Softball Prepares For Oklahoma

April 18, 2000

#22 Oklahoma State (32-16, 7-6) at #6 Oklahoma (48-6, 12-1)
Wednesday - April 19, 2000 -6:30 p.m.

Cowgirl Stadium - Stillwater, Okla.

Radio - Stillwater Radio (KGFY 105.5 FM)

COWGIRLS FACE SOONERS : Oklahoma State's 22nd-ranked softball will travel to Norman, Okla., this Wednesday, April 19, to face the sixth-ranked and Bedlam rival Oklahoma Sooners. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. OU won the first game this season between the two teams, 4-2, in Stillwater. This will be the 112th meeting between these two schools on the softball diamond, the most for either team against one opponent.

OSU Probable Starting Lineup

##	Name	Pos	BAvg	Miscellaneous Stats

11	Shelly Graham	CF	.331	45 hits, 28 runs, 2 3B, 12-15 SB

14	Jenny Kipp	3B	.364	44 hits, 25 runs, 17 RBI, 12-12 SB

20	Amanda Hayes	LF	.285	41 hits, 19 runs, 20 RBI, 9 2B, 1 HR

9	Kirsty Jennings	DP	.377	49 hits, 42 RBI, 13 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR

7	Christina Shaddox	1B	.226	24 hits, 12 runs, 17 RBI, 5 2B, 4 HR

12	Liz Silva	C	.221	15 hits, 8 runs, 12 RBI, 3 2B, 2 HR

33	Ryan Realmuto	RF	.252	27 hits, 15 runs, 14 RBI, 7 2B, 1 HR

27	Lezli Leathers	2B	.275	25 hits, 22 runs, 15 RBI, 7 2B, 3 HR

22	Casey O'Neill	SS	.311	38 hits, 18 runs, 13 RBI, 3 2B

OSU Pitchers

##	Name	Record	ERA	Miscellaneous Stats

35	Lauren Bay,	LHP 14-9	1.78	153 IP, 168 K, 4 SHO, 3 SV

45	Karla Rivera,	RHP 11-5	2.53	119 IP, 78 K, 3 SHO, 1 SV

COMING UP : This Saturday, April 22, Oklahoma State will travel to Austin, Texas, to face the Texas Longhorns in doubleheader action, starting at noon. The Cowgirls will take a week off for dead week before hosting the Texas A&M Aggies on April 29-30. The two teams will play one game on Saturday at 1 p.m. and conclude the regular season with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT : Nebraska's Leigh Ann Walker limited OSU to just three hits as the Huskers defeated the Cowgirls, 12-1. Shelly Graham picked up two of OSU's hits. It was a groundout by Paula Garman, however, that pushed the Cowgirls' only run across the plate. NU scored one run in the first when Lezli Leathers misplayed a grounder by Amber Burgess that would have been the third out. Kim Ogee scored from second on the play. Things were quiet for 2-1/2 innings before the Huskers added a run in the fourth when Burgess scored on a bloop single by Jenifer Williams. However, NU broke it wide open in the fifth, scoring five runs on just two hits, two walks and three Cowgirl errors. OSU scored its only run of the game in the fifth, when Nicci Quiroz scored on a groundout by Garman. NU added five more runs in the sixth, including five off of reliever Stephanie Hodges. Graham got to third in the bottom of the inning, but was stranded and the mercy-rule was put into effect.

COWGIRLS ON THE AIR : Three of Oklahoma State's remaining games this season are scheduled to be broadcast by Stillwater Radio. Bill Van Ness will provide the play-by-play. The Oklahoma game on Wednesday, April 22, will be on KGFY 105.5 FM, and the two games vs. Texas A&M will be aired on 780 AM. Any postseason play will also be aired on the Stillwater Radio Network.

COWGIRLS IN THE NATIONAL POLL : Oklahoma State dropped to 22nd in the latest NFCA Coaches Poll. The Cowgirls reached No. 17 five 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 during the course of the season ...

Date Pre F23 M1 M8 M15 M22 M29 A5 A12 A19

Rank NR 25 21 17 18 18 20 20 22 ??

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 823-328-3 (.714) 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 871-344-3 (.716). Also, the game vs. Virginia Tech in the Speedline Invitational was 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.

