Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Head to Tulsa for Border Wars
March 28, 2006 | Cowgirl Softball
Oklahoma State will head to Tulsa for the Border Wars with the University of Tulsa and the University of Arkansas on Wednesday. The Cowgirls will first play Arkansas at 3 p.m., and they will finish the day with a game against Tulsa at 7 p.m. The Cowgirls are 14-14 on the year after a splitting a weekend series with Iowa State. OSU came back to run rule the Cyclones on Sunday after losing the first game of the series. Kim Kaye hit two doubles and drove in three runs, while Chelsey Barclay pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings and Kristina Giustozzi came on to pick up her first save of the season. Arkansas comes into the contest with a 16-16 record. Arkansas lost two out of three in a weekend SEC series with Florida after losing the rubber game in 10 innings. The Lady Backs are led by Rachel LeMaster who is hitting .305, while Katy Henry has been eating up innings on the mound leading the UA pitching staff with 100 innings of work compiling a 9-6 record and a 2.23 ERA. Tulsa comes into the game with a 21-10 record, 8-1 in Conference USA. The Golden Hurricane are getting it done with a balanced lineup and solid pitching. TU has six players hitting over .290 with Brooke Smart leading the way with a .333 average. TU has five players with at least 10 RBIs and seven different players have hit a home run. A different player leads the team in each of the three triple crown categories. Maren Genow paces the Hurricane pitching staff with an 11-4 record and a 2.10 ERA.
Scott Scores
Junior outfielder Shanel Scott became just the second Cowgirl in school history to score 100 runs for her career. Scott needed just 142 games to reach the milestone and is now closing in on Jamie Foutch's career record of 122 runs scored. Scott already holds the school record in stolen bases. Her next milestone to reach will be 200 hits, she currently stands at 170 hits.
Totte Good for Two Bases
Junior Courtney Totte has quietly gone about her business and now sits fourth in school history in career doubles with 27. She has nine double thus far this season and is close to her career high of 12 she set last season. Totte needs just three doubles to become the fourth player in school history to record 30 doubles in a season. Totte is approaching another milestone of 100 RBIs. Jamie Foutch currently holds both records with 56 doubles and 163 RBIS.
Giustozzi Solid in Relief
Junior Kristina Giustozzi was a late addition to the roster after she survived a tryout. Head coach Margaret Rebenar was still not sure she was going to keep her, but the decision to keep Giustozzi around has paid off. The Neosho County Community College transfer from Tulsa is 3-0 on the season with a 2.60 ERA, leads the team. She pitched four innings of relief over the weekend (3/25-26) allowing just two hits to Iowa State and she recorded her first save of the year. The key for Giustozzi has been throwing strikes as she has a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio, also tops on the team.
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 6-3 with a 1.45 ERA since the Cowgirls lost five straight at the Palm Springs Classic. The Cowgirls have gone 12-5 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 that 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 third on the team with a .317 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 .392 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. See how the current Cowgirls rank on the fourth page of these notes.
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 .283 as a team and averaging five runs a game, they will have a chance to get back on the right track.
Rebenar Honored at NFCA Banquet
Head Coach Margaret Rebenar was recently honored at the NFCA Banquet in Orlando, Fla. Rebenar was honored for winning her 500th NFCA sanctioned game over the last year. Rebenar's career career record at Oklahoma State is 138-101. She is also credited with 400 victories as the associate head coach under former OSU skipper Sandy Fischer. Rebenar has led the Cowgirls to two NCAA regional appearances, including a runner-up showing last season.
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.
