Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Host First Round of Bedlam Softball
April 07, 2004 | Cowgirl Softball
Bedlam hits the softball field Thursday night at 7 p.m. when Oklahoma State hosts the Sooners for the first matchup of the season. The Cowgirls lead the all-time series 68-53 but are 2-17 vs. Oklahoma since 1998.
OSU shut out the Sooners, 4-0, in Stillwater last year to snap a 14-game winning streak by Oklahoma. It was an impressive outing for the home team as Lauren Bay held the Sooners to one hit and struck out 10 batters.
The Cowgirls are looking for their first conference win of the season after starting league play 0-4 for the first time in program history. The Sooners also started league play 0-4 but picked up two wins against Texas last weekend to improve to 2-4 in Big 12 action.
Series Snapshot
longest winning streak: 14 by OU, snapped on April 24, 2003
largest margin: OU won 16-0 on April 19, 2001; OSU won 11-0 in 1976
1-run games: series tied 21-21
2-run games: OSU leads 15-5
5+run games: series tied 12-12
HEAD COACH MARGARET REBENAR
Margaret Rebenar is in her 25th season season as a softball coach at Oklahoma State and third as a head coach. Rebenar joined the Cowgirl softball program in 1980 after serving as a pitching coach at UCLA for one season. After filling the assistant coach role for 22 seasons, Rebenar was named the head coach in 2001. Rebenar led the 2003 Cowgirls to a second-place finish in the Big 12 regular season race and their first NCAA Regional appearance in five years. Under her guidance, 23 players have earned All-American status 29 times, including Olympians Michele Smith, Melanie Roche and Lauren Bay. Rebenar brings a 88-58 record as a head coach into Thursday's contest against Oklahoma.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is 28-14-1 on the season but has lost eight of its last 11 contests. The Sooners took two from Texas last weekend to end a five-game losing streak, the longest in the Patty Gasso era at OU. Heather Scaglione leads the Sooners and ranks second in the Big 12 with a .403 batting average. The junior leads the league in home runs (12), RBI (35) and slugging percentage (.756). Norrelle Dickson chips in with a .393 average and team-leading 20 stolen bases. The Sooners pitching staff has been plagued by injuries this season. Kami Keiter missed the first month of the season but has returned as the ace. Keiter, a 2003 All-American, is 6-7 on the season with a 1.20 ERA in 93.0 innings. April Valdez fills the No.2 role but is also fighting the injury bug. Valdez has tossed 24.2 innings for a 2.27 ERA and 2-1 record. Jessica Johnson rounds out the staff with a 2.43 ERA and 4-0 record in 31.2 innings. Nicole Denes leads the group with 142.1 innings pitched but has been sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a heart arrhythmia.
LOOKING AHEAD
Oklahoma State hosts Iowa State for a two-game series this weekend. The Cowgirls and Cyclones take the field at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Cowgirls travel to Lubbock for a midweek doubleheader next Wednesday.
COWGIRL SOFTBALL ON THE AIR
Oklahoma State's home conference games, as well as the OU game in Norman, the TU game in Tulsa and all postseason contests will be broadcast live on Stillwater Radio. Bill VanNess will provide the play-by-play for the sixth consecutive season. Any game starting prior to 5 p.m. will air on KSPI 780 AM. Any game starting at 5 p.m. or later will be broadcast on KGFY 105.5 FM.
COWGIRL SOFTBALL ON THE WEB
For the latest information on 2004 Cowgirl Softball visit the official web site of Oklahoma State Athletics at www.okstate.com. Live stats will be available online for all home events. Selected home games will be broadcast via a live video feed on the web site as part of the MVP package.
