Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Back In Action Tuesday
March 04, 2002 | Cowboy Baseball
March 4, 2002
What's On Tap
After a week off due to snowy weather in Stillwater, Oklahoma State will be back in action this week with a busy slate of five games. The Cowboys will start the week with a two-game series against Western Illinois at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. The teams will face off on Tuesday and Wednesday at 3 p.m., weather permitting.
Western Illinois
The Leathernecks are winless in six tries in 2002 and were also snowed out last weekend against Southern Illinois. WIU is coming off a 12-38 2001 campaign with a 10-16 showing in Mid-Con Conference play. Head coach Stan Hyman is in his first year as the Leathernecks skipper, and holds a 178-116-1 ledger in nine seasons as a head coach
The Series
Oklahoma State is 7-0 all-time against Western Illinois on the baseball diamond, including a two-game sweep in Stillwater a year ago. OSU has outscored WIU 104-34 in the seven games.
Series Results
April 10, 1998 Oklahoma State 7, Western Illinois 6 Stillwater
April 11, 1998 Oklahoma State 13, Western Illinois 7 Stillwater
April 12, 1998 Oklahoma State 19, Western Illinois 7 Stillwater
March 14, 2000 Oklahoma State 12, Western Illinois 1 Stillwater
March 15, 2000 Oklahoma State 16, Western Illinois 4 Stillwater
March 13, 2001 Oklahoma State 22, Western Illinois 6 Stillwater
March 14, 2001 Oklahoma State 15, Western Illinois 3 Stillwater
On The Mound
Junior righthander Chris Reilly will get the start on the hill on Tuesday against WIU, while junior Mike Miller is expected to start on Wednesday.
Reilly, a transfer from Seton Hall, will be making just his second appearance in a Cowboy uniform and first starting assignment. He pitched two innings in relief against Cal Poly on Feb. 16 and allowed one unearned run on two hits with two walks. The Bound Brook, N.J., native was 10-1 in two seasons at Seton Hall including an NCAA regional win over South Alabama last May.
Miller will also make his first start of the 2002 campaign after a rocky outing in relief his last time out. The Tulsa native pitched a third of an inning against UC Riverside on Feb. 18 and gave up one run on two hits while walking one in the Cowboys 8-6 win. Miller is 3-3 overall in his collegiate career and holds the longest tenure at OSU among the hurlers.
Tuesday Chris Reilly (RHP) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 0 SO
Wednesday Mike Miller (RHP) 0-0, 27.00 ERA, 0.1 IP, 0 SO
On Deck
The Cowboys will head to the "Valley of the Sun" and compete in Arizona State's Bob Schaefer Memorial Tournament in Tempe, Ariz., this weekend. OSU will open play against St. John's (NY) on Friday at 4 p.m. CT. The Pokes will then face UNLV on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT before closing out the trip against host ASU on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT. The tournament will be played at Packard Stadium, the only games on the Sun Devils home field as renovations are slated to begin following the tourney.
Salazar Sturdy In Centerfield
One of the newcomers that has come in and solidified his position as an everyday starter is centerfielder Jeff Salazar, a junior college transfer from Connors State. Salazar, a native of Oklahoma City, leads the Cowboys with a .423 batting average in seven starts. Four of his 11 hits are doubles and he has also scored nine runs with seven RBIs. He has also shown a knack for making spectacular plays in center, in particular a running, diving catch against San Diego at the Shreveport Classic on Feb. 23. With his steady play at the plate and in the field, Salazar has shown in the early stages of the season that he is a player to watch in 2002.
Baker Makes Successful Return
Sophomore righthander Scott Baker made a successful return to the mound against Delaware on Feb. 24. Baker, a native of Shreveport, La., picked up the win against the Blue Hens after going four innings in the start and giving up two runs, one earned, off of five hits. He had missed the last third of the season in 2001 with a tired arm and did not pitch over the summer. Baker's arm showed no signs of strain as evident in his six strikeouts. He is expected to pitch again this weekend in the Bob Schaefer Tourney in Tempe, Ariz.
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. In addition, fans outside of the Stillwater area can listen to the games on the internet by going to Oklahoma State's official athletic website: www.okstate.com. 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 welcomed a new addition to his family, son Kade, who was born on Jan. 4.
Radio schedule for this week:
March 5 Western Illinois KSPI 93.7 FM
March 6 Western Illinois KSPI 93.7 FM
March 8 St. John's 780 AM
March 9 UNLV 780 AM
March 10 Arizona State KSPI 93.7 FM
Cowboy Notes
Tuesday, March 5 is Tom Holliday's 49th birthday ... 13 of the Cowboy's 19 games in March will be played in Stillwater ... Infielder Kenny Hansley was 8-for-12 (.667) in the three games of the Shreveport Collegiate Classic ... The Cowboys are one game short of the NCAA maximum of 56 games, meaning the team will be looking for a makeup game sometime in the future ... 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 ... the combined record of OSU's 2002 opponents in 2001 was 914-801-2 (.533).
Oklahoma State's Road to 2000
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 entering 2002 was 1,986-956-4 over 88 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. With six wins this season, OSU is now 1,992-958-4 all-time and are just eight games short of winning its 2000th game.
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 in fifth place in the OSU record books with 12 career triples. He enters the 2002 campaign eight triples behind the school's all-time leader Benji De La Rosa who hit 20 of them from 1980-82. Brown has gotten off to a slow start at the plate this season and heads into the WIU series with a .263 batting average with a homer and eight runs scored. He currently leads the team with eight walks and has played a solid second base with no errors in 27 chances.
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. Coming soon are two monuments in front of the left side of the stadium honoring Pete Incaviglia and Robin Ventura. Those two players are the only Cowboys to have their number's retired.
The Polls
The Cowboys are ranked as high as No. 12 and as low as No. 21 in this week's polls. Many prognosticators have forecasted a top-three finish for Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Conference this year. OSU is No. 12 in Collegiate Baseball and No 21 in the ESPN/Baseball Weekly's Coaches Poll. Baseball America has the Cowboys unranked while the NCBWA's poll was yet to be released as of Monday afternoon.
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 usually every Thursday and Sunday throughout the year, Ali's schedule permitting. The most recent journal entry has Ali discussing what the Cowboys did with their week off from playing.
