Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Softball Faces New Mexico
February 28, 2008 | Cowgirl Softball
Oklahoma State (10-6)
at New Mexico (6-5)
Albuquerque, N.M.
Friday - Sunday, Feb. 29-March 1
6 p.m. • 2 p.m. • 2 p.m.
Quick Notes vs. New Mexico
• Oklahoma State travels to Albuquerque, N.M., this weekend for a three-game series with the New Mexico Lobos. Game times are set for 6 p.m. (5 p.m. MT) Friday, and 2 p.m. (1 p.m. MT) on Saturday and Sunday.
• The Cowgirls own a 17-4 record all-time against the Lobos, including a 4-0 mark in Albuquerque.
• OSU has won the last two meetings, but the two teams have not played in the last three seasons.
• Three of Oklahoma State’s four losses in the series came in the first four games. OSU has won 15 of the last 16 meetings.
At the Plate
• As a team, Oklahoma State ranks second behind Baylor in the Big 12 with its .323 batting average. The Bears are batting .343 in 12 games. OSU leads the league in slugging percentage (.523), home runs (21) and sacrifice bunts (17).
• Freshman shortstop Mariah Gearhart leads the Big 12 Conference with 24 base hits and ranks second in the league with her .480 batting average.
• Sophomore outfielder Katelyn Bright is seventh in the Big 12 with her .404 batting average while freshman second baseman Alysia Hamilton ranks eighth with her .400 average. Senior Kim Kaye ranks 17th at .353.
• Kaye leads the conference in home runs (7), and total bases (42). She is second in RBIs (19) and third in slugging percentage (.824).
• Bright leads the Big 12 with six doubles. Heather Kim is fourth with five.
• Gearhart is tied for the league lead with her 13 stolen bases. Through 16 games, she is already tied for seventh place on the school single-season stolen bases list. Shanel Scott established a school record last season with 51 stolen bases in 58 games, or 0.88 stolen bases per game. Gearhart is averaging 0.81 per contest.
In the Circle
• Oklahoma State’s pitching staff has thrown three shutouts this season, including a one-hitter by freshman Amanda Crabtree vs. Temple in a 5-0 win. She ranks third in the Big 12 Conference with 60 strikeouts and third in innings pitched with 52.
• Another freshman, Sarah Odom, is 5-2 this season and ranks 11th in the Big 12 with a 1.79 earned run average. She threw a complete game against No. 15 Washington in Tempe.
Kaye in the Record Books
• Cowgirl senior Kim Kaye’s name is scattered throughout the career record book at Oklahoma State.
• She currently has seven home runs this season, leading the Big 12 Conference. Her 20 career home runs rank seventh in the school record books. She needs just two more homers to tie Stephanie Nicholson for sixth place.
• Kaye is tied for eighth on the career doubles list with 25. Two more would move her into sole possession of fifth place.
• Kaye’s 82 runs batted in following last weekend rank her seventh in school history. She had 10 last weekend, moving her past Stephenie Little (75) and Tonia Brown (79). Kaye needs six RBIs to surpass Michele Smith for sixth place.
• Her 198 total bases ranks 15th all-time in school history. This past weekend, she accumulated 12, moving her past Jenny Kipp (195). Eight bases will move her into 13th place.
• Kaye’s .529 career slugging percentage ranks sixth in school history.
• She moved into the top-25 in school history for runs scored last week. She currently has 67, ranking 18th.
Coach Rich Wieligman
• Coach Rich Wieligman is entering his second season as the head coach of the Cowgirls. He is just the fifth coach in the history of the program.
• He has compiled a 36-39 record at Oklahoma State.
• Coach Wieligman is no stranger to the Big 12 Conference. He has spent time at Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas Tech as an assistant coach.
History of Cowgirl Softball
• Oklahoma State has a rich tradition in the sport of softball. The Cowgirls have made six trips to the Women’s College World Series and have never finished lower than fourth in any of those six appearances.
• In the old Big Eight Conference, Oklahoma State won nine league titles.
• A list of former Cowgirls includes gold-medal winner Michele Smith (USA Olympic Team), Olympian Melanie Roche (Australian Olympic Team), Olympian Lauren Bay (Canadian Olympic Team), Jaime Foutch (WPF All-Star) and Shanel Scott (NPF All-Star).
• Oklahoma State’s all-time record in the sport of softball is 1,160-567-3 (.671), including a 622-314 (.665) record on neutral fields.
Up Next for the Cowgirls
• Oklahoma State will travel to Wichita, Kan., next Wednesday, March 5, for a mid-week game with the Wichita State Shockers. Game time is set for 5 p.m.
• Next weekend, the Cowgirls will play their first home games of the season as OSU hosts the Mizuno Classic at Cowgirl Stadium.
• The Cowgirls will entertain Texas Wesleyan, Stephen F. Austin and Centenary in a round-robin format.
• Games will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 7-9.
