubbock, Texas
1997	W	11-1	Stillwater, Okla.
1997	W	9-5	Stillwater, Okla.
1998	W	8-4 (8)	Lubbock, Texas
1998	L	0-1	Lubbock, Texas
1998	W	1-0	Big 12 Championship, Oklahoma City, Okla.
1999	L	3-11	UTA Tournament, Grand Prairie, Texas

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES & STATISTICS - Here is a look at some miscellaneous notes and statistics concerning the Cowgirl softball program ...

The Cowgirls are batting .341 vs. left-handed pitchers, .288 vs. right-handed pitchers.

OSU is batting just .261 with the bases empty, but .322 with runners on base, including a .400 average by Jenny Kipp in 35 at-bats.

The Cowgirls are batting .413 with the bases loaded, led by Kirsty Jennings .600 average.

Oklahoma State has 50 two-out RBIs, led by Kirsty Jennings and Christina Shaddox, who each have seven.

The Cowgirls have been successful 62.3 percent of the time of scoring a runner when on third base with less than two outs.

Cowgirls leading off an inning are batting .396, including six regulars that are batting at least .400 - Kirsty Jennings (.455), ?Lezli Leathers (.438), Shelly Graham (.429), Casey O'Neill (.421), Amanda Hayes (.400) and Jenny Kipp (.400).

Freshman LHP Lauren Bay has forced 121 groundouts and just 42 flyouts, a ratio of of nearly 3-to-1.

Sophomore Jenny Kipp leads the team in both sacrifice bunts (10) and sacrifice flies (2).

Lauren Bay has three saves this season, and needs just one more to tie the school single-season record of four, set by Lori Whitehouse in 1986.

Of Bay's 112 strikeouts, 31 have been strikeouts looking.

With 12 home runs this season, the Cowgirls have already doubled their home-run total of last season, six.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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