Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls to Compete in NCAA Tournament
May 12, 2009 | Cowgirl Softball
May 12, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Oklahoma State's softball team will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., this week to compete in the NCAA Division I Softball Championships. The Cowgirls will face 16th-ranked Florida State in first-round action on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. CT.
This season marks OSU's 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, but its first since 2005 and first under head coach Rich Wieligman. The Cowgirls are 34-20 this season and averaging just over four runs per game.
Oklahoma State is led offensively by sophomore Mariah Gearhart. The Cowgirl third baseman is batting .350 this season while leading the team in hits (57), runs scored (45), on-base percentage (.467) and stolen bases (31-of-33). She was named All-Big 12 Second Team for her efforts on the field. Sophomore second-baseman Alysia Hamilton is second on the squad with her .344 batting average, and leads the team with 46 runs batted in.
OSU's pitching staff has compiled a 2.48 earned run average and has recorded 17 shutouts this season, tied for the most in the last 11 seasons. Anna Whiddon is the ace for the Cowgirls, starting 35 games and compiling a 19-13 record with a 2.34 ERA. Lefthanded pitcher Sarah Odom is 13-5 this season with a 2.59 ERA.
Florida State is 43-14 overall this season and coming off a loss to Georgia Tech in the championship game of the ACC Tournament. The Seminoles are led by junior outfielder Carly Wynn who is batting .351 this season and has scored a team-high 42 runs.
The strength of FSU's team is it's pitching staff. Right-handed pitcher Sarah Hamilton is 19-5 this season with a 0.84 ERA and 283 strikeouts in 183 innings. Fellow righty Terese Gober is 24-9 with a 1.29 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 185 innings. The pair have recorded 23 shutouts this season.
Oklahoma State will play either 14th-ranked California (35-18) or Mississippi State (28-26) on Saturday. The winners of Friday's games play at noon while the losers play at 2:30 p.m. CT.
