Oklahoma State University Athletics
Baseball Closes Out Regular Season Against Texas Tech
May 11, 2000 | Cowboy Baseball
May 11, 2000
Setting The Scene:
Oklahoma State, winners of seven of eight, closes out the regular season
this weekend against Texas Tech at Reynolds Stadium. The three game Big 12
series has NCAA tournament implications and begins Friday at 7 p.m.
Saturday's contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. while the series finale is set
for Sunday at 2 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.
Note: The games will not be run on broadcast.com due to technical difficulties at Stillwater Radio. You can find it on the internet on KSPI's official site: www.kspi.com.
About Texas Tech:
The Red Raiders are 32-20 on the season and in fifth place in the Big 12
with a 17-10 mark.
Designated hitter Chaz Eiguren leads the strong Texas Tech offense with a .383 batting average to go along with 12 homers and 71 RBIs. Leftfielder Jason Rainey is second on the team with 11 homers and 51 RBIs. As a team, the Red Raiders are batting .311 with 54 homers and 402 RBIs TTU's pitching staff has been decimated by injuries this season with two of the top starters, Brandon Roberson and J.J. Newman out for the season. The probable pitching rotation for the Red Raiders this weekend will be lefthander Blake McGinley (5-1, 5.75 ERA) on Friday and righthanders Cory Metzler (4-2, 6.44 ERA) and Kevin Tracey (7-6, 4.16 ERA) on Saturday and Sunday. As a team, Tech has a 5.99 ERA and opponents are batting at a .311 average.
Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays is in his 14th year as the skipper of the Red Raiders and owns a 536-279-1 mark in that span. Hays led Tech to a 42-17 overall record and a third-place finish in conference play last season.
The Series:
Oklahoma State holds a 10-9 series edge over Texas Tech in a series that
dates back to the 1983 campaign. OSU took two of three from the Red Raiders
in Lubbock to end the regular season in 1999. The two teams have met 10
times since the Big 12 opened play in 1997, with Texas Tech holding a 6-4
advantage. In 1998, the Red Raiders took two of three from the Pokes in
Stillwater.
1999 Results
5/14 Texas Tech 4, Oklahoma State 3
5/15 Oklahoma State 12, Texas Tech 3
5/16 Oklahoma State 12, Texas Tech 11
On the Mound:
The Cowboys pitching rotation this weekend will be Matt Smith on Friday,
Josh Merrigan on Saturday and either Mike Miller or Frank Bludau on Sunday.
Smith is 2-0 in his last two starts with a 2.35 ERA and is 7-6 overall after defeating Iowa State 9-6 last Saturday. He allowed five runs, three earned, in seven innings of work. Last season he struck out 14 Red Raiders in a complete game loss to Tech by a 4-3 score.
Merrigan did not factor in the decision in his last start against Iowa State last Friday. He pitched an inning of relief against Seton Hall Wednesday, striking out two of the four batters he faced.
Miller earned his first collegiate win with the Pokes 20-2 win over the Cyclones last Sunday. He allowed one run on seven hits in five innings of work while striking out a career-high six batters.
Day No. Name G/GS Season Stats Fri. 36 Matt Smith (L) 14/14 7-6, 3.39 ERA, 99 SO, 85.0 IP Sat. 32 Josh Merrigan (L) 17/14 7-2, 3.03 ERA, 58 SO, 77.1 IP Sun. 35 Mike Miller (R) 12/3 1-1, 2.52 ERA, 28 SO, 25 IP 16 Frank Bludau (R) 13/10 5-4, 4.91 ERA, 25 SO, 47.2 IP
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 166-80 is tops among the Cowboys'
all-time coaches records after three seasons. Holliday won his 150th game
against Oral Roberts on April 4. 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.
Recapping Seton Hall:
The Cowboys split a two-game non-conference series with Seton Hall Tuesday
and Wednesday at the Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. Nebasett Brown
had four RBIs in a 8-6 win on Tuesday while the Pirates rebounded with a 9-3
win Wednesday night.
Clint Salisbury picked up the win Tuesday to improve to 5-2 on the year while Rusty Rushing picked up his seventh save of the season and first since April 4 against Oral Roberts. Rob Watson dropped to 2-1 with the loss Wednesday.
Jimbo McAuliff was the only Cowboy to have a hit in both contests and he boosted his batting average to .362 with a 3-for-4 outing Wednesday.
Great Scott-- Player of the Week:
Oklahoma State junior first baseman Luke Scott of DeLand, Fla., was named
the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Baseball Player of the Week by a select
panel of media covering Big 12 baseball for games played May 1-7.
Scott (7-for-12, .583 at the plate with two homers and eight RBI in three
games) paced the Cowboys in the sweep of Iowa State. He helped the team
roll to a composite .422 average in the series against ISU and to extend its
winning streak to six games as OSU has gone 19-6 in its last 25 games. Three
of his seven hits were extra-base blows. He did not make an error in 24
chances and had a week's best 1.167 slugging percentage (14 total bases in
12 official at-bats). Scott also had at least two hits in all three contests
and raised his seasons average from .276 to .301.
Bedlam, Part Four?:
An interesting development that could happen if OSU finishes sixth and OU
third in the conference standings on Sunday, the two teams will meet at 10
a.m. on Wed., May 17, in the opening game of the conference tournament. The
Sooners have to win two of three against Iowa State to clinch third place
while the Cowboys will have to win one of three to capture sixth. The Big
12 office has announced that no game times will be changed in fairness to
all eight teams competing in the tournament.
