Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Softball Travels To Tucson For Regional Action
May 18, 2005 | Cowgirl Softball
In Arizona, the Cowgirls match up with Ivy League Champion Princeton at 4 p.m. (MST) on Friday. A win moves OSU to a game against the Arizona/Lehigh winner at 1:30 p.m. (game 3) on Saturday. A loss drops the Cowgirls to a 4 p.m. (game 4) meeting with the loser. The loser of game four is eliminated while the winner advances to face the loser of game three at 6:30 p.m. The championship game will be played at noon on Sunday with a 2:30 p.m. game to follow if necessary.
Oklahoma State is making its 15th post-season appearance and second in three years. The Cowgirls were once a given to make the post-season, but suffered a five-year drought before their last appearance in 2003. In 2000, the Cowgirls just missed making the 48-team field, finishing the season with an identical 33-22 record to the 2005 squad which was selected. In another twist of irony, the Cowgirls were ousted from the 2000 Big 12 Tournament following losses against Texas A&M and Missouri, the same two teams that eliminated the Cowgirls this year.
Fans unable to attend the games in person can follow the action via live stats and a radio broadcast on the official site of Oklahoma State Athletics, www.okstate.com. The first game will also be broadcast on KGFY 105.5 FM. For the remaining games, any game starting prior to 5 p.m. (CDT) will air on KSPI 780 AM. Any game starting at 5 p.m. or later will be broadcast on KGFY 105.5 FM.
OSU VS. THE REGION 3 FIELD
The Cowgirls will match up with two unknowns this week in Tucson. In 31 seasons of softball the Cowgirls have never played Princeton or Lehigh, only Arizona is a foe Oklahoma State has faced. OSU is 11-14 all-time against Arizona and 2-3 in post-season meetings. Arizona won 4-1 when the Cowgirls visited Tucson for their first tournament of the spring. OSU's last win against the Wildcats was a 1-0 decision at Hillenbrand Stadium in 2003.
ARIZONA REGIONAL TICKETS
Tickets for the NCAA Regional in Tucson, Ariz., Friday-Sunday, May 20-22, at Rita Hillenbrand Stadium can be purchased via phone or at the event. All-session tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold after Thursday. Single session tickets will be available prior to each game. All-session general admission tickets are $18 for adults and $14 for seniors, students and youth. Reserved prices are $25 and $20, respectively. Single session prices are $12 for adults and $8 for students and youth. Reserved tickets are $10 and $8, respectively. Tickets can be purchased at complex ticket booth or ordered by contacting the ticket office at (714) 278-2783 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. (MST).
A LOOK BACK AT THE 2003 REGIONAL
Oklahoma State's last appearance in post-season play was at the 2003 Cal State Fullerton Regional. The Cowgirls won their first two games of the event on solo home runs, defeating Boston, 1-0, Oregon, 2-1. Lauren Bay dominated in both games allowing a combined seven hits and striking out 26. OSU fell to Louisiana-Lafayette 1-0 in game three and was eliminated following a 7-6 loss to Oregon in 12 innings. The game lasted 4 hours 15 minutes and saw four scoreless extra innings pass before the Ducks ended the game in the bottom of the 12th.
REGION 3 BREAKDOWN
ARIZONA
Arizona missed the World Series last season for the first time in 16 years after losing to Louisiana-Lafayette in Tucson. The Wildcats are 39-10 this spring and earned a piece of the Pac-10 regular season title, sharing it with Oregon State, Stanford and California. UA is a dangerous squad offensively, hitting .307 as a team. Leadoff hitter Catilin Lowe ranks second in the nation with a .518 batting average. Alicia Holowell averages 11.9 Ks per game leads the pitching staff with a 1.06 ERA and has appeared in 40 of the Wildcats 49 games.
PRINCETON
Princeton earned an automatic bid after winning the Ivy League for the second time in three years. The Tigers also ventured to Tucson in 2003 after winning their conference. Four-time all-conference selection Melissa Finley paces the offense with a .321 batting average. A pair of pitchers team up to lead the Tigers, Erin Snyder and Kristen Schaus. Snyder was named the Ivy League Pitcher of the Year after compiling a 16-4 record, 0.71 ERA and averaging 10.3 Ks per game. Schaus, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, posted a 1.36 ERA and 14-8 record.
