Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Ready For Bedlam Battle With Oklahoma
April 25, 2003 | Cowboy Baseball
No. 20/28 Oklahoma State (27-13, 9-6 Big 12)
vs. Oklahoma (14-23, 2-13 Big 12)
Friday, April 25 • 7 p.m.
Drillers Stadium (10,997) • Tulsa
Saturday, April 26 • 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 • 3 p.m.
SBC Bricktown Ballpark (13,066) • Oklahoma City
All-Time Series:
Oklahoma State leads 133-129. The Cowboys swept the season series in 2001, while the Sooners captured three of four meetings last season. OU has won six of the last 10 matchups.
Last Two Years:
Oklahoma State 11, Oklahoma 1 (8) May 11, 2001 (Tulsa)
Oklahoma State 6, Oklahoma 3 May 12, 2001 (Oklahoma City)
Oklahoma State 13, Oklahoma 5 May 13, 2001 (Oklahoma City)
Oklahoma State 11, Oklahoma 7 (14) May 16, 2002 (Tulsa)
Oklahoma 5, Oklahoma State 2 May 17, 2002 (Oklahoma City)
Oklahoma 8, Oklahoma State 6 May 18, 2002 (Oklahoma City)
Oklahoma 11, Oklahoma State 3 May 22, 2002 (Arlington, Texas)
In The Polls:
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 20 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 28 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Oklahoma is not ranked.
The Coaches:
OSU’s Tom Holliday is 272-139 in his seventh season in Stillwater. He is 9-14 vs OU.
OU’s Larry Cochell is 464-274-1 in his 13th season in Norman. He is 28-32 vs. OSU.
Radio:
KSPI 93.7 FM
Rex Holt (Play-by-Play) is in his 21st season.
TV:
Cox Cable- Sunday Only
Brian Brinkley (Play-by-Play), Dave Hunziker (Color)
What’s On Tap
It’s Bedlam time, as Oklahoma State takes on its in-state rival in a three-game Big 12 series this weekend. The Cowboys and Sooners will open up on Friday at Drillers Stadium at 7 p.m., before moving to Oklahoma City for the final two games. The Saturday contest is set for a 7 p.m. start at the SBC Bricktown Ballpark, while Sunday’s finale is at 3 p.m. and will broadcast statewide by Cox Cable and Learfield Sports.
About Oklahoma
Oklahoma is 14-23 overall and 2-13 in Big 12 play. The Sooners lost two of three to Kansas over the weekend in Norman and dropped a 3-2 decision to Oral Roberts on Tuesday. OU has lost 20 of its last 23 contests after starting out at 11-3.
Centerfielder Reggie Willits leads the team with a .390 batting average to go along with 24 stolen bases in 28 attempts. Second baseman Eddie Cornejo is the only other Sooner regular batting over .300 with a .372 clip. As a team, OU is last in the Big 12 with a .267 batting average.
Junior righthander Mark Roberts (4-3, 4.57 ERA) is the ace of the staff and will get the start on Friday night. The rest of the rotation is still to be determined. The team ERA is 5.19 with 240 strikeouts and 119 walks in 324 innings.
Recent Bedlam History
OU enjoyed a four-game sweep over Oklahoma State in 2000, three games in the regular season and one in the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City. The Cowboys rebounded in 2001, taking all three games from the Sooners. Last season Oklahoma State defeated Oklahoma 11-7 in 14 innings in Tulsa in the first game of the three-game regular series. It was one of the more memorable games in recent Bedlam history. The Sooners rallied from that tough loss to win the next two games in Oklahoma City and take the series. The two teams met again four days later in the first round of the Big 12 tournament at the Ballpark in Arlington, where the Sooners continued its solid play and won for the third straight time. Oklahoma State is 3-9 against Oklahoma in Tulsa and have the last two meetings at Drillers Stadium. OSU is 5-8 against the Sooners at the Bricktown Ballpark, where OU has won the last two affairs.
Offensive Breakout
Since opening Big 12 play against Texas on March 21, Oklahoma State has put on an offensive display that has vaulted the team into one of the top hitting teams in the conference.
