Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Visit Islands for Hawaii Invitational
March 14, 2006 | Cowgirl Softball
March 16
Oklahoma State vs. Longwood 5 p.m. (CST) Oklahoma State vs. San Diego State 7 p.m. (CST) March 17
Oklahoma State vs. Hawaii 10 p.m. (CST) March 18
Oklahoma State vs. No. 16 Northwestern 2 p.m. (CST) March 19
Oklahoma State vs. Kansas 2 p.m. (CST)
Cowgirls Visit Islands for Hawaii Invitational
Oklahoma State's softball team will head to the Pacific Ocean for the Hawaii Invitational to take place this weekend in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Cowgirls are one of five teams in the field highlighted by 16th-ranked Northwestern from the Big Ten and Big 12 rival Kansas. The Cowgirls have won nine of their last 11 games to get to .500 for the first time this season. The key to the streak has been pitching and defense to go along with timely hitting. Those were the same things that plagued the Cowgirls as they got off to a 2-9 start, the worst start in school history. OSU is led offensively by Courtney Totte and Shanel Scott who are hitting .348 and .347, respectively. Totte is hitting .405 with a home run and 12 RBIs over the last 11 games. Kim Kaye has also been on a tear lately with two home runs and 12 RBIs, including a grand slam on Monday against Truman State, in the last 11 games. Jessica Hoppock has been dominant on the mound for the Cowgirls compiling a 4-1 record with a 1.04 ERA and 54 strikeouts over the current streak. She has also recorded two saves in that span. Overall, Hoppock is 5-7 with a 4.08 ERA.
Tweed Shines at Buzz Classic
Oklahoma State senior infielder Ashleigh Tweed continues to make the most of her playing time. Tweed has started in all but one game for the Cowgirls. Tweed tore up the field at the Buzz Classic hitting .389 (7-18) with two home runs and six RBIs. Her two home runs are a new career high and with 10 RBIs she is approaching a career high in the category as well.
Kitchens Powers Oklahoma State Past South Dakota State
Lauren Kitchens is not known for her power, but she was the most feared hitter in the Cowgirl last Friday against South Dakota State. Kitchens went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs to lead the Cowgirls past South Dakota State. OSU needed every one of her RBIs as it took 10 innings before the Cowgirls finally knocked off the Jacks. Kitchens is currently second on the team with a .300 average.
Kitchens Shreds Bears
Junior outfielder Lauren Kitchens shredded Missouri State to the tune of a .667 average. Kitchens went 4-for-6 in the double header with a double and a triple. She raised her batting average from .263 to .360, which leads the team.
Scott Sets Steals Mark
Junior outfielder Shanel Scott came into the season needing just three stolen bases to pass former Cowgirl great Cyndi Smith for the all-time lead. It did not take Scott long to get the mark, Scott stole three bases at the Campbell/Cartier Classic to open the season. She got her first steal in the season opener against Cal Poly. She was kept off the bases until the final game of the tournament when she stole two bases against UC-Santa Barbara. Scott is currently hitting .347 on the season and is 5-5 on stolen base attempts.
Scott, Totte moving up Career Ranks
Shanel Scott and Courtney Totte came into their junior seasons already ranking among OSU's best players all-time. Scott has already set the stolen base mark and she is moving up several other charts as well. Totte will rank as one of OSU's best run producers in school history before her career is through. This is how the current Cowgirls rank all-time.
Cowgirls Slow Out of the Gates
The Cowgirls 3-10 start is the worst 13-game start in school history. The Cowgirls have played well at times with opportunities to knock off ranked opponents California, Oregon and Oregon State. OSU will have several chances down the line to beat highly ranked foes. Poor defense has been one of the main culprits for OSU's slow start. The Cowgirls have committed 26 errors in in their first 13 games, which led to 21 unearned runs. The Cowgirls still have a long season and with an offense that is hitting .251 as a team and averaging four runs a game, they will have a chance to get back on the right track.
Former Cowgirl Smith inducted into Hall of Fame
Former Oklahoma State pitcher Michele Smith will be inducted into the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame. Smith was a two-time All-American at OSU with a career ERA of 0.75. She still holds the school record with 82 career wins. At the plate Smith hit a career .343 with 15 home runs and 87 RBIs. Smith went on to be a part of the first two U.S. Olympic teams in softball that both won gold medals. Smith went 2-2 with a 0.50 ERA in 41.2 Olympic innings to lead Team USA to the top of the medal platform. Smith went on to be the second overall pick in the inaugural draft of the Women's Pro Softball League in 1996. She has since retired from competition shortly after the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