LEFTSIDE OF INFIELD DOING WELL AT THE PLATE : The Oklahoma State duo of Jenny Kipp and Casey O'Neill, both sophomores and the starters on the left side of the infield, have been doing well at the plate. Kipp is batting .364 while O'Neill is batting .311. They have combined for 82 hits, 43 runs, 12 doubles and 30 RBIs. Both signed in 1997 with Oklahoma State, Kipp from Arizona and O'Neill from San Diego, Calif.

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 11-5 and a 2.53 earned run average. Lauren Bay, from Trail, British Columbia, is 14-9 this season with a 1.78 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 153 innings, or 7.69 Ks per game.

SUBS SHOWING OFF : In 94 plate appearances this season as pinch hitters, the Oklahoma State bench is batting .312, has scored 36 runs and has 20 RBIs. The bench crew is led by sophomore Courtney Pinion, who is batting .600 in pinch-hit situations, going 6-for-10 She also has four RBIs and a .700 slugging percentage. Against Iowa State, senior Christina Shaddox hit a leadoff, first-pitch home run over the leftfield fence as a pinch hitter, the third dinger by a pinch hitter this season. On the mound, freshman Lauren Bay is 3-1 with three saves as a reliever, and has a 0.82 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 34-1/3 innings, while giving up a .172 batting average to opponent hitters. The bullpen is a combined 6-1 with 70 strikeouts in 63 innings, six saves and a 1.89 ERA.

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

The 21 runs scored in the game vs. Baylor are the most ever in a single game in OSU softball history. The previous record was 20, set by the 1988 squad vs. Southwest Texas and tied earlier this season vs. Panhandle State.
The four home runs vs. Baylor in the 21-11 win tied for the most ever in a single game. It ties the 1988 team that hit four dingers vs. McNeese State on March 5, 1988.
Shelly Graham and Lezli Leathers each scored four runs in the 21-11 win over Baylor, tying the mark set by Michelle Womacks vs. Southwest Texas in 1988 and tied twice since.
Christina Shaddox hit a pinch-hit home run to win the second game vs. Iowa State. It was her fourth dinger of the season, the most by a Cowgirl so far this year. OSU has nine players that have hit at least one home run this season.
Sophomore Jenny Kipp tied one record and set another in the Cowgirls' 3-2 win over Iowa State. She tied the school record for stolen bases in a game, three, set by Amanda Hayes last season. She also broke the previous school record for consecutive successful stolen bases, which was 11, set by Mary Hammen in 1988. Kipp now has 12 consecutive SBs.
The Cowgirls are batting .336 vs. left-handed pitchers, .287 vs. right-handed pitchers.
OSU is batting just .261 with the bases empty, but .320 with runners on base, including a .421 average by Jenny Kipp in 57 at-bats.
The Cowgirls are batting .396 with the bases loaded, led by Kirsty Jennings .600 average.
Oklahoma State has 73 two-out RBIs, led by Kirsty Jennings' and Shelly Graham, who each have 10.
The Cowgirls have been successful 57.9 percent of the time of scoring a runner when on third base with less than two outs.
Cowgirls leading off an inning are batting .403, including four regulars that are batting at least .400 : Jenny Kipp (.545), Lezli Leathers (.455), Shelly Graham (.444) and Christina Shaddox (.440).
Freshman LHP Lauren Bay has forced 205 groundouts and just 70 flyouts, a ratio of nearly 3-to-1.
Sophomore Jenny Kipp leads the team in both sacrifice bunts (15) 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 168 strikeouts, 44 have been called strikeouts.
With 23 home runs this season, the Cowgirls have nearly quadrupled their home-run total of last season, six.

BIG 12 RANKINGS : Oklahoma State ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in batting this season with a .292 average. Oklahoma ranks first with a .331 average. The Cowgirl pitching staff ranks seventh in the league in earned run average with a 2.31 ERA. Oklahoma leads the league with a 1.49 ERA. Individually, Kirsty Jennings ranks sixth in the league with a .377 batting average, while Jenny Kipp ranks eighth and Shelly Graham 17th. On the mound, Lauren Bay's 1.78 ERA is currently the ninth-best in the conference. Jennings leads the Big 12 in doubles with 13, and Amanda Hayes is ninth with nine. Jennings is third in the league in RBIs with 42, and fourth in total bases with 82. Lezli Leathers is fifth in walks with 20. Bay ranks in the top five four categories, including wins (fifth with 14), innings pitched (fifth with 153), saves (first with three) and strikeouts (3rd with 168).

