Oklahoma State University Athletics
Baseball Squares Off With Cougars In Home Opener This Weekend
February 14, 2001 | Cowboy Baseball
Feb. 14, 2001
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THIS WEEKEND
After its second successful road trip, the Oklahoma State baseball team
returns home to open the home portion of its schedule this weekend. The
Cowboys will welcome the Washington State Cougars to Allie P. Reynolds
Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday afternoon.
Oklahoma State is 50-13 all-time in home openers. Last season, the Cowboys dropped a 14-9 decision to Missouri Southern, ending a string of 15 consecutive season-opening wins at home.
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Friday's game will mark the fourth meeting all-time between the two
schools. OSU currently holds a 3-0 advantage. The last meeting between the
two schools came in 1990, a 14-0 Cowboy victory. WSU enters the weekend with
a 2-5 mark on the season. The Cougars lost three of four on their
season-opening road trip to Cal State-Northridge. Washington State's losses
came by counts of 7-2, 4-3 and 6-4. Southpaw Garrett Alwert picked up the
win in the Cougars' 11-4 triumph.
Feb. 2-4, WSU traveled to Las Vegas to take on UNLV. The Cougars dropped the weekend's first two contests, 9-7 and 10-9, before winning 7-6 in the series finale. Righthander Jamin Svendsen picked up his first win of the season in the series.
Last weekend's three-game series against Gonzaga was postponed due to snow.
Offensively, Washington State is led by Stefan Bailie. The sophomore infielder is hitting .462 (12-for-26) on the season with three homers and 12 RBIs.
PROBABLES ON THE MOUND
Getting the nod in the series opener will be junior college transfer
Nick McCurdy. McCurdy, a two-time draft choice of the Colorado Rockies, will
be making his third start for the Pokes. The transfer from Jefferson Davis
Junior College is 1-1 on the season with a 3.48 ERA in 10.1 IP.
On the hill for the Cowboys on Saturday will be preseason All-Big 12 pick Josh Merrigan. Merrigan, a senior southpaw from Vermillion, S.D., picked up his first win of the year in the Cowboys' opener against The Citadel. Last Sunday, he set a career high with 12 strikeouts en route to upping his mark to 2-0 on the season. Freshman Scott Baker will make his third career start on Sunday afternoon. The Shreveport, La., native has been impressive in his two appearances in the Orange and Black. Boasting a 2-0 record, Baker enters the weekend with a 2.45 ERA and12 K's. Baker, considered one of the top newcomers in the country according to Baseball America, was a 36th round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2000 amateur baseball draft.
LAST WEEKEND
Oklahoma State claimed a trio of victories over the weekend in the
Sunshine State. The Cowboys swept a pair of games from the Boston College
Eagles, winning 7-3 on Friday night and 14-8 Saturday afternoon. In the
opener, freshman Joe Weaver picked up his first collegiate victory. The
Stillwater, Okla., product went 3.1 innings and allowed no runs in the
decision. In the second game, OSU overcame nine errors to outlast the
Eagles. Sophomore Brian Kraft bolstered the Pokes offensively, scoring three
runs and finishing 2-for-3 at the plate.
OSU's battled Florida Atlantic in the second game of the Cowboys' Saturday doubleheader in Boca Raton. The Owls saddled the Cowboys with their first loss of the season, holding OSU to a season-low four runs in a 9-4 setback.
The Cowboys bounced back in a big way on Sunday, as they traveled to Coral Gables for a showdown with No. 4 Miami. Cowboy lefthander Josh Merrigan surrendered a three-run homer in the second inning, but that was all of the scoring the Pokes would allow on the day in their 9-3 win. The preseason all-conference selection struck out a career-high 12 batters in 7.1 innings of work.
