Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Hosts Kansas This Weekend
April 15, 2004 | Cowboy Baseball
Oklahoma State (21-13, 4-4 Big 12) vs.
Kansas (24-16-1, 2-7 Big 12)
April 16-18 • 7 p.m., 2 p.m., 2 p.m.
Reynolds Stadium (4,000) • Stillwater, Okla.
The Matchups:
Friday, April 16 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 18 at 2 p.m.
All-Time Series:
Oklahoma State leads 120-44.
Last Two Years:
March 31, 2003 Kansas 10, Oklahoma State 8 Lawrence
March 30, 2003 Oklahoma State 16, Kansas 6 Lawrence
March 29, 2003 Oklahoma State 8, Kansas 7 Lawrence
March 31, 2002 Oklahoma State 10, Kansas 2 Stillwater
March 30, 2002 Oklahoma State 12, Kansas 5 Stillwater
March 29, 2002 Oklahoma State 10, Kansas 7 Stillwater
Series Notes:
Oklahoma State is 16-5 against Kansas since Big 12 play opened in 1997 and have won all seven series. The Cowboys last series loss to the Jayhawks was in Big Eight play in 1993. OSU is 7-2 against the Jayhawks in three Big 12 series in Stillwater.
Polls:
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 31 in the NCBWA. Kansas is not ranked.
The Coaches:
OSU's Frank Anderson is 21-13 in his first season as head coach.
KU's Ritch Price is 59-44-1 in second season in Lawrence and 276-272-2 in 10 years overall.
Radio:
KSPI 93.7 FM
Rex Holt (Play-by-Play) is in his 22nd season.
What's On Tap
Oklahoma State returns to Big 12 action this weekend as Kansas comes to Stillwater for a three-game set. The Cowboys and Jayhawks will open Friday night at 7 p.m. and will continue at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
About Kansas
Kansas is 24-16-1 after dropping two of three to Texas A&M in Lawrence last weekend. The Jayhawks are off to a slow start in Big 12 play with a 2-7 record with series losses to Nebraska and Oklahoma before falling to the Aggies.
Centerfielder Matt Baty leads the conference with a .396 batting average and 22 stolen bases in 28 attempts. Third baseman Travis Metcalf leads the conference with 13 homers, while catcher Sean Richardson is second in the league in RBIs with 51. The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 with a .328 batting average through 41 games, but are hitting at a .254 mark in nine conference games.
Southpaw Ryan Knippschild will start on Friday, while righthander Chris Smart is slated to go on Saturday. Lefty Mike Zagurski will take the hill in the series finale on Sunday. The Jayhawks sport a team ERA of 4.46 overall with a 5.94 mark in conference games.
Broadcast Info
Every Oklahoma State game will be broadcast this season on the KSPI network of stations. Rex Holt, host of the extremely popular “The Game” talk radio show, will once again call all of the action for the Cowboys.
All the games for the rest of the season can be heard on KSPI 93.7 FM.
This season, fans can also catch the audio action for free on the internet through www.okstate.com. All of the Cowboy home games and select road games will also have a live video feed through the Cowboy MVP subscription service through www.okstate.com.
Cowboy Notes
Oklahoma State is third in the Big 12 in team batting average at .316 ... Spencer Grogan is tied with Texas' Justin Simmons for the Big 12 lead in wins with eight on the year ... OSU has outscored its opponents in six of nine innings this season ... opponents have outscored the Pokes 34-23 in the first, 22-20 in the sixth and 27-10 in the seventh ... Oklahoma State is 5-5 over its last 10 games ... The Cowboys have never lost a Big 12 series to Kansas or Kansas State ... OSU will play 14 of its next 18 games in the state of Oklahoma ... The Pokes only have three more midweek games on the schedule (at Arkansas 4/20, vs. Western Ilinois 5/18-19) ... with the final game of the Baylor series rained out, OSU is currently scheduled to finish one game under the NCAA maximum of 56 games ...Former Cowboy hurler Ryan Graves is an assistant at Kansas.
Coach Anderson Radio Show; TV Show Debuts
Fans can listen to coach Frank Anderson on his weekly radio show every Monday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on 93.7 KSPI FM. The show will be hosted by Rex Holt and will take place at Freddie Paul's Steakhouse in Stillwater.
Coach Anderson's weekly television show will debut this week on stations throughout the state. The show, co-hosted by Tom Dirato, features highlights, analysis and feature stories with the Cowboy baseball team.
The show can be seen in Stillwater on KWEM on Friday's at 8 p.m. and Saturday's at 6:30 p.m. Fans in Oklahoma City can tune in to the show on KSBI on Sunday at 8 p.m., while KSWO in Lawton will show it on Friday's at 8 p.m.
Grogan Putting Together Solid Season
Junior lefthander Spencer Grogan has quietly put together one of the top seasons on the mound in the Big 12 this year. He is tied for the league lead in wins (third best in the nation) and is among the league leaders in ERA. Heading into the series against Kansas, he is 8-1 with a 3.04 ERA in 10 starts this year.
Grogan moved to 3-0 in league action with his second consecutive complete game and third one in his last four starts against Baylor on April 11. He struck out a career high 11 batters, while scattering 13 hits over the nine innings of work.
