Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Softball To Face Texas A&M
May 05, 2000 | Cowgirl Softball
May 5, 2000
COWGIRLS TO COMPETE IN BIG 12 TOURNAMENT:
Oklahoma State's softball team will travel to Oklahoma City, Okla., on Wednesday, May 10, to compete in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, May 10-13, at Don E. Porter/ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The Cowgirls will be the No. 5 seed, and will play No. 4 Texas A&M on Thursday, May 11, at 10 a.m. on Field 2.
#24 Oklahoma State (33-20, 8-10) vs. Texas A&M (29-20, 8-10) at the Big 12 Tournament
Wednesday - Saturday May 10-13, 2000
Don E. Porter/ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Oklahoma City, Okla.
Radio - Stillwater Radio
OSU Probable Starting Lineup
## Name Pos BAvg11 Shelly Graham CF .318
14 Jenny Kipp 3B .365
20 Amanda Hayes LF .297
9 Kirsty Jennings DP .356
7 Christina Shaddox 1B .218
12 Liz Silva C .216
33 Ryan Realmuto RF .244
27 Lezli Leathers 2B .265
22 Casey O'Neill SS .293
OSU Pitchers
## Name Record ERA 35 Lauren Bay, LHP 15-12 1.9645 Karla Rivera, RHP 11-6 2.92
COMING UP:
Selections for the NCAA Regional Tournament will take place on Sunday, May 14 at 8:30 p.m. CST. Regionals will take place >from Thursday, May 18 through Sunday, May 21. Should the Cowgirls be selected to play in the postseason, it will be announced on May 14.
COWGIRLS ON THE AIR:
Oklahoma State's postseason games will be broadcast by Stillwater Radio. Bill Van Ness will provide the play-by-play. Day games will be aired on KSPI 780 AM, while any night games will be broadcast on KGFY 105.5 FM.
COWGIRLS IN THE NATIONAL POLL:
Oklahoma State dropped to 24th in the latest NFCA Coaches Poll. The Cowgirls reached No. 17 in the third regular-season poll, 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 | A26 | M3 |
| Rank | NR | 25 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
CONFERENCE AWARDS TO BE ANNOUNCED:
On Wednesday, May 10, several Big 12 conference awards will be announced at the pre-tournament luncheon at noon at the Marriott Hotel in Oklahoma City. The All-Big 12 teams, as well as the Academic All-Conference squads, will be announced, along with the Player-, Newcomer-, Freshman- and Coach-of-the-Year Awards. The selections for the awards are done by the coaches of the member institutions.
REGIONAL AWARDS SCHEDULE:
The NFCA will release its awards for All-Midwest Regional team on Wednesday, May 17. The Midwest Region consists of 31 teams from several conferences, including the Big 12 Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference and the Southland Conference.
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 824-332-3 (.712) 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 872-348-3 (.714). 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.
LOOKING AHEAD
Looking ahead to next season, the Cowgirls will return seven players that started at least 39 games offensively for OSU this season. Amanda Hayes and Lezli Leathers will both be seniors in 2001, and Jenny Kipp, Casey O'Neill and Paula Garman will all be juniors. Kirsty Jennings and Ryan Realmuto will both be sophomores. The only seniors that have started at least 29 games are Shelly Graham, Christina Shaddox and Liz Silva.
OFFENSIVE MINDED:
Oklahoma State has become pretty offensive this season. The 2000 squad has already broken the school record for home runs in a single season with 28. The previous record was 27 dingers in 1997. Also, the Cowgirls are batting .285 this year, the highest team batting average since the 1996 squad hit .311 in 57 games. The current team's .404 slugging percentage ranks third all-time behind the 1988 squad (.428) and the 1996 team (.424). With 155 walks this season, the Cowgirls are just six free passes shy of tying the school record of 161 in 1996. This year's 48 stolen bases rank fourth in school history.
LEFT SIDE OF FIELD DOING WELL AT THE PLATE:
Three of Oklahoma State's top five hitters are playing defense on the left side of the field. Jenny Kipp (third base) leads the team in batting with a .365 average. Casey O'Neill (shortstop) is batting .293 this season. Amanda Hayes (leftfield) is hitting .297 for the year. Those three have a combined 136 hits, 69 runs and 58 RBIs.
FRESHMAN HURLERS TAKING CHARGE:
With the loss of senior pitcher Sarah Knife Chief to shoulder surgery, two freshmen have taken over the pitching duties for Oklahoma State. Karla Rivera, from Whittier, Calif., has a record of 11-6 and a 2.92 earned run average. Lauren Bay, >from Trail, British Columbia, is 15-12 this season with a 1.96 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 185-1/3 innings, or seven Ks per game.
SUBS SHOWING OFF:
In pinch-hit situations, the Cowgirls are batting .444 with eight hits in 18 at-bats. Courtney Pinion leads the way, going 3-for-4. On the mound, freshman Lauren Bay is 3-1 with three saves as a reliever, and has a 1.69 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 37-1/3 innings, while giving up a .190 batting average to opponent hitters. The bullpen is a combined 6-1 with 72 strikeouts in 66-2/3 innings, six saves.
