Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host No. 7 Wichita State In Non-Conference Showdown
April 23, 2008 | Cowboy Baseball
#13 Oklahoma State (28-11)
vs. #7 Wichita State (31-7)
April 23 • 6:30 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla.
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 28-11 on the season and winners of five-straight games. OSU is in third place in the Big 12 Conference standings with an 11-7 mark after winning their last three conference series.
Up next, OSU hosts No. 7 Wichita State at Reynolds Stadium. The Cowboys are 12-6 against ranked teams this season, with seven of those wins coming against Top 10 teams.
OSU is hitting .323 as a team, which ranks second in the Big 12, while the pitching staff sports a collective 3.92 ERA, which ranks third in the league.
Wichita State
The Shockers are 31-7, including a 7-5 mark in road games. WSU is 0-4 against ranked teams and 3-1 vs. Big 12 Conference opponents, with wins over Kansas (twice) and Kansas State and a loss to Nebraska.
In The Polls
Oklahoma State's highest ranking is No. 13 by Baseball America, which marks the highest the Cowboys have been ranked this season. The Cowboys are also ranked 14th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' and NCBWA polls and 18th by Collegiate Baseball.
Wichita State is ranked as high as No. 7 in both the USA Today/ESPN coaches' and Collegiate Baseball polls. The Shockers are also ranked 8th in the NCBWA poll and 14th by Baseball America.
On The Air & The Web
All OSU baseball games are 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 adding 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 Wichita State
The Shockers are 31-7 on the season. WSU is hitting .308 as a team, and its pitching staff sports a collective 3.13 ERA.
OSU is 49-26 all-time against WSU, including a 3-1 win in Wichita last season.
Players To Watch
• 3B Conor Gillaspie (.388, 3 HR, 43 RBI)
• SS Dusty Coleman (.341, 5 HR, 41 RBI)
• RHP Khol Nanney (4-0, 3 saves, 0.43 ERA)
Probable Starting Pitcher
RHP Tim Kelley
4-2, 3.94 ERA in seven starts
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 Dean Green has earned a role 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 16-2 at home this season and is 709-146 (.829) all-time at Reynolds Stadium. The Cowboys have lost more than two consecutive games on their home turf only once.
Aluminum Assault
Over the last two seasons, OSU has established itself among the top hitting teams not only in the Big 12 Conference but nationally — a trend which is continuing in 2008.
OSU's lineup includes three of the Big 12's top 20 hitters — Matt Hague, Donnie Webb and Jordy Mercer — and the Cowboys lead the league in home runs (51) and slugging percentage (.520). They rank second in batting average (.323) and runs (326).
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.
Heavy Hitters
OSU's offensive stats received a huge boost during a record setting day against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 19.
In the doubleheader sweep of the Golden Lions, OSU racked up 56 runs on 54 hits.
With a 34-1 win in the nightcap, the Cowboys recorded several notable achievements, including:
• OSU set a school record for hits in a game (32);
• The Cowboys collected 33 RBIs, one shy of the school's single-game record;
• OSU also finished just one double and one triple shy of setting school marks. The Pokes racked up nine doubles and three triples;
• Freshman Thomas Belza tied school records for hits in a game (6) and runs in a game (6);
• The win marked OSU's 700th at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
For his performance against UAPB, Belza was named the StatStud.com National StatStud of the Day.
Heavy Hitters, Pt. II
In OSU's 19-2 win over No. 6 Nebraska on April 12, the Cowboys set a school record for hits against a Big 12 Conference opponent with 24. The previous high was 22 against Kansas State on March 7, 1997.
The Cowboys' 19 runs in that game tied for the third most against a Big 12 opponent (23 vs. K-State in 1997 and 20 vs. Iowa State in 1999).
OSU's 17-run margin of victory was also the second most against a Big 12 team, just one behind the Cowboys' 18-run win (20-2) over Iowa State on May 7, 2000.
vs. #7 Wichita State (31-7)
April 23 • 6:30 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla.
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 28-11 on the season and winners of five-straight games. OSU is in third place in the Big 12 Conference standings with an 11-7 mark after winning their last three conference series.
Up next, OSU hosts No. 7 Wichita State at Reynolds Stadium. The Cowboys are 12-6 against ranked teams this season, with seven of those wins coming against Top 10 teams.
OSU is hitting .323 as a team, which ranks second in the Big 12, while the pitching staff sports a collective 3.92 ERA, which ranks third in the league.
Wichita State
The Shockers are 31-7, including a 7-5 mark in road games. WSU is 0-4 against ranked teams and 3-1 vs. Big 12 Conference opponents, with wins over Kansas (twice) and Kansas State and a loss to Nebraska.
In The Polls
Oklahoma State's highest ranking is No. 13 by Baseball America, which marks the highest the Cowboys have been ranked this season. The Cowboys are also ranked 14th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' and NCBWA polls and 18th by Collegiate Baseball.
Wichita State is ranked as high as No. 7 in both the USA Today/ESPN coaches' and Collegiate Baseball polls. The Shockers are also ranked 8th in the NCBWA poll and 14th by Baseball America.
On The Air & The Web
All OSU baseball games are 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 adding 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 Wichita State
The Shockers are 31-7 on the season. WSU is hitting .308 as a team, and its pitching staff sports a collective 3.13 ERA.
OSU is 49-26 all-time against WSU, including a 3-1 win in Wichita last season.
Players To Watch
• 3B Conor Gillaspie (.388, 3 HR, 43 RBI)
• SS Dusty Coleman (.341, 5 HR, 41 RBI)
• RHP Khol Nanney (4-0, 3 saves, 0.43 ERA)
Probable Starting Pitcher
RHP Tim Kelley
4-2, 3.94 ERA in seven starts
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 Dean Green has earned a role 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 16-2 at home this season and is 709-146 (.829) all-time at Reynolds Stadium. The Cowboys have lost more than two consecutive games on their home turf only once.
Aluminum Assault
Over the last two seasons, OSU has established itself among the top hitting teams not only in the Big 12 Conference but nationally — a trend which is continuing in 2008.
OSU's lineup includes three of the Big 12's top 20 hitters — Matt Hague, Donnie Webb and Jordy Mercer — and the Cowboys lead the league in home runs (51) and slugging percentage (.520). They rank second in batting average (.323) and runs (326).
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.
Heavy Hitters
OSU's offensive stats received a huge boost during a record setting day against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 19.
In the doubleheader sweep of the Golden Lions, OSU racked up 56 runs on 54 hits.
With a 34-1 win in the nightcap, the Cowboys recorded several notable achievements, including:
• OSU set a school record for hits in a game (32);
• The Cowboys collected 33 RBIs, one shy of the school's single-game record;
• OSU also finished just one double and one triple shy of setting school marks. The Pokes racked up nine doubles and three triples;
• Freshman Thomas Belza tied school records for hits in a game (6) and runs in a game (6);
• The win marked OSU's 700th at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
For his performance against UAPB, Belza was named the StatStud.com National StatStud of the Day.
Heavy Hitters, Pt. II
In OSU's 19-2 win over No. 6 Nebraska on April 12, the Cowboys set a school record for hits against a Big 12 Conference opponent with 24. The previous high was 22 against Kansas State on March 7, 1997.
The Cowboys' 19 runs in that game tied for the third most against a Big 12 opponent (23 vs. K-State in 1997 and 20 vs. Iowa State in 1999).
OSU's 17-run margin of victory was also the second most against a Big 12 team, just one behind the Cowboys' 18-run win (20-2) over Iowa State on May 7, 2000.
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