Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Battle Turnpike Rival Tulsa
March 20, 2006 | Cowgirl Softball
Oklahoma State's softball team will take to the field tomorrow evening against instate rival Tulsa at 7 p.m. at the Cowgirl Softball Complex. Tulsa comes into the contest with a 18-9 record. The Hurricane are hitting .284 as a team and are led by Katie Torres with a .343 average. Maren Genow leads the TU piching staff with a 10-3 record and a 2.15 ERA. The Cowgirls are 13-13 on the year after splitting four games in the Hawaii Invitational over the weekend. Jessica Hoppock pitched a pair of shutouts, but was outdueled in the final game of the tournament by Northwestern's Courtnay Foster in a 1-0 loss. OSU is hitting .277 as a team led by Shanel Scott's .396 average. Scott hit .625 (10-for-16) in the Hawaii Invitational. Hoopock leads the team on the mound with a 7-8 record and a 3.24 ERA.
Scott Closing in on 100 Runs Scored
Junior outfielder Shanel Scott is closing in on a milestone only one other Cowgirl ever achieved, 100 runs scored. Jamie Foutch scored 122 runs for her career. Foutch also holds career records in hits, doubles, home runs and total bases. Scott has scored 98 runs for her career and is already the career record holder in stolen bases. Scott is currently fourth all-time in hits with 168, and she ranks fourth in career batting average hitting at a .366 clip.
Hoppock Back on Track
The pitching is an easy target for the Cowgirls slow start but it is also the reason OSU has climbed back to .500. Hoppock started the season with a 1-6 record and a 7.24 ERA in OSU's first 11 games. Hoppock has since turned the corner going 6-2 with a 0.78 ERA since the Cowgirls lost five straight at the Palm Springs Classic. The Cowgirls have gone 11-4 since then thanks in large part to Hoppock. Hoppock allowed just one earned run in 22.2 innings of work at the Hawaii Invitational for a 0.31 ERA. In a double header against Truman State she mystified the Bulldog hitters striking out 17 of a possible 21 outs she recorded.
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 .396 on the season and is 6-for-6 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.rk
