Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Travel to Baton Rouge
February 17, 2010 | Cowgirl Softball
Feb. 17, 2010
STILLWATER, Okla. —The Oklahoma State softball team will travel to Baton Rouge to play Michigan, LSU and Virginia in the LSU Tiger Classic beginning on Friday. The Cowgirls are off to a 5-0 start on the season and will face its first top 25 competition this weekend.
OSU is being led in the circle by senior Anna Whiddon who made four appearances this past weekend earning her three wins and a save. That marked the eighth save of her career, which ties her with Lauren Bay for most in a career. Whiddon threw 14 innings and only gave up four hits and allowed only one run. She tallied 16 strikeouts.
Junior Mariah Gearhart is leading the Cowgirls at the plate with a .588 batting average. She went 10-for-17 this past weekend with eight runs scored. She tallied five runs batted in, including hitting the game-tying RBI in two separate games, sending the games into extra innings. She also added four stolen bases and three walks. Sophomore Julie Ward is also a threat at the plate as she finished the first five games with three home runs, two doubles and 12 RBIs. She has a 1.059 slugging percentage.
OSU will face its first ranked competition as they will play No. 4 Michigan and No. 19 LSU. The Wolverines are 2-1 after this past weekend, defeating Chattanooga and No. 8 UCLA while falling to No. 7 Georgia. They are batting .268 as a team and are led by sophomore Amanda Chidester, who has three doubles and five RBIs. The pitching staff has a combined 1.08 earned run average and is led by junior Jordan Taylor who earned Michigan's two wins and has totaled 26 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched.
The Tigers went 2-3 over opening weekend, defeating No. 21 DePaul and No. 19 North Carolina while falling to UNC and Texas twice. LSU is batting .230 as a team and is being led by senior Kirsten Shortridge, who has a .368 average with seven hits and an RBI. Their pitching staff has a combined 1.24 ERA and is led by sophomore Brittany Mack who has allowed six hits and one earned run in eight innings of works with eight strikeouts.
OSU will also be playing Virginia, who has only played two games so far this season. They defeated UNC-Wilmington 9-0 and fell to Elon 8-10. Senior Nicole Koren leads the Cavaliers at the plate going 4-for-6 in the two games with two home runs, a double and four RBIs. They are led in the circle by freshman Melanie Mitchell who threw 8.2 innings, allowed six hits for no runs and struck out 19.
LSU Tiger Classic Schedule
Friday
2:30 – OSU v. Michigan
7:30 – OSU v. LSU
Saturday
11:00 – OSU v.Virginia
4:00 - #1 seed v. #4 seed
6:30 - #2 seed v. #3 seed
Sunday
10:00 – Consolation Game
12:30 – Championship Game
