Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Takes On Texas Tech
March 22, 2001 | Cowgirl Softball
March 22, 2001
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Texas Tech (21-11, 0-0) at Oklahoma State (17-10, 2-0)
QUICK FACTS
Saturday & Sunday
March 24 & 25
2 p.m./1 p.m.
Cowgirl Stadium
Stillwater, Okla.
Radio - 780 AM
COWGIRLS HOST TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
Oklahoma State (17-10 overall, 2-0 Big 12) will host the Texas
Tech Red Raiders (21-11, 0-0) on Saturday (2 p.m.) and
Sunday (1 p.m.) this weekend. OSU is coming off a doubleheader
sweep of Kansas on Wednesday, while TTU is coming off a second-place
finish at the Capitol Classic in Sacramento, Calif., last weekend,
losing to No. 13 Iowa, 1-0, in the finals. OSU is 13-3 all-time vs.
Texas Tech, although the two teams split the doubleheader last
season in Lubbock. OSU is 4-0 all-time vs. TTU in Stillwater.
COMING UP
OSU will travel to Wichita, Kan., next Wednesday to face the Wichita State Shockers in a single game at 5 p.m. before traveling to Waco, Texas, next weekend for two games with the Baylor Bears. Game times are 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. OSU will then travel to Norman, Okla., on Wednesday, April 4, for the first edition of bedlam softball. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. It will be thie final of four-straight road games for the Cowgirls before returning to Stillwater for four-consecutive contests.
LAST TIME OUT
Oklahoma State's Cowgirl softball team opened Big 12 Conference action with a pair of victories over the Kansas Jayhawks, 1-0 and 2-1, here Wednesday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium. Sophomore pitcher Lauren Bay picked up both wins to up her record to 8-4 this season. In the first game of the doubleheader, Bay threw a one-hit shutout, strikeout out five Jayhawk hitters in seven innings of work. KU hurler Kara Pierce threw a nice game as well, scattering four hits while striking out six Cowgirls. OSU scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth when, with two outs, Jenny Kipp hit a bloop single to centerfield and then advanced to second on a balk by Pierce. Kipp scored on a base hit by senior Amanda Hayes. It was her team-leading 19th RBI of the season. In the second game of the twinbill, Kansas scored its first run of the day in the third when Christi Musser led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Leah Hansen, and scored on a base hit by her twin sister, Shelly Musser. Cowgirl starter Kara Wentworth was pulled after facing all three batters in the third for Bay, who came in and struck out the side. Oklahoma State tied the score in the fourth when Ryan Realmuto hit a long home run over the left centerfield fence, her second of the season. Bay, along with some fine defensive plays by the Cowgirls, held the Jayhawks scoreless. In the seventh, OSU senior Lezli Leathers led off with a double down the rightfield line. The next batter, Casey O'Neill laid down a sacrifice bunt, and was safe when Leathers was safe at third on the fielder's choice. After a strikeout by Danielle Thomas, the Jayhawks decided to intentionally walk Kipp. On the first pitch-out, Pierce, who had come on in relief in the sixth, threw way over catcher Leah Tabb. Leathers was safe just ahead of Tabb's tag at home for the win.
ABOUT THE RED RAIDERS
Texas Tech is 21-11 this season and 2-4 on the road. The Red Raiders are batting .234 as a team this season, led by Sandy Butler's .341 average. Shauna Briggs leads the team with 22 runs batted in, while Tracy Cartier leads the team with 19 runs scored. Amanda Renfro is the Red Raiders' top pitcher, sporting an 18-9 record and a 0.61 earned run average. Last weekend, she became just the fourth pitcher in NCAA history to record 1,000 strikeouts and 1,000 innings pitched in a career. She is averaging just under 10 strikeouts per seven innings. The Raiders are coached by Bobby Reeves, who is in his first season as the head coach of Texas Tech. He served as an assistant at Tech from 1997-99, and returns after a one-year stint as the head coach at Southwest Texas.
