Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Arkansas-Pine Bluff In Midweek Series
April 13, 2009 | Cowboy Baseball
#28 Oklahoma State (21-14)
vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (16-16)
April 14-15 • Tues. - 3 p.m. (DH) • Wed. - 3 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla. • Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
• • •
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 21-14 on the season and looking to snap a season-long five-game losing streak when they open a three-game series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with a Tuesday doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday's finale is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start.
Following its midweek action, OSU returns to Big 12 Conference play this weekend when the Cowboys host Baylor at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. OSU will be honoring members of its 1959 national championship team prior to Saturday's game against the Bears.
With six regulars in the starting lineup hitting .315 or better, OSU sports a .309 team batting average on the season and ranks among the Big 12 leaders in several offensive categories.
OSU's pitching staff has a collective 4.94 ERA and is tied for the Big 12 lead with 10 saves. The Cowboys' staff has also racked up 312 strikeouts, which ranks second in the league.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Golden Lions are 16-16 on the season and have won three of their last four games. UAPB is 4-11 on the road this season, with one of those wins coming at Wichita State.
UAPB is hitting a collective .286, while its pitching staff sports a 6.52 ERA.
In The Polls
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 28 in the NCBWA poll. The Cowboys dropped out of three other national polls this week, ending a string of 18 consecutive weeks in which the Cowboys were ranked in at least three national polls. OSU has been ranked as high as 11th in two different national polls this season.
UAPB is not ranked, while Baylor will bring a Top 10 ranking into this weekend's series.
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.
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 Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Golden Lions are 16-16 on the season. OSU is 16-0 all-time against UAPB, including a pair of wins last season.
Players To Watch
• INF Lloyd Burchett (.386, 2 HR, 25 RBI)
• OF Jerome McCollom (.378, 4 HR, 30 RBI)
Probable Starting Pitchers
TBA
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 734-156 (.825) 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 13-6 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 220-122. The Cowboys are 83-63 in Big 12 Conference play under Anderson.
Return Of The Champs
On the 50-year anniversary of its lone NCAA national championship in baseball, OSU will be honoring members of that 1959 team with a reunion Saturday in Stillwater.
Thirteen members of the '59 team have confirmed a return to Stillwater for Saturday's festivities, including College World Series MVP Jim Dobson and Dick Soergel, who was the winning pitcher in the title game vs. Arizona.
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 their first 32 games of the 2009 season, the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's best in runs (276), hits (375), triples (15), home runs (48), RBI (258), slugging percentage (.513) and on-base percentage (.395).
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 four wins in 2009, and the pitching staff leads the Big 12 in saves (10) while ranking second in strikeouts (312).
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
vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (16-16)
April 14-15 • Tues. - 3 p.m. (DH) • Wed. - 3 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla. • Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
• • •
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 21-14 on the season and looking to snap a season-long five-game losing streak when they open a three-game series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with a Tuesday doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday's finale is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start.
Following its midweek action, OSU returns to Big 12 Conference play this weekend when the Cowboys host Baylor at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. OSU will be honoring members of its 1959 national championship team prior to Saturday's game against the Bears.
With six regulars in the starting lineup hitting .315 or better, OSU sports a .309 team batting average on the season and ranks among the Big 12 leaders in several offensive categories.
OSU's pitching staff has a collective 4.94 ERA and is tied for the Big 12 lead with 10 saves. The Cowboys' staff has also racked up 312 strikeouts, which ranks second in the league.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Golden Lions are 16-16 on the season and have won three of their last four games. UAPB is 4-11 on the road this season, with one of those wins coming at Wichita State.
UAPB is hitting a collective .286, while its pitching staff sports a 6.52 ERA.
In The Polls
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 28 in the NCBWA poll. The Cowboys dropped out of three other national polls this week, ending a string of 18 consecutive weeks in which the Cowboys were ranked in at least three national polls. OSU has been ranked as high as 11th in two different national polls this season.
UAPB is not ranked, while Baylor will bring a Top 10 ranking into this weekend's series.
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.
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 Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Golden Lions are 16-16 on the season. OSU is 16-0 all-time against UAPB, including a pair of wins last season.
Players To Watch
• INF Lloyd Burchett (.386, 2 HR, 25 RBI)
• OF Jerome McCollom (.378, 4 HR, 30 RBI)
Probable Starting Pitchers
TBA
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 734-156 (.825) 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 13-6 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 220-122. The Cowboys are 83-63 in Big 12 Conference play under Anderson.
Return Of The Champs
On the 50-year anniversary of its lone NCAA national championship in baseball, OSU will be honoring members of that 1959 team with a reunion Saturday in Stillwater.
Thirteen members of the '59 team have confirmed a return to Stillwater for Saturday's festivities, including College World Series MVP Jim Dobson and Dick Soergel, who was the winning pitcher in the title game vs. Arizona.
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 their first 32 games of the 2009 season, the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's best in runs (276), hits (375), triples (15), home runs (48), RBI (258), slugging percentage (.513) and on-base percentage (.395).
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 four wins in 2009, and the pitching staff leads the Big 12 in saves (10) while ranking second in strikeouts (312).
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
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
