Oklahoma State University Athletics
Baseball Faces Kansas In Weekend Series
February 28, 2001 | Cowboy Baseball
Feb. 28, 2001
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THIS WEEKEND
The Cowboys travel to Lawrence, Kansas for their first conference road
series of the season. Fresh off a sweep of Missouri to open Big 12 play, OSU
will look to extend a four-game winning streak. KU will be looking to bounce
back from a three-game sweep at the hands of Oklahoma this past weekend. The
series will get underway on Saturday and continue with single games on
Sunday and Monday. Due to weather conditions, this weekend's game times are
tentative.
SCOUTING THE JAYHAWKS
After starting the season 6-1, the Jayhawks suffered three losses in
Norman, Okla., last weekend and currently stands at 6-4 overall and 0-3 in
the Big 12.
KU is led offensively by shortstop John Nelson. The senior from Denton, Texas has started all 10 games for the Jayhawks and is currently hitting .395 (17-for-43) with three triples and eight RBIs. As a team, Kansas is hitting .294 with three home runs and 65 RBIs.
On the mound, the Jayhawks have a pair of two-game winners, lefthander Pete Smart and righthander Jake Wright. Smart boasts a 2-0 record with a 5.30 ERA, while Wright has a 2-1 mark with a 5.94 ERA. Southpaw Justin Wilcher also has three starts for KU, posting a 1-1 record with a 3.50 ERA. Wilcher took Kansas' first loss of the season against Northwestern.
Out of the bullpen, righthander Doug Lantz has registered four saves in six appearances. Lantz suffered his first loss of the season in the middle game of the OU series.
OSU owns a 107-34 advantage in the all-time series and took two out of three contests last season in Stillwater.
PROBABLES ON THE MOUND
On the hill for the Cowboys this weekend will be preseason All-Big 12
pick Josh Merrigan. Merrigan, a senior southpaw from Vermillion, S.D.,
jumped out to a 2-0 start, including a 12-strikeout performance against
Miami, before suffering his first loss of the season against Washington
State.
Against Mizzou last weekend, Merrigan worked six innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits. He struck out four and walked four in his fourth outing of the year.
On the season, Merrigan has hurled 24 innings and struck out 28. Also getting the nod this weekend will be junior Nick McCurdy. McCurdy, a two-time draft choice of the Colorado Rockies, has made four appearances this season, starting three times. On the season, he is 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA and has 15 strikeouts in 15.2 IP.
Freshman Scott Baker will make his fifth career start this weekend. The Shreveport, La., native has been impressive in his four appearances in the Orange and Black. Boasting a 2-0 record, Baker enters the weekend with a 3.86 ERA and 21 strikeouts. 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
OSU opened conference play on Saturday with a 6-4 win over Missouri. The
Cowboys jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings thanks to a four-run
second. Three of the runs came courtesy of second baseman Nebasett Brown's
three-run homer. Cowboy starter Josh Merrigan worked six innings and moved
to 3-1 on the season, while freshman lefthander Shane Hawk picked up his
first save of the season.
In the middle game, Brown struck again, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and sparking the Cowboys to a 7-2 win. Junior Nick McCurdy earned his second win of the season after tossing five innings and striking out four. Sophomore Mike Miller notched his third save of the season after working four shutout innings.
The Cowboys wrapped up the series with a 10-inning win on Monday afternoon. Luke Scott's walk-off home run on the first pitch of the extra inning fueled the Pokes to their fourth consecutive victory. Hawk picked up his first career win after throwing 3.2 shutout innings.
