Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Baseball Heads To California
February 14, 2002 | Cowboy Baseball
Feb. 14, 2002
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What's On Tap
Oklahoma State opens a stretch of six consecutive road games this weekend beginning with a three-game swing through Los Angeles. The Cowboys will take on Loyola Marymount on Friday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. CT and then take on Cal Poly Saturday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. CT. Both contests will be at Loyola Marymount's home field, Page Stadium.OSU will have Sunday off before closing out the trip against UC Riverside on Monday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. CT.
Loyola Marymount
The Lions are 2-3 on the year after falling to UCLA, 7-2, last Monday. LMU returns five starters from last year's team which finished 21-37 and in eighth place in the West Coast Conference. Outfielder/secondbaseman Billy Lockin leads the team with a .500 batting average after four games while righthander Kevin Jenson leads the pitching staff with a 1-0 ledger and 0.00 ERA. He has recorded seven strikeouts in 8.2 innings this year.
The Series
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series between the clubs 4-1, including a 6-2 win in their last meeting in San Diego on Feb. 20, 1999.
Cal Poly
The Mustangs are 8-6-1 on the season after falling to Fresno State 14-7 Tuesday night in San Luis Obispo. Some of the teams Cal Poly has faced this season include Utah, San Diego and San Jose State. First baseman Tony Alcantar leads the offensive charge with a .550 batting average with two homers and 12 RBIs in 12 games this season. Righthander Tyler Fitch is the ace of the staff with a 2-1 ledger and a 3.43 ERA in four starts.
The Series
These two teams have never played on the baseball diamond.
UC Riverside
The Highlanders are 4-4 on the year after falling to Southern California by an 11-7 score on Tuesday. Adam Seuss leads the way for the club with a .455 batting average to go along with four doubles and seven RBI. He also has recorded the team's lone homer of the season heading into this weekend's play. Chris Smith is the team's top starting pitcher with a 2-0 record and 1.13 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 16 innings. UC Riverside will play a three game series at home against San Diego this weekend before taking on the Cowboys Monday afternoon.
The Series
Oklahoma State and UC Riverside have met only one time and that came last season when the Cowboys shutout the Highlanders out 17-0 in the Caballero Classic in Yuma, Ariz.
Prairie View A&M
Oklahoma State opened up its 2002 season with a doubleheader sweep of Prairie View A&M, 33-2 and 21-0, Monday afternoon at Reynolds Stadium.
Senior shortstop Rob Watson led off the season opener up with a home run to left field which then led to the Cowboys adding 12 more runs in the inning to take a 13-0 lead.
OSU scored four runs in the second, nine in the third and seven in the fourth before the game was called in the fifth inning. The Cowboys pounded out 23 hits including six homers in the first game.
Senior designated hitter Jake Bollig led the Pokes with a 4-for-4 showing with two homers and eight RBI. Centerfielder Jeff Salazar was 4-for-5 with four RBI and 5 runs scored in his debut as a Cowboy.
Seniors Paul Powell and Ali Modami also hit their first homers of the season while junior college transfer Daylon Monette chipped in with a homer and four RBI.
Sophomore pitcher Shane Hawk started and picked up the win, holding the Panthers scoreless with three strikeouts. Senior Nick McCurdy and newcomer John Forrest also saw time on the mound.
Four Oklahoma State pitchers combined to shutout Prairie View A&M in the nightcap led by Jimmy Rhodes and Justin Meccage who held the Panthers hitless for the first four innings. Rhodes struck out a batter in his two innings of work while Meccage struck out the side in his two innings of relief.
Sophomore Joe Weaver gave up the first Panther hit in the game in the fifth but did not allow any runs and struck out three in his two innings of work. Newcomer Jason Kramer finished out the game with an inning of action and two strikeouts.
Head coach Tom Holliday used an entirely different lineup in the second game with senior Toby Rhodes leading the offensive charge. Rhodes finished 3-for-3 with four RBI and two stolen bases.
Newcomer Kenny Hansley hit his first homer of the season while returnees Zach Cates and Wyatt Stanfield also fared well at the plate with two hits each.
On Deck
After the three game California swing the Cowboys will head to Shreveport, La., to play in the Shreveport Classic. OSU will play three games starting with Cal State Northridge on Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. The Cowboys will then play San Diego on the 23rd at 4 p.m. and will finish out the tourney against Delaware on Feb. 24 at 3 p.m.
Cowboys On The Air
Every game on the 2002 Oklahoma State baseball schedule will be broadcast on Stillwater Radio. Due to the busy spring schedule, several games will be broadcast on either 93.7 FM or 780 AM until early April when the rest of the season's contests can be heard on KSPI 93.7. Calling the action in his 20th year with Oklahoma State baseball is Rex Holt, of the famous Oklahoma Holts. He will be joined once again this year by former Cowboy player Ryan Folmar who recently welcomed a new addition to his family, Kade, who was born on Jan. 4.
