Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Baseball to Host Texas
March 15, 2001 | Cowboy Baseball
March 15, 2001
STILLWATER, Okla. -
THIS WEEKEND The Cowboys return to conference play this weekend when the Texas Longhorns come calling for a three-game showdown. The two teams will square off on Friday at 3 p.m. First pitch for the Saturday and Sunday games is slated for 2 p.m. The Pokes enter the weekend on an eight-game winning streak, while the Horns are fresh off a 7-4 win over the top-ranked Rice Owls on March 13.
SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS Texas enters the weekend with a 14-11 ledger overall and a 4-2 mark in the Big 12. The Longhorns own a three-game sweep over Kansas State and dropped two of three games against Texas Tech. In addition to their win over Rice, the Horns also own a win over No. 3 Stanford. Offensively, Texas is paced by shortstop Omar Quintanilla. The freshman has started all 25 of the Longhorns' games and is hitting at a .361 clip (35-for-97). Quintanilla has a team-best 10 doubles and is second on the squad with 47 total bases. On the hill, UT will start the series with a pair of righthanders, Gerrit Simpson and Albert Montes, before closing out the set with southpaw Justin Simmons on Sunday. Simpson, a junior, enters the weekend with a 2-2 record and a 1.76 ERA. Montes, also a junior, sports a 4-1 mark and a 1.97 ERA. A freshman, Simmons will take a 1-1 record and 2.37 ERA to the mound in the series finale. The last time UT came to Reynolds Stadium the Cowboys dealt them a three-game sweep. However, the Horns returned the favor last season, taking all three games from the Cowboys at Disch-Falk Field in Austin. Overall, the schools have met 29 times, with Texas owning a 25-14 advantage.
PROBABLES ON THE MOUND The Cowboys will send senior Josh Merrigan to the mound on Friday. The lefthander is 4-2 on the season with a 4.81ERA and is coming off a win against Southeast Missouri State last Thursday. In 33.2 innings of work, Merrigan has struck out 36 batters. Junior righthander Nick McCurdy will bring a three-game winning streak into his start on Saturday. Overall, McCurdy is 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA in five starts. Freshman Scott Baker will look to keep his perfect record in tact on Sunday. The righthander owns a 4-0 mark on the season and has a 3.38 ERA in six starts.
LAST WEEK The Cowboys returned home to begin an 11-game homestand on Thursday with a single game against Southeast Missouri State. The Pokes dropped the Indians 10-4, getting strong offensive performances from Jos? Virgil and Zach Cates. The duo combined to go 4-for-7 with four runs scored and five RBIs. Southpaw Josh Merrigan tossed five innings to pick up his fourth win of the season. OSU continued the string on Friday as the Cowboys opened a three-game series with Princeton. In the series opener, OSU got three-run home runs from Luke Scott and Jos? Virgil en route to picking up an 8-2 victory. Nick McCurdy struck out six Tigers in six innings of work to move to 4-1 on the season. On Saturday, the OSU offense exploded for 28 runs on 27 hits en route to a 28-2 triumph. Rob Watson paced the Pokes with a 4-for-5 showing with two home runs and 6 RBIs. Freshman Scott Baker continued to impress as he upped his mark to 4-0 on the season. The Pokes made it a weekend sweep with a 10-1 win on Sunday afternoon. Roy York had a career day, belting three home runs in four at-bats. Freshman Jimmy Rhodes notched the win in his first career start. The righthander tossed five innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out five. The Cowboys hosted Western Illinois in the squad's first mid-week series of the season. OSU continued its offensive barrage against the Leathernecks, outscoring WIU 37-9 in two games. On Tuesday, freshman Joe Weaver picked up his third win of the season in OSU's 22-6 triumph. The Cowboys pounded out 19 hits and took advantage of six Leatherneck errors. OSU completed the sweep on Wednesday, cruising to a 15-3 win. Justin Meccage earned the win in his first action in a Cowboy uniform. Luke Scott and Zac Cazzelle each turned in 4-RBI performances in the win.
