Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Look To Extend Big 12 Winning Streak In Waco
April 06, 2006 | Cowboy Baseball
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#22 Baylor (19-11, 4-5)
April 7-9 • 7 p.m., 6 p.m., 2 p.m.
Waco, Texas • Baylor Ballpark (5,000)
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 18-8 on the season after losing to Oral Roberts on Tuesday in Tulsa. OSU has won three of its last four games as it swept Texas A&M last weekend in Big 12 Conference action in Stillwater. The Cowboys are 27-19 all-time against Baylor.
Baylor
The Bears are 19-11 overall after an 18-8 loss at TCU on Tuesday in which they gave up 12 runs in the first inning. Tuesday's loss was BU's third straight, marking its longest losing streak since 2004.
Polls
Baylor is ranked No. 22 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll. OSU is not ranked in any of the four major polls.
The Coaches
OSU's Frank Anderson is 90-57 in his third season with the Cowboys, including a 3-3 all-time mark against Baylor.
Steve Smith is 437-269-1 in his 12th season at Baylor and 14-16 against the Cowboys.
On The Air
All OSU baseball games will be carried live by Stillwater Radio on KSPI 93.7 FM and 780 AM. Rex Holt, who is in his 24th season as the play-by-play voice of Cowboy baseball, will call the action. The radio broadcast can also be accessed via the internet at www.okstate.com (link is available under Audio Webcast). Those wishing to follow the game via live stats can also log in to www.okstate.com.
OSU vs. Baylor in 2005
OSU finished 2-2 against the Bears last season. The Cowboys won 2-of-3 games against then No. 10 BU in Stillwater, then lost to the Bears in the Big 12 Tournament.
March 25, 2005 Oklahoma State 7, #10 Baylor 1 ... Brown, Colbert, Carr two hits apiece
March 26, 2005 #10 Baylor 6, Oklahoma State 3 ... LaMotta earns save with 2.2 perfect innings
March 27, 2005 Oklahoma State 3, #10 Baylor 2 ... Ptak GW-RBI sac fly w/bases loaded in 9th
May 26, 2005 Baylor 8, Oklahoma State 3 (Big 12 Tourn.) ... Ty Wright 4-for-4
About Baylor
The Bears are coming off a 2005 season in which they shared the Big 12 regular season title and advanced to the semifinals of the College World Series. BU is 19-11 overall and 4-5 in Big 12 play. Coach Steve Smith's ballclub opened defense of its conference crown by beating Kansas twice but has dropped 2-of-3 games in back-to-back league series (vs. Oklahoma and Texas Tech).
As A Matter Of Fact: Baylor is on a three-game losing streak for the first time since 2004. The Bears have given up 46 runs during that skid, the most they've allowed during a three-game span since giving up 47 in three games against Texas Tech during the 1997 season.
Players To Watch
• Zach Dillon, C - An All-Big 12 pick a year ago, Dillon leads the Bears with a .352 batting average and is tied for the team lead with 23 RBIs.
• Jeff Mandel, RHP/1B - A junior, Mandel is 0-1 with six saves in 12 appearances on the mound. He is also hitting .250 with seven RBIs.
• Seth Fortenberry, LF - The senior is hitting .320 with five homers and 23 RBIs. He also has five stolen bases and five triples.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday - Ryan LaMotta, RHP - LaMotta leads BU with four wins as he sports a 4-2 mark and a 3.00 ERA in eight starts.
Saturday - Cory VanAllen, LHP - Baylor's leader in strikeouts (30) is 3-3 with a 4.08 ERA.
Sunday - Tim Matthews, RHP - In nine appearances, including seven starts, Matthews is 2-3 with a 5.82 ERA.
Aluminum Assault
Frank Anderson has called his 2006 squad the best offensive team he's had since arriving in Stillwater, and the Cowboys are proving their head coach prophetic.
OSU ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with a .331 batting average and has three players — Deik Scram, Tyler Mach and Corey Brown — among the top 12 in the league in batting average. Eight Cowboy regulars are hitting .300 or better, and Scram ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a .412 average.
The Cowboys have scored 217 runs in 26 games and have collected 312 hits — averages of 8.3 runs and 12 hits per game. The Cowboys have scored 10 or more runs 12 times and have had 12 games where they racked up at least 15 hits, including three contests in which they topped the 20-hit mark.
OSU leads the Big 12 with 114 extra-base hits and is tied for third in the league with 32 home runs.
Take Note: OSU is outscoring its opponents 147-77 in the first five innings of games.
Cardiac Cowboys
Oklahoma State earned its second three-game series sweep of the 2006 season in dramatic fashion last weekend against Texas A&M. The Cowboys scored the winning runs in their final at bat in each of the three wins in Stillwater.
In Friday's contest, Adam Carr led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a triple, and Keanon Simon brought him home with a sacrifice fly for a 10-9 OSU win. On Saturday, the Cowboys trailed 3-2 entering their final at bat, but John Schindler led off the inning with a home run, and Jordy Mercer provided the game winner with a bases loaded single. Then in the finale, it was Mercer scoring the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Matt Clarkson in OSU's 12-11 win.
