Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Set To Host Missouri In Conference Home Opener
March 28, 2009 | Cowboy Baseball
#17 Oklahoma State (17-7, 1-2)
vs. Missouri (12-12, 3-3)
March 28-30 • Sat. - 2 p.m. • Sun. - 2 p.m. • Mon. 1 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla. • Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
• • •
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 17-7 on the season after sweeping a pair midweek games against UNLV, which followed opening Big 12 Conference play last weekend by going 1-2 at Nebraska.
OSU returns to Big 12 action this weekend against Missouri at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, where the Cowboys have won nine of their 12 games this season. The series schedule has shifted to Saturday-Monday due to inclement weather in Stillwater.
With seven regulars in the starting lineup hitting .314 or better, the Cowboys sport a .319 team batting average on the season and rank among the Big 12 leaders in several offensive categories.
OSU's pitching staff has a collective 5.43 ERA and leads the league with 10 saves. The Cowboys' staff has also racked up 221 strikeouts, which ranks second in the league.
Missouri
The Tigers are 12-12 overall and in a five-way tie for third in the Big 12 Conference standings at 3-3. Mizzou is coming off a conference series win over Texas A&M in Columbia.
Missouri is hitting a collective .261, while its pitching staff sports a 5.85 ERA.
In The Polls
Oklahoma State's highest ranking is No. 17 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll. The Cowboys are ranked 18th by the NCBWA, 19th by Collegiate Baseball and 23rd by Baseball America.
Missouri is unranked.
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 27th 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 Audio/Video - Live Events). Those wishing to follow OSU's games via live stats can also log on to www.okstate.com (link is available under Audio/Video - Live Stats).
About Missouri
The Tigers are 12-12 overall and 3-3 in Big 12 Conference play.
OSU is 122-63 all-time vs. Missouri. Last season, the Cowboys won the final two games of the series in Columbia.
Players To Watch
• C Trevor Coleman (.230, 3 HR, 13 RBI)
• INF Conner Mach (.353, HR, 10 RBI)
• RF Aaron Senne (.301, 14 RBI)
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: RHP Kyle Gibson
4-1, 1.15 ERA, 2 CG, 54 K in five starts
Saturday: RHP Ian Berger
2-2, 6.00 ERA in eight starts
Sunday: RHP Nick Tepesch
1-1, 5.28 ERA in five starts
Home Sweet Home
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium has been home to Oklahoma State baseball since 1981, and in those 28-plus seasons the Cowboys have been nearly unbeatable on their home field.
The Cowboys are 730-153 (.827) all-time at Reynolds Stadium and have lost more than two consecutive games on their home turf only once (six in a row in May 2007).
OSU is 9-3 at Reynolds Stadium in 2009.
200 Club
With the Cowboys' season-opening win over BYU, Frank Anderson became the fifth head coach in OSU history to reach 200 career victories. He is the third-fastest coach to reach the milestone in Stillwater behind Gary Ward and Tom Holliday.
Anderson is in his sixth season at OSU and owns an overall career record of 216-115. The Cowboys are 80-57 in Big 12 Conference play under Anderson.
Aluminum Assault
Over the last several seasons, OSU has established itself among the top hitting teams not only in the Big 12 Conference but on a national scale.
Through the first five weeks of the 2009 season, the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's best in batting average (.319), runs (215), hits (268), home runs (32), RBI (203), slugging percentage (.529) and on-base percentage (.420).
Last season, OSU led the Big 12 in three offensive categories — batting average (.326), slugging percentage (.531) and home runs (89). The Cowboys finished second in the league in runs, hits, triples and RBIs.
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.
Kings Of The Hill
OSU also had one of the top pitching staffs in college baseball in 2008, and the '09 version has been solid as well.
Each of the Cowboys' weekend starters has at least three wins in 2009, and the pitching staff leads the Big 12 in saves (10) while ranking second in strikeouts (221).
Last season, the Cowboys led the Big 12 with a 3.98 team ERA and also topped the league with 21 saves. The staff returned seven pitchers who made at least eight appearances and worked 15 or more innings in '08.
OSU's 3.98 ERA in '08 marked the first time since 2005 the Cowboys' finished the season with a team ERA under 4.00. The '05 and '08 seasons are the only two since 1974 that OSU has had an ERA of less than 4.00.
Awards Watch
Several Cowboys have been named to preseason awards lists by various publications, including:
• Baseball America Preseason All-America
Andrew Oliver (second team)
• Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America
Andrew Oliver (second team)
Tyler Lyons (third team)
• Rivals.com Preseason All-America
Andrew Oliver
• Golden Spikes Award Watch List
Tyler Lyons, Andrew Oliver
• Wallace Award Watch List
Tom Belza, Tyler Lyons, Andrew Oliver, Neil Medchill
Short Hops
• The Cowboys are 3-2 against ranked teams in 2009, including a win over then No. 6 Cal State Fullerton. OSU was 15-9 against ranked teams in 2008, including a 9-7 mark vs. teams ranked in the Top 10.
• OSU pitchers Tyler Blandford, Thomas Keeling and Andrew Oliver rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Big 12 in strikeouts.
• An OSU player has led the Big 12 in batting average each of the last two seasons — Ty Wright in 2007 and Tom Belza in 2008 — and the Cowboys have two of the league's top 12 hitters in 2009 in Neil Medchill (10th at .389) and Kevin David (12th at .376).
• OSU entered the week ranked eighth nationally with 11 triples.
• Randy McCurry's six saves are tied for second nationally.
