Oklahoma State University Athletics
Baseball Jumps Back Into Conference Play
April 06, 2000 | Cowboy Baseball
April 6, 2000
Back In Conference Play:
Oklahoma State looks to extend its four-game win streak when this weekend
against Kansas State in Big 12 play. The Cowboys be back in conference play
after playing Cal-State Northidge last weekend in Stillwater. The OSU-KSU
series, which dates all the way back to 1911, starts Friday at 2 p.m. and
will continue Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The contests will air
on the Cowboy Baseball Radio Network (93.7 KSPI) with Rex Holt
(play-by-play) and Tom Dirato (analyst) calling the action.
About Kansas State:
The Wildcats are 9-19 overall and 1-13 in the Big 12 after getting swept by
Texas Tech in Lubbock last weekend.
Preseason All-Big 12 pick Kasey Weishaar leads the squad with a .323 batting average while first baseman Mark English is the top power source with four homers and 19 RBIs.
The Wildcat pitching staff has a combined ERA of 8.15, worst in the conference. KSU's rotation this weekend will be righthander Luke Robertson (2-6, 6.24 ERA) on Friday, southpaw Chad Duckers (2-3, 7.04 ERA) Saturday and righty Jason Wells (1-5, 8.80 ERA) on Sunday.
Head coach Mike Clark is in his 14th year as the pilot of the KSU program and has posted a 355-386 record during that span. Last season Clark guided KSU to a 26-29 year and a ninth place finish in the Big 12, barely missing out on the conference postseason tourney.
The Series:
The Cowboys own a dominanting 130-40 series advantage over the Wildcats
including a 15-4 win on Feb. 18 at the San Diego Classic tournament. Matt
Smith picked up the win in that contest while Scott Tallman took the loss
for KSU. OSU has won the last four meetings and the last eight out of 10.
Oklahoma State swept the three-game series by a combined score of 41-7 last
season in Stillwater. The last time Kansas State defeated the Pokes was an
8-5 win in Manhattan during the 1998 season.
Last Five Meetings
2/18/00 Oklahoma State 15, Kansas State 4 (San Diego)
4/4/99 at Oklahoma State 15, Kansas State 1
4/3/99 at Oklahoma State 13, Kansas State 2
4/2/99 at Oklahoma State 13, Kansas State 4
3/6/98 at Kansas State 8, Oklahoma State 5
On the Mound:
OSU will switch up the rotation for the second straight week with junior
southpaw Josh Merrigan getting the start in the Friday opener. Left hander
Matt Smith, fresh off his 14-strikeout performance against Cal-State
Northridge last Sunday, will get the start on Saturday while right hander
Frank Bludau will get the nod on Sunday. Merrigan struck out a career-high
nine batters in eight innings of work in last Friday's 7-3 win over
Cal-State Northridge. He improved to a team best 6-1 on the year with a
2.74 ERA. Smith was 2-0 last week with a 0.66 ERA and was named Big 12
pitcher of the week. Bludau only pitched three innings in his start against
Oral Roberts last Tuesday and did not factor in the decision.
Starting Pitchers
Day No. Name G/GS Season Stats
Fri. 32 Josh Merrigan (L) 10/9 6-1, 2.74 ERA, 37 SO's, 46.0 IP
Sat. 36 Matt Smith (L) 9/9 4-4, 3.66 ERA, 64 SO's, 51.2 IP
Sun. 16 Frank Bludau (R) 9/7 3-3, 4.46 ERA, 21 SO's, 34.1 IP
Recapping Oral Roberts:
Oklahoma State hit three straight home runs in the fourth inning and
survived a six-run rally by Oral Roberts to win 13-11 in baseball action
Tuesday night at Drillers Stadium.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second when Nebasett Brown hit a two-run triple and was followed by Chad Hemphill's RBI double. Hemphill scored on the same play when Oral Roberts centerfielder Eric Donaldson made a throwing error to third which went into the OSU dugout.
The Golden Eagles rallied to tie the game with three runs in the second and a run in the third before the Cowboys responded with a four-run fourth. Rob Watson hit a two-run homer and was followed by solo homers by Roy York and Ryan Budde.
After Oral Roberts scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 8-5, OSU posted three runs on the board in the sixth and a run in the seventh to lead 12-5. ORU would not let up scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning, three of them coming off of doubles by Steve Holm and Trevor Leu.
Rusty Rushing came on in relief and allowed only a solo homer by Ryan Neill to pick up his sixth save of the year. Clint Salisbury picked up the win, in relief of Frank Bludau, to move to 3-2 on the season. Stockton Davis took the loss for ORU to drop to 1-2 overall.
Rob Watson finished the night 3-for-5 at the plate with a homer and four RBIs.
Head Coach Tom Holliday:
Oklahoma State head coach Tom Holliday is in his fourth year as the pilot
of the Cowboys program. His record of 150-73 is tops among the Cowboys'
all-time coaches records after three seasons. Holliday won his 150th game
against Oral Roberts Tuesday night. Last season he led the Cowboys to the
school's 19th College World Series appearance. OSU finished with a 46-21
mark and its 19th consecutive NCAA regional showing. Holliday served as an
assistant at Oklahoma State from 1977-96.
