Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Heads To Arizona
March 07, 2002 | Cowboy Baseball
March 7, 2002
What's On Tap The Cowboys head to sunny Tempe, Ariz., to compete in the Bob Schaefer Memorial Tournament, hosted by Arizona State. Oklahoma State will open up the three-game round robin tourney against St. John's on Friday at 4 p.m. CT. The Pokes will then take on UNLV on Saturday at 4 p.m.CT before closing out the weekend against Arizona State on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.
St. John's The Red Storm are 1-5 this season under seventh year coach Ed Blankmeyer. He is 184-121-3 during his time at St. John's including a 31-22 record a year ago. Senior centerfielder/pitcher Charlie Bilezikjian leads the team at the plate with a .417 batting average along with two homers and five RBIs. He has also proven to be a force on the mound with a 1-0 record and 1.17 ERA. Junior southpaw Tom Klemm is scheduled to get the start against the Cowboys. He is 0-1 on the year with a 2.25 ERA.
vs. OSU Tom Klemm (LHP) 0-1, 2.20 ERA, 8.0 IP, 3 SO, 7 BB
The Series Oklahoma State and St. John's have met only one time on the baseball diamond and that was at the 1966 College World Series. The Cowboys beat SJU, 6-1, to advance the national championship game that season. The teams were supposed to have played a two-game series last weekend in Stillwater but it was cancelled due to snow.
Series Results
June 16, 1966 Oklahoma State 6, St. John's 1 Omaha, Neb.
UNLV The Rebels are 9-8 on the year after going 3-1 last weekend. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle is in his first season at UNLV after spending eight years as an assistant at Tulane. Freshman utility player Eric Nielsen leads the team with a .352 batting average along with two homers and 14 RBIs in 15 starts. Sophomore righthander David Seccombe is the tentative starter against OSU on Saturday. He is 1-0 this season with a 5.68 ERA in six games.
vs. OSU David Seccombe (RHP) 1-0, 5.68 ERA, 19.0 IP, 19 SO, 7 BB
The Series The Cowboys and Rebels have met 18 times on the diamond with OSU holding a 12-6 series advantage.
Last Five Meetings
March 8, 1988 UNLV 15, Oklahoma State 13 Las Vegas, Nev. March 9, 1988 Oklahoma State 21, UNLV 7 Las Vegas, Nev. March 10, 1988 Oklahoma State 12, UNLV 3 Las Vegas, Nev. February 28, 1991 Oklahoma State 16, UNLV 10 Las Vegas, Nev. March 3, 1991 UNLV 4, Oklahoma State 0 Las Vegas, Nev. Arizona State The Sun Devils are ranked as high as No. 15 this week in the baseball polls and head into the weekend with an 12-5 mark. ASU beat New Mexico State, under former OSU coach Gary Ward, 10-5, last Tuesday in Mesa. Arizona State skipper Pat Murphy is in his eighth season in Tempe and has posted a 281-148-1 record in that span. Rightfielder Andre Ethier leads the team with a .424 batting average in 17 games while first baseman Jeremy West is the top power source with four homers and 21 RBIs in 16 starts. Junior lefthander Bryce Kartler (2-0, 3.34 ERA) is slated to get the start against the Cowboys. He went 6.1 innings in his last start, a win over Loyola-Marymount on March 3. Kartler allowed three runs, two earned on four hits while striking out five.
vs. OSU Bryce Kartler (LHP) 2-0, 3.34 ERA, 29.2 IP, 29 SO, 17 BB
The Series Oklahoma State and Arizona State have met 15 times in baseball with the Sun Devils owning an 8-7 advantage. The two teams last met in the 1998 NCAA Midwest Regional with the Cowboys winning the first encounter 13-8, before falling 13-5 to the eventual NCAA runner-up.
Last Five Meetings
May 28, 1990 Oklahoma State 10, Arizona State 5 Tempe, Ariz. June 7, 1993 Oklahoma State 5, Arizona State 4 Omaha, Neb. Feb. 17, 1997 Oklahoma State 9, Arizona State 3 Tempe, Ariz. May 22, 1998 Oklahoma State 13, Arizona State 8 Wichita, Kan. May 23, 1998 Arizona State 13, Oklahoma State 5 Wichita, Kan.