Cowboys Corral:
OSU finished its non-conference slate with a 22-7 ... OSU is 16-1 in games
in which the team scores in double digits, 17-18 when not ... The Cowboys
have won 30 games in a season for 22 consecutive years ... Matt Smith is
currently in second place on the OSU strikeout list with 333, 11 behind
Dennis Livingston (344), Smith has recorded 12 double-digit strikeout games,
including three this season ... Carl--s Gautreaux's nine-game hitting streak
was snapped after an 0-for-3 day at the plate against Seton Hall Wednesday
night ... Jimbo McAuliff went 4-for-7 in the Seton Hall series after going
2-for-9 against Iowa State last weekend ... If the Pokes get in all three
games this weekend, it will be the first complete 56-game regular season
schedule since the 1997 season ... Darren Heal has pitched three scoreless
innings of relief in two outings and has struck out three.
Cowboys Among Conference Leaders:
Oklahoma State was ranked in several categories in the latest Big 12
overall statistical report released on May 11. The Cowboys are at or near
the top of the league with 62 homers (2nd), 26 triples (1st) and a .505
slugging percentage (1st). OSU's 4.40 team ERA is fourth in the league.
Individual Cowboys among the league leaders are listed below:
Player Category Rank Number
Carlos Gautreaux Batting Avg. 1st - .399
Doubles 8th - 17
Runs Scored 5th - 49
Hits 9th - 71
Nebasett Brown Triples 2nd 7
Walks 4th - 42
Batting Avg. 20th - .337
Jimbo McAuliff Triples 4th - 4
Roy York Home runs 7th - 11
Luke Scott Walks 6th - 40
Home runs 10th - 10
RBIs 7th - 54
Rob Watson Triples 4th - 4
Josh Merrigan ERA 6th - 3.03
Rusty Rushing Saves T-5th - 7
Matt Smith Strikeouts 2nd - 99
ERA 10th - 3.39
Cowboys Receive Academic Plaudits:
Five Cowboys received Academic All-Big 12 plaudits Tuesday in a release by
the Big 12. Carl--s Gautreaux was named to the first team for the second
consecutive season, along with Lance Smith. Ace lefthander Matt Smith was
named to the second team along with Toby Rhodes.
Gautreaux also received an added academic award after being named to the District VI Academic All-Star team, the only player from Oklahoma State to do so. The senior from Abbeville, La., will also be considered for national Academic All-American consideration.
Who's Next:
The Cowboys will travel to Oklahoma City to take part in the fourth annual
Big 12 Baseball Tournament at the Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark. OSU
will most likely be the sixth seed and play the tournament-opening game at
10 a.m. against the No. 3 seed (currently Oklahoma). The tourney invites
the top eight finishers in the conference and is a two-bracket
double-elimination format similar to that of the College World Series.
Seeds 1,4,5 and 8 are in one bracket while 2,3,6 and 7 are in the other.
For tickets to the tournament please call the RedHawks ticket office at
(405) 218-1000. A blank tourney bracket is enclosed at the end of the
notes.
Senior Sunday:
Sunday will be the last regular season home game for five seniors as Frank
Bludau, Carl--s Gautreaux, Quenten Patterson, Rusty Rushing and Lance Smith
will be honored in a short pregame ceremony. All four have made valuable
contributions to the Cowboys and will be missed. More about the seniors
will be in a special Sunday insert in the game notes.
OSU's All-Time Baseball Team:
Oklahoma State baseball has had many great players wear the black and
orange and this Sunday, the All-Time OSU baseball team will be revealed.
Fans voted for the team starting back in February and the top players at
each position will be announced during Sunday's contest. A special
commerative flyer of the players will be given away before the game.
Season Streak Still Alive:
The Cowboys entered the 2000 season with two long-standing streaks to build
on and remain in tact. Oklahoma State is attempting 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. OSU is currently in danger of snapping the 40-win season
streak with a 34-19 record with only three games remaining in the regular
season. The Cowboys do have a minimum of two games at the Big 12
tournament and possibly the NCAA tournament at the end of the month.
Selection Monday's:
The next two Monday's will be an interesting time for college baseball fans
across the country as the NCAA will make a pair of important announcements.
Regional hosts will be announced on May 15 at 2 p.m. while tournament teams
will be selected on Monday, May 22 at 2 p.m. The bids will be announced
live on ESPN.
Cowboy Baseball 2000- Year of Streaks:
So far this season the Cowboys have put together winning streaks of two
(twice), five (three times), six, seven and eight while also recording
losing streaks of two (twice), three and four (three). OSU has not won and
then lost in back-to- back games the entire season.
OSU Probable Starters
Pos. No. Name G/GS Season Stats C 6 Ryan Budde 50/47 .301, 9 HRs, 48 RBIs 1B 24 Luke Scott 52/43 .298, 10 HRs, 54 RBIs 2B 11 Curt Anthony 45/42 .252, 6 HRs, 32 RBIs SS 13 Nebasett Brown 50/47 .337, 1 HR, 41 RBIs 3B 5 Rob Watson 42/36 .349, 8 HRs, 32 RBIs CF 8 Ront Langs 37/28 .294, 2 HRs, 15 RBIs LF 9 Roy York 47/42 .305, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs RF 17 Jimbo McAuliff 48/34 .362, 4 HRs, 30 RBIs DH 1 Carlos Gautreaux 47/45 .399, 17 2Bs, 21 RBIs