The Cowboys had as low as a .273 team batting average on March 22, but have bumped that mark up to .318 entering this weekend against Oklahoma. OSU has gone 15-6 in its last 21 contests and have batted at a .355 clip with 36 homers, 39 doubles, five triples and 205 runs scored in that span. Seven of the nine regular starters on offense are hitting over .300 in the recent streak, with four of those batting over the .340 mark.
The success has carried over into league play where the Pokes are second in the conference with a .320 average in 15 games.
For the season, OSU is hitting .318 with 45 homers, 69 doubles and 317 runs scored in 40 games.
Cowboy Notes
Utility player Cory Von Tungeln spent his freshman year at Oklahoma ... Sooner reliever Jarod McAuliff is from Stillwater and played with Josh Fields and Joe Weaver at Stillwater High ... OSU has gone 23-8 since March 1 ... Oklahoma State has vaulted from a .273 team batting average on March 21 to a .314 clip heading into the weekend ... The .314 average is fourth in the Big 12 as is the 3.99 team ERA ... The Cowboys have four players among the Top 20 batters in the conference, led by José Virgil who is fourth with a .397 mark ... OSU is hitting at a .320 clip in league play (best in Big 12) with 26 of its 44 homers in the 15 games ... Jason Jaramillo leads the conference with seven homers in 15 Big 12 contests ... Daniel Rew is tied for the conference lead with three saves in five Big 12 games ... Shane Hawk leads the Big 12 and is 7th in the nation with a 1.34 ERA ... Scott Baker is seventh in the conference with a 3.62 ERA ... OSU is 9-4 in the month of April ... Oklahoma State is No. 24 in the most recent Pseudo-RPIs by Boyd Nation (www.boydsworld.com) ... OSU have/will have played 23 regular season contests against teams in the Top 50 of the RPIs ... Scott Baker is listed as the No. 26 prospect in Baseball America’s 2003 Top 100 College Prospects; southpaw Shane Hawk is also listed at No. 83.
Virgil Steps Up
.301 and .283. Those were the batting averages of senior centerfielder José Virgil in his first two seasons at Oklahoma State. The coaching staff raved about his athletic ability and believed that he would one day excel at all phases of the game.
This season, the Phoenix, Ariz., native has put all of the pieces of the puzzle together and is vying for All-American and All-Big 12 honors.
Virgil leads or is tied for the team lead in seven different offensive categories. He leads the team in batting average (.403), runs (47), hits (64), doubles (16), RBIs (40) and stolen bases (14), and is tied for the lead in homers with seven.
Over the last 21 games, the senior center fielder is raking at a .500 clip with five homers, 12 doubles and 29 RBIs. He has hit safely in 36 of 40 games played this season, including a 15-game hitting streak and a 17-game hitting streak, that ended against Texas A&M on April 18.
Virgil’s .484 mark in conference games leads the Big 12 heading into the weekend.
Fields Finds Swing
Another Cowboy on a tear at the plate is third baseman Josh Fields. The sophomore currently rides a 18-game hitting streak and has stepped up his play in Big 12 games. Over the last 21 games, Fields is batting .427 with all seven of his homers in 2003 and 30 RBIs.
The Stillwater High product has also showed solid skills in his first year at third base. He has made just two errors in 100 chances, a .980 fielding percentage.
Fields is only one of two Cowboys to start every game this season (Virgil), and boasts a .388 overall average with seven homers and 39 RBIs.
Recapping Texas A&M
Oklahoma State and Texas A&M played three close contests last weekend that could have gone either way. A&M took the series 2-1 in College Station, with the combined run differential of five in the three games.
Texas A&M rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to erase a 5-4 deficit and took game one with a 7-5 decision. All three of the Aggie runs were unearned in the inning due to a fielding error by the Cowboys. Josh Fields led the Cowboys at the plate, with a 3-for-4 showing and four RBIs on the night. Starter Scott Baker allowed four runs, on a grand-slam homer in the fifth, off of 11 hits in 5.1 innings of work. He left with the game tied at 4-4, and the Cowboys scored a run in the seventh to take a 5-4 lead.
Oklahoma State took game two by a 10-9 margin in 10 innings to even the series. OSU trailed 9-8 and was down to its last out in the ninth before pinch-hitter Ryan Olivo delivered a RBI double to tie the game. José Virgil knocked in the game winning run in the tenth and closer Daniel Rew pitched 1.2 innings of one-hit scoreless ball to pick up the win. The Cowboys rallied from a 6-0 first inning deficit and battled back with the help of two homers by leftfielder Scott Kirby who ended the day with four RBIs.