On The Mound The probable pitching rotation for this weekend is senior righthander Nick McCurdy vs. St. John's on Friday, sophomore lefty Shane Hawk on Saturday vs. UNLV and sophomore righthander Jimmy Rhodes vs. Arizona State on Sunday. McCurdy is 1-0 on the year with a 1.59 ERA in three games. He went 4.1 innings in his last start against San Diego, a no-decision, on Feb. 23. The Thomasville, Ala., native gave up three runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out one and walking two. Hawk is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in three games this season. He battled with control problems in his last start, a loss, against Cal State Northridge on Feb. 22. The Midwest City product gave up six runs, four earned in two innings with six walks and three strikeouts. Rhodes is 1-0 on the year with a 4.09 ERA in three appearances in 2002. He pitched in relief his last time out against Delaware on Feb. 24. The Sheperdstown, W.V., native struck out a career-high seven batters in five innings of work to pick up his first career save. Friday Nick McCurdy (RHP) 1-0, 1.59 ERA, 11.1 IP, 7 SO, 2 BB Saturday Shane Hawk (LHP) 1-1, 4.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 12 SO, 7 BB Sunday Jimmy Rhodes (RHP) 1-0, 4.09 ERA, 11.0 IP, 10 SO, 3 BB
Recapping Western Illinois The Cowboys finally got back on the field after a week off due to snow in Stillwater which caused the cancellation of three games. OSU beat up on the Leathernecks, 10-3 and 28-4, on Tuesday and Wednesday at Reynolds Stadium to improve to 8-2 on the season. Juniors Chris Reilly and Mike Miller picked up the wins in their respective starts on the mound while the Cowboy offense banged out 38 hits in the two games.
Monette Is Money Against Leathernecks Rightfielder Daylon Monette put up some huge offensive numbers against Western Illinois this week. The Fontana, Calif., product was 4-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs and five runs scored against the Leathernecks. His two hits on Wednesday were a solo homer, one of five Cowboy blasts in the second inning, and a bases clearing double in the third inning. Monette now leads the squad with a .481 batting average in nine games with two homers and 10 RBIs.
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, is third on the team with a .364 batting average in seven starts. Five of his 12 hits are doubles and he has also scored 12 runs with 10 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 on Sunday against Arizona State 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 8 St. John's 780 AM March 9 UNLV 780 AM March 10 Arizona State KSPI 93.7 FM
Cowboy Notes Cowboy pitchers have struck out 83 batters in 83 innings this season ... Jason Jaramillo and Mike Patitucci both hit their first collegiate home runs against Western Illinois on Wednesday ... The offense is averaging 13.6 runs a game and has scored in double figures in five of 10 contests this year ... OSU is 23-of-25 in stolen bases so far in 2002 ... freshmen pitchers Chase McElree and Aaron Whitehead saw their first ever action on the mound against WIU on Wednesday ... 13 of the Cowboy's 19 games in March will be played in Stillwater ... 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).
On Deck After three games in Arizona, the Cowboys return home for a six-game homestand starting against Texas-Arlington on March 12 at 3 p.m. OSU will then open up Big 12 play against Texas Tech starting on Friday, March 15 at 3 p.m. The teams will meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, and 1 p.m. on Sunday, March. 17. The Cowboys will close out the homestand with a midweek series against Louisville beginning on March 19.
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 eight wins this season, OSU is now 1,994-958-4 all-time and are just six 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 is eight triples behind the school's all-time leader Benji De La Rosa who hit 20 of them from 1980-82. Brown heated up at the plate against Western Illinois, going 4-for-8 in the series, and is now batting .333 on the year. He currently leads the team with nine walks and has played a solid second base with no errors in 30 chances.
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, No 21 in the ESPN/Baseball Weekly's Coaches Pol and No. 32 by the NCBWA.
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 talking about returning to his hometown area this weekend in Arizona.