HEAD COACH SANDY FISCHER
Sandy Fischer is in her 23rd season at the helm of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, and enters this weekend's contests with a career record of 889-360-3. Her NCAA record is 841-344-3, making her the third-winningest active coach among NCAA coaches. She needs just seven more victories to move into fourth place on the all-time victories list, past UCLA's Sharon Backus, who had 847 wins in her career. Coach Fischer has led OSU to nine conference championships, eight regional championships and nine Women's College World Series appearances. Under her guidance, 62 players have been named first-team all-conference, while 28 have gone on to earn All-America status.
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH MARGARET REBENAR
In her 22nd year as the top assistant coach for Oklahoma State is Margaret Rebenar. Since her naming as the Associate Head Coach for the Cowgirls, Rebenar has accumulated a 321-152 record at Oklahoma State. Last season, she was inducted into the NFCA/Easton ?300-win? club. Rebenar guided the Cowgirls to a regional championship and a College World Series appearance in 1998.
COWGIRL SOFTBALL ON THE AIR
Beginning with the Kansas series, the remainder of Oklahoma State's home games, as well as the OU game in Norman, will be broadcast live on Stillwater Radio. Bill VanNess will provide the play-by-play for the third-consecutive season. Most games will be broadcast on 780 AM, with a few exceptions. Both OU games will be on 105.5 FM, as will the Tulsa game on April 11. All postseason games will also be aired on Stillwater Radio.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Sophomore Lauren Bay leads the team in two-out RBIs with nine, followed by freshman Jade Lindly and senior Amanda Hayes, who have eight ... Freshman Calli Behmer is batting .800 with runners in scoring position (4-for-5) ... Junior Angela Veronesi has reached base successfully on 7-of-9 plate appearances when leading off an inning ... Oklahoma State has scored 20 of its 91 runs this season in the first inning ... OSU has 37 multiple-hit games this season as a team, including a 4-for-4 performance by Angela Veronesi vs. Utah in the Red Desert Classic ... Freshman Jade Lindly leads the Cowgirls in pinch-hitting, going 2-for-3 this season ... Oklahoma State opened conference play with a win for the first time since 1998, when OSU defeated OU, 2-1, in the conference opener ... OSU's loss to Tulsa Tuesday was just its second shutout this season, the Cowgirls are 9-2 this season in shutout contests.
WHO'S HOT
Lauren Bay - The lefthanded hurler is 6-1 in her last eight appearances with one save and a 0.75 earned run average. That also includes three shutouts. She has 54 strikeouts in 46-2/3 innings, an average of 8.1 strikeouts per seven innings. She has just 15 walks in that timespan.
Jenny Kipp - The junior third baseman is batting .351 in her last 14 games, and has scored a team-high 10 runs in that span. She has nine walks, leading to a .478 on-base percentage. She also has three doubles.
Sarah Knife Chief - The senior pitcher has a 3-1 record in her last four appearances and a 0.70 earned run average. She has given up just three runs, two earned, in 20 innings. She has two complete games, a shutout and a combined shutout.
Ryan Realmuto - The sophomore catcher is only batting .282 over the last 14 games, but she does have three doubles, a triple and two home runs, adding to a .564 slugging percentage. She also has six RBIs. Ryan has thrown out 10 attempted base stealers this season, a success rate of 27 percent.
Angela Veronesi - In her last 11 games, Angela Veronesi is batting .417, going 10-for-24 with three runs and two RBIs as the designated player. She also has a .517 on-base percentage with three walks.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
In five games at Cowgirl Stadium this season, Oklahoma State is a perfect 5-0. The Cowgirls have had some advantages both offensively and defensively this season in the friendly confines of the Stadium. Freshman Jade Lindly is batting .500 with four hits in eight at-bats. Senior Amanda Hayes is batting .428, going 7-for-16 with six RBIs. OSU has outscored its opponents, 17-3, at home this season. On the mound, sophomore Lauren Bay is 4-0 with a 0.29 earned run average and 23 strikeouts in 24 innings. The Cowgirl pitching staff has a 0.60 ERA at home with two shutouts. Since its opening last season, Oklahoma State is 9-3 at the new facility.