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. OSU has nine players that have hit at least two homeruns 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.
- OSU is batting just .260 with the bases empty, but .309 with runners on base, including a .419 average by Jenny Kipp in 62 at-bats.
- The Cowgirls are batting .375 with the bases loaded, led by Kirsty Jennings .600 average.
- Cowgirls leading off an inning are batting .386, including five regulars that are batting at least .400 Jenny Kipp (.545), Christina Shaddox (.400), Shelly Graham (.406), Lezli Leathers (.417) and Kirsty Jennings (.407).
- Freshman LHP Lauren Bay has forced 246 groundouts and just 101 flyouts, a ratio of nearly 2.5-to-1.
- Sophomore Jenny Kipp leads the team in both sacrifice bunts (17) 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.
BIG 12 RANKINGS:
Oklahoma State ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in batting this season with a .288 average. Oklahoma ranks first with a .335 average. The Cowgirl pitching staff ranks eighth in the league in earned run average with a 2.59 ERA. Oklahoma leads the league with a 1.45 ERA. Individually, Kirsty Jennings ranks seventh in the league with a .369 batting average, while Jenny Kipp ranks eighth and Shelly Graham 16th. On the mound, Lauren Bay's 2.08 ERA is currently the 11th-best in the conference. Jennings is second in the Big 12 in doubles with 13, and Amanda Hayes is 11th with nine. Jennings is third in the league in RBIs with 42, and sixth in total bases with 86. Lezli Leathers is seventh in walks with 21. Bay ranks first in saves (3), fourth in strikeouts (178), sixth in innings pitched (171.2) and eighth in wins (14).
SERIES WITH TEXAS A&M:
Texas A&M leads the all-time series with OSU, 27-17, including a split with the Cowgirls this season. Prior to the formation of the Big 12 in 1996, the two teams had played 30 games, with 23 games being played at neutral sites. Oklahoma State has won 14 of the last 21 games, and is 9-3 vs. the Aggies since both teams joined the Big 12. Here is a look at the all-time series ...
1978 L 2-3 Texas Woman's Tournament, Denton, Texas
1979 L 2-3 Sooner Invitational, Norman, Okla.
1979 L 0-3 SFA Tournament, Nacogdoches, Texas
1979 W 1-0 SFA Tournament, Nacogdoches, Texas
1980 L 0-2 Regional AIAW Tournament, College Station, Texas
1980 L 0-3 Regional AIAW Tournament, College Station, Texas
1980 L 1-4 San Antonio Tournament, San Antonio, Texas
1981 L 1-2 Sooner Softball Classic, Norman, Okla.
1981 W 3-0 Texas-Arlington Tournament, Arlington, Texas
1981 L 0-2 Cowgirl Classic, Stillwater, Okla.
1982 L 0-1 AIAW Regional Tournament, Oklahoma City, Okla.
1982 L 1-8 AIAW Regional Tournament, Oklahoma City, Okla.
1982 L 1-4 AIAW Women's College World Series, Norman, Okla.
1982 L 3-5 AIAW Women's College World Series, Norman, Okla.
1983 W 2-0 Sooner Invitational, Norman, Okla.
1983 L 1-3 New Mexico Tournament, Albuquerque, N.M.
1983 L 0-2 New Mexico Tournament, Albuquerque, N.M.
1984 L 0-1 Sooner Invitational, Norman, Okla.
1986 L 2-5 Houston Tournament, Houston, Texas
1987 L 0-3 Texas A&M Tournament, College Station, Texas
1987 L 0-3 Sooner Invitational, Norman, Okla.
1988 L 2-3 Texas A&M Invitational, College Station, Texas
1989 W 4-1 OSU Tournament, ASA Stadium, Oklahoma City, Okla.
1990 W 2-1 (8) Texas A&M Tournament, College Station, Texas
1990 W 1-0 (10) Pony Tournament, Fullerton, Calif.
1990 L 2-4 OSU Tournament, Stillwater, Okla.
1991 L 0-1 Cowgirl Classic, Oklahoma City, Okla.
1992 W 3-0 Pony Invitational, Fullerton, Calif.
1992 W 2-1 (8) Cowgirl Classic II, Oklahoma City, Okla.
1994 L 6-7 UTA Intercollegiate, Arlington, Texas
1996 L 7-8 (8) UTA Tournament, Arlington, Texas
1996 W 10-5 College Station, Texas
1996 W 11-3 College Station, Texas
1996 W 3-2 College Station, Texas
1997 W 4-3 College Station, Texas
1997 L 2-3 (11) College Station, Texas
1997 W 4-2 Big 12 Tournament, Oklahoma City, Okla.
1998 W 7-3 UTA Intercollegiate, Arlington, Texas
1998 L 1-3 Stillwater, Okla.
1998 W 2-1 Stillwater, Okla.
1999 W 4-2 College Station, Texas
1999 L 1-2 College Station, Texas
2000 W 3-0 Stillwater, Okla.
2000 L 0-7 Stillwater, Okla.