Grogan pitched his second complete game in three outings in the Cowboys 7-2 win over A&M on April 3. The Cantonment, Fla. native allowed two runs, via a homer, on 10 hits with a walk and three strikeouts against the Aggies.
Grogan helped the Cowboys snap Texas' 17-game home winning streak on March 27 by nearly pitching a complete game in OSU's 3-2 win in 10 innings on Saturday. He went 9.2 innings and was a strike away from pitching his second consecutive complete game (nine innings, one earned run vs. Texas A&M-CC on 3/21). He scattered 11 hits in the contest and allowed just two runs (one earned) with two walks and four strikeouts. Grogan has allowed just four earned runs in his last 27.2 innings of work (1.30 ERA). He has already surpassed his victory total of last year (three) and is 2 innings from tying his mark of 76.0 innings pitched last year.
Texas-Arlington Recap
Daniel Rew returned to early season form, allowing just one run in seven innings of work, but that was all Texas-Arlington needed in a 1-0 win over Oklahoma State Tuesday night.
Rew (4-4) was the tough luck loser, allowing the run in the bottom of the sixth inning on a bases loaded RBI groundout.
The Cowboy offense was held in check, limited to just five hits in the loss. It marked the first time OSU has been shutout this season, and the first time since Oregon State blanked them 4-0 at the start of the 2003 campaign.
Baylor Recap
Oklahoma State and Baylor were limited to just two games for the second straight time in Waco because of rainy weather. The Cowboys and Bears split the season series two years ago at the Baylor Ballpark and did so again last weekend.
BU jumped on Friday starter Thomas Cowley for six runs in 2.1 innings of work and never looked back in a 12-2 win Friday night. OSU actually had a 1-0 lead in the second, before the Bears responded with at least a run in six of the final seven innings at the plate.
Saturday's contest was postponed due to rain, with a doubleheader slated for Sunday, but wet field conditions allowed for just one game to be played. Spencer Grogan continued his solid season with his second straight complete game to lead the Pokes to an 11-5 win over the Bears. Rusty Ryal, Chris Gutierrez and Keanon Simon paced the way with two hits and two RBIs each in the winning effort.
Jaramillo Named To Golden Spikes Award List
Junior catcher Jason Jaramillo was named to the Golden Spikes Award List this week by USA baseball. The honor recognizes the top amateur baseball player in the country, and Jaramillo is one of just 30 players from around the country to be on the list.
The Franksville, Wisc., currently leads the team with a .366 batting average to go along with four homers and 30 RBIs. Defensively, Jaramillo has picked off two runners while throwing out 11 of 29 base runners in 33 games. Recently Baseball America tabbed him as the 29th best draft-eligible prospect in college.
In addition, he was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List in March, marking the third time in his career he has made the list. The award recognizes the top catcher in the country in a ceremony after the baseball season in Wichita, Kan.
Jaramillo was a semifinalist last season after leading the Cowboys with a .385 batting average. He was invited to the Team USA trials and spent the summer helping lead the Orleans Cardinals to the Cape Cod League championship with current teammate Rod Allen.
Newcomers Making Offensive Contributions
Junior Rusty Ryal and freshman Ty Wright have proven through the first half of the season that they are consistent performers to watch on this Cowboy team.
Ryal is third on the team with a .363 batting average, while Wright is fourth with a .338 mark. Ryal has been hit a team-high eight times and is third on the team in on-base percentage at .438. The Perry, Okla., native has also played a solid second base, with just three errors in 132 chances (.977 fielding percentage).
Wright has started in 33 games this season and has proven to be versatile enough to play centerfield as well as first base. The Tyler, Texas, native opened the year as the starting first baseman and after playing centerfield for a spell, is now the everyday designated hitter. Currently, Wright is second among Big 12 freshman in batting average. He is one of the Pokes top base stealing threats with six swipes this season and is a definite player to watch as he develops during his career.
Fields Garnering Recognition Nationally
Junior third baseman Josh Fields has been garnering national recognition by Baseball America as one of its Player of the Year candidates.
In a recent issue, Fields was listed as a player to watch for their annual award among six other position players.
He has also seen his professional baseball stock rise among the scouts, as he is listed as 19th best collegiate prospect at the midpoint of the season, after starting the year at 32. He is fifth among position players on the list and the top third baseman according to the magazine.
Entering the weekend series with Kansas, he is second on the team with a .364 batting average and is tied for the team lead in homers (five), while walking a team best 25 times.
On Deck
After the three game set against the Jayhawks, the Cowboys will hit the road for the next seven games, starting with a midweek matchup against nationally ranked Arkansas on April 20. The teams will meet for the first time since the 2001 season at 6:35 p.m. in Fayetteville. The Pokes will then take on Kansas State next weekend in Manhattan before the annual Bedlam Series at the end of the month.
Rew's Rankings
This season, senior hurler Daniel Rew, will share his thoughts through a baseball diary that can be viewed on the baseball home page at www.okstate.com.
New To Allie P.
Fans may notice some cosmetic changes that have happened since the 2003 season ended. During the offseason, all of the field level brick was painted green and black padding was added to the right and left field line brick walls. The infield was also leveled, with grass added to the baselines.
A new state of the art scoreboard made its debut against this season, with a video board to be added in the future. Next season, the Cowboys will move over to the third base dugout where new locker rooms will be built with much more room available.
