Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Face No. 4 Missouri
April 01, 2010 | Cowgirl Softball
April 1, 2010
#15 Oklahoma State Cowgirls
(29-7 overall, 2-0 Big 12)
at
#4 Missouri Tigers
(23-4 overall, 1-1 Big 12)
University Field • Columbia, Mo.
Friday, April 2 • 2 p.m. Please note time change!!!
Saturday, April 3 • 1 pm
live stats • www.okstate.com
Game Notes vs. Missouri in PDF Format 
On Tap
Oklahoma State travels to Columbia, Mo., this weekend to face the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers. Game times are set for 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon (moved up due to impending inclement weather entering the Columbia area Friday evening) and 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. It will mark the first time that both teams were ranked at game time since 1998.
About the Cowgirls
Oklahoma State is 30-7 overall this season and ranked No. 15 in the latest NFCA Coaches poll and USA Softball/ESPN.com top-25 rankings, and 14th in the UltimateCollegeSoftball poll. Five of the losses this season have come against top-25 opponents, including a loss to top-ranked Washington. The Cowgirls' 30-7 record is the best mark through 37 games since 1994 when Oklahoma State started the season 35-7. OSU is currently on a seven-game winning streak and has won 24 of its last 27.
At the Plate
The Cowgirls are led by junior third baseman Mariah Gearhart who is batting .427 with 37 runs scored. Sophomore first baseman Julie Ward has a .362 batting average and a .724 slugging percentage with seven home runs and 17 doubles. She is second in the Big 12 with 44 RBIs and has three grand slams on the season. Eight different Cowgirls have at least 20 hits this season and nine different players have scored at least 10 runs. Five different Cowgirls have a .400 or better slugging percentage at the plate this season.
In the Circle
Oklahoma State's pitching staff is led by senior Anna Whiddon who is 16-3 overall this season. She has a 1.91 earned run average in 113 innings pitched. She has 10 complete games, four shutouts, four saves and is averaging nearly eight strikeouts per seven innings. Whiddon threw a one-hit shutout against Bedlam-rival and 11th-ranked Oklahoma in a non-conference game earlier this season. Freshman Kat Espinosa is 11-3 this season with a 1.53 ERA, 17 starts and seven complete games this season.
Third to 30
Oklahoma State became the third team to record 30 victories this season when the Cowgirls defeated Missouri State 3-2 on Tuesday evening. Only two other teams -- Arizona State and Florida State -- had reached that mark sooner this year. Both the Sun Devils and Seminoles had 31 victories as of Tuesday. It also marks the first time that Oklahoma State has had back-to-back 30-win seasons since 1998, when OSU posted at least 30 victories for the 12th-consecutive season.
In the Polls
Oklahoma State's No. 15 national ranking in the NFCA Coaches Poll is the Cowgirls' highest ranking since the end of the 2003 season, when OSU was ranked 13th. Oklahoma State had not been ranked since the beginning of the 2004 season when the Cowgirls were ranked No. 21 in the preaseason poll.
Series History vs Missouri
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with Missouri 55-35, although the Tigers have won the last seven and 12 of the last 14. The Cowgirls are 13-8 against Mizzou in Columbia. This will mark the first time since the 1998 season that both teams were ranked at the time of the game. That year, OSU was ranked eighth while Missouri was No. 14. OSU swept the doubleheader in Columbia with a pair of shutouts. The Cowgirls are 7-3 vs. Mizzou when both teams are ranked in the top 25. OSU is 7-3 vs. MU in extra-inning contests.
About Missouri
Fourth-ranked Missouri is 25-4 overall this season and 1-1 in Big 12 Conference action, coming off a doubleheader sweep over St. Louis on Wednesday night. The Tigers are led by Rhea Taylor who is batting .449 with 31 hits, 26 runs and 18 stolen bases. Jenna Marston leads Mizzou with 27 RBIs and nine doubles. Chelsea Thomas is the Tigers' ace in the circle with a 12-1 record and a 1.72 ERA. She has 123 strikeouts in 77-1/3 innings pitched. Kristin Nottelmann is 7-3 this season with a 1.83 ERA and 51 Ks in 57-1/3 innings pitched.
Up Next
It's Bedlam part II next Wednesday as Oklahoma State hosts the 13th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. First pitch at Cowgirl Stadium is slated for 7:08 p.m. and the game will be televised by the Cowgirl Sports Network.