SERIES WITH OKLAHOMA : This week's game between OSU and OU marks the 112th meeting between the Bedlam rivals on the softball diamond. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with Oklahoma, 67-44, but the Sooners have won the last seven games between the two teams. OU leads the all-time series in Norman, 18-17. The Sooners won 17 of the first 27 meetings between these two schools, from 1975 to 1980. The Cowgirls won 14 straight from 1987 to 1991, the longest streak in the series. OSU won 29 of 31 games from 1987 to 1995. Since then, Oklahoma has won 15 of the last 20 contests. OSU leads, 33-19, in shutouts with the Sooners. The Cowgirls are 6-4 in the last 10 games played in Norman, but have lost the last two at the OU Softball Complex. Here is a look at the all-time series ...

Oklahoma State led the series, 6-3, prior to 1978

1978 L 0-3 Stillwater

1978 L 1-6 Norman

1978 L 2-10 Neutral

1979 W 7-0 Neutral

1979 L 0-1 Norman

1979 L 2-3 Norman

1979 L 1-6 Stillwater

1979 W 10-4 Stillwater

1979 L 2-3 Norman

1979 L 2-5 Norman

1980 L 0-4 Norman

1980 L 1-2 Norman

1980 L 1-5 Stillwater

1980 L 1-4 Stillwater

1980 W 4-1 Neutral

1980 W 5-4 Neutral

F1980 W 5-1 Norman

F1980 L 2-3 Norman

F1980 W 2-1 Stillwater

F1980 W 2-1 Stillwater

1981 W 3-0 Norman

1981 L 0-3 Norman

1981 L 3-4 Stillwater

1981 L 0-3 Stillwater

F1981 W 2-0 Norman

F1981 L 1-2 Norman

F1981 W 1-0 Neutral

F1981 W 1-0 Stillwater

1982 W 1-0 Norman

1982 W 6-2 Norman

1982 L 0-1 Norman

1982 W 2-0 Neutral

1982 W 3-2 Neutral

1983 W 1-0 Norman

1983 W 1-0 Stillwater

1983 W 8-0 Stillwater

1983 W 5-3 Norman

1983 L 0-1 Norman

1983 W 2-1 Norman

1984 L 0-1 Norman

1984 W 3-1 Stillwater

1985 W 4-3 Stillwater

1985 L 0-1 Stillwater

1985 W 6-2 Norman

1986 W 4-2 Stillwater

1986 W 2-0 Stillwater

1986 L 1-3 Stillwater

1986 W 7-0 Neutral

1987 L 1-3 Norman

1987 W 3-2 Norman

1987 W 5-3 Stillwater

1987 W 8-4 Stillwater

1988 W 4-3 Stillwater

1988 W 1-0 Stillwater

1989 W 7-0 Stillwater

1989 W 7-0 Stillwater

1989 W 2-0 Norman

1989 W 9-0 Neutral

1989 W 4-0 Neutral

1989 W 6-0 Neutral

1990 W 5-2 Stillwater

1990 W 3-1 Stillwater

1991 W 3-0 Norman

1991 W 7-1 Neutral

1991 L 0-3 Neutral

1991 W 2-1 Neutral

1992 W 2-0 Stillwater

1992 W 3-0 Stillwater

1992 W 2-0 Neutral

1993 W 7-0 Stillwater

1993 W 4-0 Stillwater

1993 W 4-0 Norman

1993 W 3-0 Norman

1994 L 0-2 Stillwater

1994 W 1-0 Stillwater

1994 W 2-0 Stillwater

1994 W 4-3 Stillwater

1994 W 2-1 Stillwater

1995 L 0-3 Neutral

1995 W 5-3 Neutral

1995 W 1-0 Stillwater

1995 W 3-0 Stillwater

1995 L 0-2 Stillwater

1996 L 4-7 Stillwater

1996 L 0-4 Stillwater

1996 W 5-1 Stillwater

1996 W 1-0 Norman

1996 L 0-8 Norman

1996 L 0-5 Neutral

1997 L 0-1 Norman

1997 L 0-4 Stillwater

1997 W 2-0 Norman

1997 W 5-3 Norman

1998 L 3-4 Neutral

1998 W 2-1 Stillwater

1998 L 1-2 Norman

1998 L 2-3 Neutral

1999 L 2-3 Neutral

1999 L 2-7 Norman

1999 L 2-6 Stillwater

1999 L 0-5 Neutral

2000 L 2-4 Stillwater

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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