LEHIGH
Lehigh established a new school and Patriot League record for victories in a season, winning 41. The Mountain Hawks won the Patriot League Tournament championship and automatic bid the to NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Last year's Lehigh team was seeded seventh in the Nebraska Regional. Seven Mountain Hawks hit .300 or better but Kelly Kliewer leads the team with a .355 average. In the circle, Emily Ling, the Patriot League Tournament MVP, paces the team with a 1.19 ERA and 20-5 record.
NOT A TOTAL UNKNOWN
Tucson and Hillenbrand Stadium is not foreign to the Cowgirls. In each of the past three seasons, Oklahoma State has played in a tournament on the Arizona campus, posting a 10-5 record. In 2003, the Cowgirls upset Arizona 1-0 and finished a perfect 5-0. This season OSU went 2-3. Sophomore pitcher Jessica Hoppock is 4-3 at Hillenbrand Stadium with 41 innings under her belt and an average of 7.9 Ks per game. Earlier this season, Hoppock fanned a season-high 12 New Mexico State batters in the Cowgirls 7-1 win. Senior Stephanie Nicholson and sophomore Shanel Scott both had successful visits to the field in 2005. Both averaged .438 at the plate and had a double. Nicholson also hit her first home run of the season and knocked in a team-leading three RBI.
A TOUGH SCHEDULE TO TACKLE
According to Warren Nolan's analysis, the Cowgirls have the 12th toughest schedule in the country and the third most rigorous of all Big 12 teams, passed only by Iowa State (8th) and Texas (9th). The Cowgirls played 18 games against ranked opponents this spring and are 5-13 in those outings. The conference was strong and featured more depth than ever before, with six teams ranked in the top 25. OSU finished eighth in the standings but posted the best record in conference play of any team earning the eighth seed in the tournament. Teams in this slot average 4.4 wins in league play but the Cowgirls posted seven this spring. The next closest was Iowa State with six in 2002.
BIG 12 GAINING RESPECT
A record-setting eight teams, including five host sites, from the Big 12 Conference were selected as part of the 64-team NCAA field on Sunday. Texas, the tournament champion, earned the fourth seed while regular season champion Texas A&M was seeded fifth overall. Oklahoma and Baylor were also seeded, earning the 14th and 15th overall seeds, respectively. The conference had the second-best RPI behind the Pac-10 this spring.
COWGIRLS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Three Cowgirls; freshman Marjorie Johnson, senior Stephanie Nicholson and sophomore Shanel Scott, earned All-Big 12 second-team accolades. Johnson led OSU's pitching staff with a 1.35 ERA and 12-6 record this spring. The Tulsa, Okla., native earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors three times and set a new NCAA record with five strikeouts in one inning on April 19 against Texas Tech. A Tucson, Ariz., native, Nicholson was a solid player at shortstop for the Cowgirls and was second on the squad with a .366 batting average. The senior was named to the Tulsa Invitational all-tournament team and ranks in the top 10 in five career categories at OSU. Scott served as the Cowgirls centerfielder and leadoff hitter in all 52 games during the regular season. The Enid, Okla., native led the team with a .400 batting average and ranks seventh in the league standings. Six Cowgirls; Megan Carey, Stephanie Nicholson, Ashleigh Tweed, Shianne Cruce, Jessica Hoppock and Courtney Totte, were named to the Academic All-Big 12 first-team. First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better grade-point average, while second-team honorees are those with a 3.0 to 3.19 GPA.
NOT QUITE ENOUGH
The Cowgirls had a lot of close calls this spring and own a 12-8 record in one-run games. Six of those losses came in conference play, including three to a pair of top 10 teams during the final week of the regular season. Despite just missing out on several key wins, OSU posted its third 30-win season in six years this spring with 33 victories. The 2000 squad won 33 games and the 2003 squad made it to the semifinals of regional play, winning 39 games.
BRING ON THE SPEED
Oklahoma State set a new record for stolen bases last season, swiping 79. Shanel Scott led the Cowgirls with 23, good enough for second on the individual charts. The Cowgirls slowed down this spring, stealing 59. Scott is making a run at her previous high, swiping 21, but has stolen just one base in the last 11 games. The season record is 28 set by Cyndi Smith in 1996.