Radio schedule for this week:
Feb. 15 Loyola Marymount KSPI 93.7 FM
Feb. 16 Cal Poly KSPI 780 AM
Feb. 18 UC Riverside KSPI 93.7 FM
Bollig Leads Power Surge
Going into the season the one area the Cowboys seemed to be lacking in this season was home run power. Instead of one person hitting several, the coaching staff anticipated several Cowboys hitting around 10-15 this season. Against Prairie View A&M the Pokes combined for seven homers in the two contests, including two by senior Jake Bollig. Bollig matched his 2001 season total in just one game and finished with a 4-for-4 showing and eight RBI. The Moore, Okla., native was injured for a portion of last season and is now completely healthy and anticipating a big season at the plate.
Nebasett Brown Preseason All-American
Senior second-baseman Nebasett Brown was named a third-team preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball in December. Brown, a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2001, led the Cowboys with a .381 batting average last year while also stealing 12 bases and wrapping out six triples. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native is currently tied for fourth place in the OSU record books with 13 career triples. He enters the 2002 campaign seven triples behind the school's all-time leader Benji De La Rosa who hit 20 of them from 1980-82. Neb was 1-for-2 with three walks and five runs scored against Prairie View A&M and extended his hitting streak to 12.
Sophomore Studs
Oklahoma State returns five sophomore pitchers that showed enormous potential in the 2001 season. Led by Joe Weaver (8-0, 3.23 ERA) and Scott Baker (6-2, 4.05 ERA), both 2001 Freshman All-Americans, this group should mold the core of the pitching staff in 2002. Shane Hawk (2-4, 3.88 ERA), who saw time mostly as a reliever last year, could challenge for a spot in the starting rotation along with Jimmy Rhodes (4-1, 4.28 ERA). Daniel Rew (0-1, 3.50) is another sophomore who showed flashes of his enormous potential towards the end of the year and who the coaches expect to have a strong 2002.
Newcomers
There are several newcomers to watch for early in the season for the Cowboys. Newcomers Cory Von Tungeln and Jason Jaramillo are expected to see time behind the plate. Outfielders Daylon Monette and Mike Patitucci will share time in right while Jeff Salazar will start in center. In the infield Kenny Hansley caught the coaches eyes in the fall and his speed and ability to get on base should allow him some time at designated hitter. Another player to watch is Josh Fields, who did not practice in the fall due to his football duties, but has shown some promise as a power hitter in the preseason. Pitchers Jason Kramer, John Forrest, Chris Reilly, Justin Quaempts and Chase McElree will all be in the mix for pitching time throughout the year.
New Coaches, Familiar Faces
Two coaching staff changes occurred during the offseason when Josh Holliday was named as a full-time assistant coach and Jason Bell was brought in as a volunteer assistant coach. Both men were former Cowboy standouts who earned numerous accolades on and off the baseball diamond during their careers. Holliday was hired when former assistant John Farrell took a position with the Cleveland Indians organization in August. Holliday, who was a student assistant last year, will assist with the position players and in the recruiting process. Bell, a Cowboy Baseball Hall of Famer as a pitcher, will assist in the day-to-day development of the pitching staff.
New Facility Additions
Oklahoma State baseball had some new facility additions and improvements over the offseason. First and foremost is the new indoor hitting facility which houses four batting/pitching cages. Over the summer a wrought iron fence went up around Allie P. Reynolds Stadium and more recently, the classroom inside the stadium was renovated and is now a meeting room/lounge for the players and families.
Oklahoma State All-Time Record
Through the years OSU has sustained a baseball legacy that is one of the best in the country. Entering the 2002 season, Oklahoma State has the 22nd best record all-time in the history of NCAA Division I baseball. The Cowboys record of 1,986-956-4 over 89 years is good for a .676 winning percentage, which is second among Big 12 schools (Texas- .761). The Cowboys are third among Big 12 schools in wins (Texas- 2,653, Texas A&M 2,014) and first among schools from the old Big Eight.OSU is 14 wins away from winning 2000 games.
The Polls
The Cowboys are ranked as high as No. 9 and as low as No. 24 in this week's polls. Many prognosticators have forecasted a top-three finish for Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Conference this year. Collegiate Baseball has the Pokes ranked No. 10 in their Fabulous 40 Poll with OSU winning the Big12 crown. Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll has the Cowboys at No. 14, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has OSU at No. 15 while Baseball America ranks the team at No. 23.
Cowboy Notes
First baseman Ali Modami hit a home run in his first at-bat of the year for the second consecutive season ... Californians Rob Watson and Daylon Monette return home this week ... Cowboys with active hitting streaks Nebasett Brown (12), Jake Bollig (5), Ali Modami (5), Paul Powell (5) and Zach Cates(3) ...Over the last 15 years Oklahoma State has made the College World Series every third year dating back to 1987 (87, 90, 93, 96, 99, 02?) ... in Baseball America's College Preview Issue catcher Jason Jaramillo was rated as the 48th best freshman prospect, pitcher Scott Baker was rated as the 24th best sophomore prospect and Nebasett Brown was rated as the 38th best senior prospect ... five of the Cowboys first seven games are against teams from California ... the combined record of OSU's 2002 opponents in 2001 was 914-801-2 (.533).
Ali Modami's Baseball Diaries
Senior first baseman Ali Modami is keeping a running journal throughout the 2002 season. The diary will be published on Oklahoma State's official website: www.okstate.com every Thursday and Sunday throughout the year. His preseason story is already up and his next one should be up on Tuesday, Feb. 12 following the Prairie View A&M series.