• Tyler Blandford's 47 strikeouts rank seventh nationally and his 12.94 strikeouts per nine innings ranks ninth.
vs. Missouri (12-12, 3-3)
March 28-30 • Sat. - 2 p.m. • Sun. - 2 p.m. • Mon. 1 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla. • Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
• • •
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 17-7 on the season after sweeping a pair midweek games against UNLV, which followed opening Big 12 Conference play last weekend by going 1-2 at Nebraska.
OSU returns to Big 12 action this weekend against Missouri at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, where the Cowboys have won nine of their 12 games this season. The series schedule has shifted to Saturday-Monday due to inclement weather in Stillwater.
With seven regulars in the starting lineup hitting .314 or better, the Cowboys sport a .319 team batting average on the season and rank among the Big 12 leaders in several offensive categories.
OSU's pitching staff has a collective 5.43 ERA and leads the league with 10 saves. The Cowboys' staff has also racked up 221 strikeouts, which ranks second in the league.
Missouri
The Tigers are 12-12 overall and in a five-way tie for third in the Big 12 Conference standings at 3-3. Mizzou is coming off a conference series win over Texas A&M in Columbia.
Missouri is hitting a collective .261, while its pitching staff sports a 5.85 ERA.
In The Polls
Oklahoma State's highest ranking is No. 17 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll. The Cowboys are ranked 18th by the NCBWA, 19th by Collegiate Baseball and 23rd by Baseball America.
Missouri is unranked.
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 27th 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 Audio/Video - Live Events). Those wishing to follow OSU's games via live stats can also log on to www.okstate.com (link is available under Audio/Video - Live Stats).
About Missouri
The Tigers are 12-12 overall and 3-3 in Big 12 Conference play.
OSU is 122-63 all-time vs. Missouri. Last season, the Cowboys won the final two games of the series in Columbia.
Players To Watch
• C Trevor Coleman (.230, 3 HR, 13 RBI)
• INF Conner Mach (.353, HR, 10 RBI)
• RF Aaron Senne (.301, 14 RBI)
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: RHP Kyle Gibson
4-1, 1.15 ERA, 2 CG, 54 K in five starts
Saturday: RHP Ian Berger
2-2, 6.00 ERA in eight starts
Sunday: RHP Nick Tepesch
1-1, 5.28 ERA in five starts
Home Sweet Home
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium has been home to Oklahoma State baseball since 1981, and in those 28-plus seasons the Cowboys have been nearly unbeatable on their home field.
The Cowboys are 730-153 (.827) all-time at Reynolds Stadium and have lost more than two consecutive games on their home turf only once (six in a row in May 2007).
OSU is 9-3 at Reynolds Stadium in 2009.
200 Club
With the Cowboys' season-opening win over BYU, Frank Anderson became the fifth head coach in OSU history to reach 200 career victories. He is the third-fastest coach to reach the milestone in Stillwater behind Gary Ward and Tom Holliday.
Anderson is in his sixth season at OSU and owns an overall career record of 216-115. The Cowboys are 80-57 in Big 12 Conference play under Anderson.
Aluminum Assault
Over the last several seasons, OSU has established itself among the top hitting teams not only in the Big 12 Conference but on a national scale.
Through the first five weeks of the 2009 season, the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's best in batting average (.319), runs (215), hits (268), home runs (32), RBI (203), slugging percentage (.529) and on-base percentage (.420).
Last season, OSU led the Big 12 in three offensive categories — batting average (.326), slugging percentage (.531) and home runs (89). The Cowboys finished second in the league in runs, hits, triples and RBIs.
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.
Kings Of The Hill
OSU also had one of the top pitching staffs in college baseball in 2008, and the '09 version has been solid as well.
Each of the Cowboys' weekend starters has at least three wins in 2009, and the pitching staff leads the Big 12 in saves (10) while ranking second in strikeouts (221).
Last season, the Cowboys led the Big 12 with a 3.98 team ERA and also topped the league with 21 saves. The staff returned seven pitchers who made at least eight appearances and worked 15 or more innings in '08.
OSU's 3.98 ERA in '08 marked the first time since 2005 the Cowboys' finished the season with a team ERA under 4.00. The '05 and '08 seasons are the only two since 1974 that OSU has had an ERA of less than 4.00.
Awards Watch
Several Cowboys have been named to preseason awards lists by various publications, including:
• Baseball America Preseason All-America
Andrew Oliver (second team)
• Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America
Andrew Oliver (second team)
Tyler Lyons (third team)
• Rivals.com Preseason All-America
Andrew Oliver
• Golden Spikes Award Watch List
Tyler Lyons, Andrew Oliver
• Wallace Award Watch List
Tom Belza, Tyler Lyons, Andrew Oliver, Neil Medchill
Short Hops
• The Cowboys are 3-2 against ranked teams in 2009, including a win over then No. 6 Cal State Fullerton. OSU was 15-9 against ranked teams in 2008, including a 9-7 mark vs. teams ranked in the Top 10.
• OSU pitchers Tyler Blandford, Thomas Keeling and Andrew Oliver rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Big 12 in strikeouts.
• An OSU player has led the Big 12 in batting average each of the last two seasons — Ty Wright in 2007 and Tom Belza in 2008 — and the Cowboys have two of the league's top 12 hitters in 2009 in Neil Medchill (10th at .389) and Kevin David (12th at .376).
• OSU entered the week ranked eighth nationally with 11 triples.
• Randy McCurry's six saves are tied for second nationally.
• Tyler Blandford's 47 strikeouts rank seventh nationally and his 12.94 strikeouts per nine innings ranks ninth.
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