TIMELY HITS
The Cowgirls scored a run in the first and fourth innings during the second game at Nebraska and both times it took just one hit to plate the run. After Courtney Totte reached on a walk in the first inning, Tara Jeffery sent her home with a double to left field. In the fourth it was a similar situation, Jeffery took first after being hit by a pitch and stole second to get in scoring position. Dominique Van Nortwick followed with the timely hit, sending Jeffery home with the lone hit of the frame, a single down the right field line. Clutch hits have become routine for the Cowgirls in conference play as they are hitting .409 with the bases loaded and .417 with a runner on third and less than two outs.
BRING'EM HOME
All-Big 12 performer Courtney Totte drove in 20 runs during her freshman campaign but doubled that mark this season, plating a team-high 42, which is good enough for sixth on the season charts. Senior Stephanie Nicholson bested her single-season high as well and is tied with Totte with 42 this spring after pushing 27 home in 2004. As a team the Cowgirls have 206 RBI, easily surpassing last year's 142. The all-time record at OSU is 261 in 1996.
TWO BAGGING IT ALL THE WAY
Stephanie Nicholson is making her mark on the record books when it comes to doubles at Oklahoma State. The senior set a single game record at OSU and tied the NCAA mark after exploding for three in game two against Texas Tech on April 19. She now has 19 on the season, good enough for second on the season charts behind Jamie Foutch's record of 22 that has held since 1997. For her career, the Arizona native is currently third on the charts with 33. She will not pass Foutch's career mark of 56 but No. 2 is still within reach as Ryan Realmuto holds that spot with 40.
A LITTLE HELP NEEDED
Oklahoma State's defense has not been a pitcher's best friend this season, committing 61 errors in 55 games. Statistically speaking, 25 percent of OSU's runs allowed this season have been unearned. The Cowgirls have had 20 errorless games and committed just one in three games at the Big 12 Tournament last week, but have committed two or more in 15 outings.
STREAKY IN A GOOD WAY
Sophomore Shanel Scott led the Cowgirls with a .337 batting average and a 14-game hitting streak during her freshman campaign and the leadoff hitter is up to the same tricks this season. Scott jumpstarts the Cowgirls offense, hitting at a .389 clip and has collected at least one hit in all but 12 games this season. Earlier this season Scott set a new season record at OSU with a 17-game hitting streak that spanned nearly a month, starting on February 26 against BYU and ending against Missouri on March 25. The speedster makes her living on small ball, sending just five of her team-leading 70 hits for extra bases. Included in that total was the first home run of her career against UMKC on March 8.
LONG BALL ATTACK
After hitting just 10 home runs through the first 21 games the Cowgirls have turned up the power during the final 34 games, sending 30 yard. The Cowgirls have hit two or more in nine contests including a new single-game record five against UMKC on March 8. The Cowgirls are 17-3 when hitting a home run. The losses came against Tulsa on February 5, Texas A&M on April 13 and Texas on April 30. Stephanie Nicholson tied the single-season mark of 12 after hitting two at the Big 12 tournament. Both homers came in the 7-5 loss to Texas A&M, also tying a single game home run record at OSU. She has already surpassed her output during her first two seasons at OSU, after hitting five her sophomore season and four last spring.
FOUR SNAG HONORS IN FLORIDA
The Cowgirls went 3-1 and won their pool at the Speedline Invitational, posting wins against Western Michigan, Villanova and Hofstra to advance to the championship bracket. OSU then posted a 1-0 shutout against Penn State in extra innings, earning a berth in the final against Baylor. The game was called and both teams were declared co-champions due to travel conflicts. Four Cowgirls, Shanel Scott, Tara Jeffery, Megan Carey and Jessica Hoppock were named to the all-tournament team.
COWGIRLS EARN ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Stephanie Nicholson and Shanel Scott were named to the Tulsa Invitational all-tournament team. Nicholson knocked in a team-high eight RBI and hit .471 over five games including three doubles, one triple and one home run. Scott went 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts and hit .467 at the plate. The Cowgirls finished 3-2 at the event, defeating Wisconsin, 4-1, Wichita State, 3-2, and Louisiana-Monroe, 8-0.
ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL
Oklahoma State signed two high school seniors to national letters of intent for the 2005-06 season. A native of Durant, Okla., Katie Phillips was a three-time all-area honoree and an all-state and all-region selection her senior season. She also led her high school team in batting average during her sophomore, junior and senior campaigns. Shallon Watson, a product of Missouri City, Texas, was an all-state and all-district selection in 2004. She also helped Elkins High School to its first-ever state title last spring and earned all-tournament honors in the outfield.
