Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host UAPB For Pair Of Doubleheaders
March 18, 2008 | Cowboy Baseball
#26 Oklahoma State (11-5)
vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-7)
March 18-19 • 3 p.m. (DH), 1 p.m. (DH)
Stillwater, Okla.
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 11-5 on the season and look to snap a two-game losing skid when they host Arkansas-Pine Bluff for a pair of midweek doubleheaders at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, where the Pokes are 5-0 this season. Tuesday's opener begins at 3 p.m., while the first game of Wednesday's twin bill is scheduled for 1 p.m.
OSU returns to Big 12 Conference action this weekend when it hosts Texas A&M. The Cowboys finished 1-2 last weekend at Baylor to open conference play, while the Aggies won a pair of games in three tries against Texas Tech.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Golden Lions come to Stillwater with a 1-7 mark, their lone win coming on March 5 against Mississippi Valley State. UAPB, which is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, opened the season with seven consecutive losses.
The Coaches
Frank Anderson is in his fifth season at OSU and has compiled a record of 166-95 (.636).
In his second season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Michael Bumpers is 17-37 (.315).
In The Polls
Oklahoma State is ranked 26th in the NCBWA pol; Arkansas-Pine Bluff is unranked.
On The Air & The Web
All OSU baseball games will be carried live by Stillwater Radio on KSPI 93.7 FM and/or 780 AM. Rex Holt, who is in his 26th season as the play-by-play voice of Cowboy baseball, will call the action, with Matt Davis providing color commentary. Radio broadcasts can also be accessed via www.okstate.com (link is available under Cowboy MVP - Live Events). Those wishing to follow OSU's games via live stats can log on to www.okstate.com (link is available under Cowboy MVP - Live Stats).
About Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Golden Lions are 1-7 on the season. They opened the season with seven-straight losses before beating Mississippi Valley State on March 5. UAPB sports an overall batting average of .271 and has an 11.71 team ERA.
OSU is 14-0 all-time against UAPB and won both contests against the Golden Lions last season in Stillwater.
Players To Watch
• INF Gvona Turner (.444, 5 RBI)
• INF Reggie Barker (.375, 7 RBI)
• RHP Daniel Gathright (2.16 ERA in 8.1 IP)
Probable Starting Pitchers
TBA
Lots Of New Faces
The Cowboys' 2008 roster includes a large and talented group of newcomers, with a recruiting class that counts 18 players.
Eight of the newcomers are junior college transfers, while the class also includes six freshmen and four Division I transfers. Seven of OSU's recruits have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.
Among the more notable newcomers are transfers third baseman Matt Hague and catcher Luis Flores, both of whom have earned spots in the starting lineup.
Freshman Thomas Belza hit .556 as a senior at Cincinnati's Moeller High School to break Ken Griffey Jr.'s school record, while fellow frosh Rafael Thomas has blazing speed and was a high school All-American and MLB Draft pick. Another freshman, Dean Green, is seeing time as the Cowboys' designated hitter.
The group of junior college newcomers includes JUCO All-Americans Michael Dabbs, Neil Medchill and Tyrone Hambly.
Home Sweet Home
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium has been home to Oklahoma State baseball since 1981, and in those 26-plus seasons the Cowboys have been nearly unbeatable on their home field.
OSU is 5-0 at home this season and is 698-144 (.829) all-time at Reynolds Stadium, and the Cowboys have lost more than two consecutive games on their home turf only once.
Aluminum Assault
Over the last two seasons, the Cowboys have established themselves among the top hitting teams not only in the Big 12 Conference but nationally — and it appears that trend could continue in 2008.
OSU's lineup includes three of the Big 12's top 18 hitters, and the Cowboys lead the league in home runs (25) and slugging percentage (.522). They rank fifth in batting average (.301).
In '06, OSU led the Big 12 in homers, triples and slugging percentage, and in 2007 the Cowboys led the Big 12 in six offensive categories and ranked second in two more.
