Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Kansas State In Final Home Series Of Season
May 03, 2009 | Cowboy Baseball
April 30, 2009
#26 Oklahoma State (29-17, 6-11)
vs. #16 Kansas State (33-11-1, 10-7-1)
May 1-2 • Fri. - 3 p.m. (DH) • Sat. - 2 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla. • Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are 29-17 overall and have won eight of their last 11 games. OSU returns to Big 12 Conference action this weekend when the Cowboys host No. 16 Kansas State at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. The Cowboys are ninth in the conference standings with a 6-11 league mark. OSU is 1-4-1 in its Big 12 series in 2009.
Due to a forecast calling for rain in Stillwater this weekend, the series schedule has changed. The two teams will play a doubleheader Friday, with the first game scheduled for 3 p.m., and the series finale is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.
With seven regulars in the starting lineup hitting .305 or better, OSU sports a .304 team batting average on the season and ranks among the Big 12 leaders in several offensive categories.
OSU's pitching staff has a collective 4.57 ERA and leads the Big 12 with 14 saves. The Cowboys' staff has also racked up 420 strikeouts, which ranks second in the league.
Kansas State
The Wildcats are 33-11-1 overall and in fourth place in the Big 12 Conference standings with a 10-7-1 mark. KSU is 5-0-1 in its last six games and has won three of its six league series this season.
K-State is hitting .324 as a team and sports a 3.74 team ERA, both of which rank second in the Big 12. The Wildcats also lead the league with 118 stolen bases.
In The Polls
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 26 in the NCBWA poll.
Kansas State's highest ranking is 16th by Baseball America. The Wildcats are also ranked 21st in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, 23rd in the NCBWA poll and 24th by Collegiate Baseball.
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 Kansas State
The Wildcats are 33-11-1 on the season, including a 10-7-1 mark in Big 12 play. KSU is 10-5-1 on the road in 2009.
OSU is 147-42 all time against Kansas State. Last season, the Cowboys were 1-3 against K-State, losing two of the three games in Manhattan and a game at the Big 12 Championship.
Players To Watch
• 2B Carter Jurica (.377, 4 HR, 36 RBI)
• 1B Justin Bloxom (.380, 8 HR, 45 RBI)
• SS Drew Biery (.361, 8 HR, 41 RBI)
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: RHP A.J. Morris (Game 1)
10-0, 1.27 ERA, 2 CG in 11 starts
LHP Lance Hoge (Game 2)
4-2, 3.54 ERA in 10 starts
Saturday: RHP Todd Vogel
3-0, 4.85 ERA in 10 appearances
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 740-157 (.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 19-7 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 228-125, which includes an 85-66 mark in Big 12 play.
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.
Thus far in 2009, the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's best in batting average (.304), runs (341), hits (478), triples (18), home runs (58), RBI (321) and slugging percentage (.501).
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.
Four different Cowboy hurlers have at least five wins in 2009, and the pitching staff leads the Big 12 in saves (14) while ranking second in strikeouts (420).
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.
Short Hops
• The Cowboys are 7-7 against ranked teams in 2009, including three wins over Top 10 teams (#6 Cal State Fullerton, #7 Baylor & #9 Texas).
• OSU pitchers Tyler Blandford, Andrew Oliver and Thomas Keeling rank third, fourth and seventh, 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 one of the league's top hitters again in 2009 in Kevin David, who ranks 13th in the league with a .354 average.
• In the latest official NCAA RPI rankings, OSU comes in at No. 24. The Big 12 Conference has seven teams among the top 37 in the RPI.
• Andrew Oliver's 37 career starts on the mound is ninth all time at OSU.
• Jeff Breedlove has made 66 appearances on the mound during his career, which is tied for eighth on OSU's all-time list.
• Andrew Oliver and Tyler Lyons are both on the verge of cracking the Top 10 on OSU's career wins list. Oliver needs four wins and Lyons five to reach 22, which would place them 10th on the all-time list along with Scott Baker, Greg Dean and Marv Rockman.