The effects of the four hour and six minute contest was evident as both teams cooled off at the plate in the series finale. The Aggies had two two-out RBI singles and a two-run homer in the 4-2 series clinching win. The Cowboys left seven men on base and could not take advantage of nine hits in the loss. Right fielder Craig Bartosh had a career-high three hits on the afternoon, while left fielder Jeff Tuttle chipped in with two hits as well. Starter Joe Weaver took the loss to drop to 3-3 on the year. He gave up four runs on six hits in 6.2 innings while walking five and recording a strikeout.
Recapping Northwestern Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State scored four first inning runs and never looked back as they handed Northwestern Oklahoma State a 15-4 loss Wednesday afternoon at Reynolds Stadium.
The game was called in the eighth inning due to rain, Josh Fields led the team with a 4-for-5 day at the plate with a homer and four RBIs. Right fielder Lyndsey Simmons, center fielder Jose Virgil, catcher Jason Jaramillo and second baseman Kenny Hansley all chipped in with two hits each.
Cody King picked up the win in his first career start to move to 3-0 on the year. He struck out one and did not allow a hit in his predetermined two-innings of work.
On Deck: Western Carolina
After the OU series, Oklahoma State will head home for a five-game homestand, starting with a two-game mid-week series against Western Carolina. The Catamounts are 29-14 on the year after sweeping a two-game set with Georgia State on Tuesday and Wednesday. They lead the Southern Conference with a 16-5 record and are off this weekend prior to heading to Stillwater. Next week’s games are 6 p.m. starts on Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30.
Brian’s Baseball Diaries
Senior shortstop Brian Kraft is keeping a running journal throughout the 2003 season. The diary will be published on Oklahoma State’s official website: www.okstate.com usually every Thursday and Monday throughout the year, Brian’s schedule permitting. In the most recent journal entry “Krafty” talks about the Texas A&M series and the atmosphere in College Station.
Baker Named To Rotary Award Watch List
Junior pitcher Scott Baker is on the initial watch list of the Rotary Award, given to the top player in college baseball.
The Shreveport, La., product did not factor in the decision in his last start against Texas A&M last Friday. He gave up four runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings of work and left with the game tied at 4-4. He is now 7-4 on the year with a 3.62 ERA.
Baker had a four-game win streak snapped against Baylor on April 11. He was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week with his career-high 11 strikeout performance against Kansas State on April 4. He pitched eight innings and and allowed just three hits in picking up his seventh win, a new single season high. It was the second time this season he has won the award.
Baker went seven innings in his last outing against Kansas on March 29 and gave up four runs on seven hits while whiffing nine.
He allowed only one run in 7.1 innings of work in the Cowboys 4-3 win over Texas on March 23. The righthander then made his first career relief appearance against Texas-Arlington on March 25 and pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.
The Shreveport, La., native recorded nine strikeouts in a 4-3 loss to North Carolina State on March 14. He allowed four runs, three earned, in seven innings of work.
Baker went seven innings against Miami (Ohio) on March 7 and allowed just four hits with five strikeouts and no walks to improve to 3-2 on the year. Against Nicholls State on March 1, Baker allowed one run on six hits over seven innings of work with three strikeouts and two walks in the 17-1 win.
He was tabbed as the first Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week after he pitched the first seven innings of OSU's 9-0 shutout of 18th-ranked Stetson on Feb. 8. He had a career-high eight strikeouts against the hard-hitting Hatters, allowed five hits and walked two before yielding to relief man Daniel Rew.
He was named a third-team preseason All-American by Baseball America after going 6-3 last season with a 4.23 ERA in 13 starts. The second-team All-Big 12 pick led the team with three complete games and struck out 47 batters in 76.2 innings pitched.
The Shreveport, La., native was a Cape Cod League All-Star for the Orleans Cardinals over the summer and helped lead them to the league championship series. He went 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA in nine starts for the Cardinals and struck out 52 in 56 innings pitched.
After the successful summer campaign in the Cape, Baseball America rated Baker as the 15th best pro prospect to come out of that league.