Anthony's New Opportunity:
Junior infielder Curt Anthony was a player Coach Holliday and his staff had
penciled in as the starting shortstop entering the 2000 campaign. Anthony
started in the Pokes first 23 games but struggled offensively with just a
.213 batting average. Despite showing flashes of power, four of his 13
hits were for homers, Holliday and his staff decided to bench Anthony for
five games. The Las Vegas, Nev., native has responded offensively since
his return to the lineup on Mar. 26 against Texas. He is 6-for-13 (.462)
with two doubles and four RBIs. He posted a career-high three hits against
Cal-State Northridge on Sunday and has improved his batting average from
.213 to .257. In addition to his offensive performance, Anthony was moved
to first base for the series against the Matadors and played flawlessly in
the field with 13 putouts and one assist.
Smith Racking Up K's:
Junior pitcher Matt Smith had two strong performances on the mound last
week earning the Phillips 66 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week award. Smith won
two of the Cowboys' three games last week by pitching OSU past Arkansas 2-1
at Fayetteville, Ark., and to a 8-5 win over Cal State Northridge last
Sunday. In the win over CSN he tied his career high of 14 in a seven-inning
appearance after he fanned nine Razorbacks in 6 2/3 innings last Tuesday.
Smith has been averaging almost two strikeouts per frame in his last four
outings with 37 whiffs and only six walks in 25.1 innings. In his career,
the Henderson, Nev. native has posted 11 double-digit strikeout games
including three games in which he has whiffed 14.
Cowboys Among Conference Leaders:
Oklahoma State was ranked in several categories in the latest Big 12
overall statistical report released on Apr. 5. The Cowboys were third in
team batting average (.303) behind Texas Tech (.315) and Oklahoma (.304) and
third in runs scored (260). OSU's 34 homers ranks second to Texas Tech's
34. Individual Cowboys among the league leaders are listed below:
Player Category Rank Number
Carlos Gautreaux Batting Avg. 1st .412
Doubles T-3rd 13
Nebasett Brown Triples 2nd 5
Rob Watson Home runs T-6th 7
Triples T-3rd 3
Josh Merrigan Wins T-5th 6
Frank Bludau Opp. Batting Avg. 9th .244
Rusty Rushing Saves 5th 6
Cowboys Corral:
Carlos Gautreaux extended his hitting streak to 13 games with two base
knocks against ORU ... After the Kansas State series, OSU has all 21 of its
remaining games in the state of Oklahoma (not including additions or the Big
12 tournament) ... Roy York has gone 6-for-11 with two homers, a triple and
four RBIs over the last three games ... Nebasett Brown and Rob Watson
combined to go 4-for-9 with a triple, homer, four runs scored and six RBIs
in win over Oral Roberts after going 1-for-20 last week ... OSU is 10-1 in
games in which the team scores in double digits ... Josh Merrigan is 5-0
at home with a 1.32 ERA and Frank Bludau is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 14.1
innings ... OSU is currently two games under the 56 game limit with
additions to the schedule expected later this month ... Toby Rhodes is
6-for-9 (.667) with a homer, two RBIs and three runs scored in the Pokes
four-game win streak ... Rusty Rushing moved into a tie for third place in
the OSU career saves list with 10 after picking up his sixth save of the
season against Oral Roberts ... Matt Smith is currently one strikeout
behind Jason Bell (299) on the OSU all-time strikeout list with 298 whiffs
in his career.
Preseason Predictions:
According to Baseball America, Oklahoma State is predicted to finish fourth
in the Big 12 conference behind Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M. The Cowboys
were also one of five teams picked by the publication to make it to the NCAA
tournament along with the Bears, Longhorns, Aggies and Texas Tech.
Sophomore catcher Ryan Budde and pitcher Matt Smith were named to the
preseason All-Big 12 team in Baseball America and the Dallas Morning News
while Smith also garnered pitcher of the year plaudits in both publications.
Smith is also a preseason All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball and
Baseball America and is considered one of the top professional prospects to
watch.
Season Streaks:
The Cowboys enter the 2000 season with two long-standing streaks to build
on. Oklahoma State is looking to win 40 games for the 21st straight season
and make the NCAA tournament for the 20th straight year. Only Miami (27)
and
Florida State with 22 NCAA treks in a row have longer skeins.
Preseason Predictions:
According to Baseball America, Oklahoma State is predicted to finish fourth
in the Big 12 conference behind Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M. The Cowboys
were also one of five teams picked by the publication to make it to the NCAA
tournament along with the Bears, Longhorns, Aggies and Texas Tech.
Sophomore catcher Ryan Budde and pitcher Matt Smith were named to the
preseason All-Big 12 team in Baseball America and the Dallas Morning News
while Smith also garnered pitcher of the year plaudits in both publications.
Smith is also a preseason All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball and
Baseball America and is considered one of the top professional prospects to
watch.
The Rankings:
The Cowboys are unranked in the three polls this week. OSU did receive a
vote in the ESPN/Baseball Weekly poll.
