Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Face Hofstra in NCAA Opener
May 18, 2010 | Cowgirl Softball
May 18, 2010
#14 Oklahoma State Cowgirls
(43-14 overall, 12-6 Big 12 Conference)
vs
Hofstra Pride
(43-10 overall, 18-2 Colonial Athletic)
First Round • NCAA Regional Tournament
Hillenbrand Stadium • Tucson, Ariz.
Friday, May 21 • 4 p.m. (6 p.m. CT)
Radio • KSPI 780 AM
NCAA Tournament Game Notes in PDF Format 
On Tap
Oklahoma State travels to Tucson, Ariz., this week to compete in the 2010 NCAA Division I Softball Championships. The Tucson Regional features the third-ranked and No. 10 national seed Arizona Wildcats, along with Ivy League champion Cornell and Colonial Athletic champion Hofstra. OSU will serve as the No. 2 seed and play No. 3 seed Hofstra, while Arizona will host No. 4 seed Cornell. The regional is a double-elimination format and the winner will advance to the Super Regional next weekend against the winner of the Austin Regional.
About the Cowgirls
Oklahoma State is 43-14 overall this season and finished with a 12-6 mark in Big 12 Conference play ... the Cowgirls tied with Texas A&M for third place in the league ... OSU is ranked 14th in the latest NFCA Coaches poll (as of May 11) and 20th in the USA Softball/ESPN poll (as of May 18) ... the Cowgirls’ 43 wins are the fourth-most regular-season wins in school history ... Oklahoma State’s 43-14 mark is the best since the 1994 season when the Cowgirls finished with a 46-12 record ... the Cowgirls’ third-place finish in the league is the highest since finishing second in 2003 with a 13-5 record.
Recapping the Season
The 2010 season has been a rollercoaster ride this season for the Cowgirls. A 17-game winning streak which included six wins over ranked opponents is easily classified as the highlight of the year. Losing six of the last 10 contests, all to NCAA Tournament teams, is an obstacle that the Cowgirls must overcome quickly entering the postseason. OSU’s 12 league victories are the third-most ever by the Cowgirls since the Big 12 formed, and Oklahoma State’s 43 wins this season are the most since 1994 when OSU won 46 games. The Cowgirls have 10 wins over ranked teams this season, the most since ‘98.
Quick Notes
Oklahoma State is 13-13 this season against teams in the NCAA Tournament field, with 13 of the Cowgirls’ 14 losses this season coming against teams which made the tournament ... OSU is 7-8 against the No. 1 seeds in the tournament this year ... the Cowgirls are 7-1 all-time against the Colonial Athletic Association with a 3-1 mark vs. Hofstra and a 4-0 record against Georgia State ... OSU is 51-66 all-time against the Pac 10, including a win over No. 12 Cal and a loss to top-ranked Washington this season ... Oklahoma State is 2-0 all-time against Princeton, the only Ivy League school OSU has faced on the softball diamond.
On the Radio
All postseason Cowgirl softball games will be broadcast over the airwaves by Stillwater Radio, either on KGFY 105.5 FM or on KSPI 780 AM. Bill Van Ness, in his 12th season with Cowgirl Softball, handles the play-by-play duties. Friday’s game against Hofstra at 6 p.m. CT will be aired on 105.5 FM. If OSU wins its first game, Saturday’s contest at 4 p.m. CT will be aired on 780 AM. If the Cowgirls play in either evening game on Saturday (6 or 8 p.m. CT), they will be aired on 105.5 FM. Should OSU advance to Sunday’s game(s), the broadcast(s) will be on 780 AM.
OSU in the NCAA Tournament
Oklahoma State is making its 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the NCAA took over women’s athletics in 1982. The Cowgirls also participated in five AIAW Regional tournaments prior to and including 1982. OSU’s 21 postseason tournament appearances are the second-most by any team in the Big 12 Conference, trailing only Texas A&M’s 25. Oklahoma State made 11-straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament from 1988-98. The Cowgirls have made six appearances in the Women’s College World Series (1982, ‘89, ‘90, ‘93, ‘94 and 1998).
Five Cowgirls Named All-Big 12
Oklahoma State had five selections named to the All-Big 12 First and Second Teams, announced last week. Freshman pitcher Kat Espinosa and junior second-baseman Alysia Hamilton were named to the First Team, while senior hurler Anna Whiddon, sophomore first-baseman Julie Ward and sophomore shortstop Chelsea Garcia were all named to the Second Team. It was Hamilton’s second award, receiving Second Team honors as a freshman. It is Ward’s second selection as well, receiving Second Team accolades last season.
Seven Cowgirls Named Academic All-Big 12
Seven Cowgirls were named Academic All-Big 12 this week, the most by an OSU softball team since the 2006 season. Four Cowgirls were named to the first team, led by sophomore Chelsea Garcia (secondary education/mathematics) with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, one of just four student-athletes to be nominated with a 4.0 GPA. Other first-team members were senior Megan Castle (nutritional science/allied health), senior Sam Heinlein (elementary education & sociology) and junior Sarah Odom (secondary education/social studies). The Cowgirls named to the second team: senior Breana Casaus (university studies - educational psychology & health emphasis), junior Mariah Gearhart (sports media) and senior Anna Whiddon (career & technical education).
Garcia Chosen Academic All-District
Sophomore shortstop Chelsea Garcia was named an ESPN the Magazine first-team Academic All-District VI selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America. She is the sixth Cowgirl in school history to receive the award and the first since 2006, when Jessica Hoppock was a first-team selection. Other first-team honorees include: K.K. McCoy (1992, 1993), Lauren Bay (2003), Courtney Totte (2005) and Hoppock (2006). The sophomore from Moore, Okla., has maintained a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in secondary education at Oklahoma State. She is one of just three members of the 11-player District VI team with a 4.0 GPA.
Series History vs Hofstra
Oklahoma State has played Hofstra four times on the softball diamond and has a 3-1 record against the Pride. All four games have been played in south Florida. The first two meetings were played as a doubleheader prior to the Cowgirls’ participation in the 1993 South Florida Tournament. The other two games were played as part of a tournament hosted by South Florida and what has been called the Speedline Invitational. OSU has won the last three meetings and thrown shutouts in the last two.
OSU-Hofstra Ties
Despite being more than 1,300 miles apart, Oklahoma State’s Cowgirl softball team does have one tie to Hofstra. Pride assistant coach Ryan Realmuto played collegiately at Oklahoma State and is a native of Del City, Okla. She was a two-time All-Midwest Region second-team selection in 2002 & 2003 and was a four-time All-Big 12 pick, garnering first-team honors in 2000 and 2003. She was also a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and participated in the 2003 NCAA Regional as a Cowgirl. Realmuto is the niece of the Smith brothers (Lee Roy, John, Pat and Mark) who between them have seven individual NCAA wrestling titles. She was also a college roommate of Lauren Bay, who played collegiately at OSU and participated in the 2004 & 2008 Olympics as a member of the Canadian National Team.
Series History vs Arizona
Oklahoma State is 11-16 all-time against Arizona. The Cowgirls won eight of the first nine meetings in the series, but the Wildcats have won 12 of the last 13, including three in the Women’s College World Series and a pair of games in the 2005 NCAA Regional in Tucson. OSU is 1-5 vs. Arizona in Tucson, with the lone victory being a 1-0 win over the second-ranked Wildcats in the 2003 Worth Invitational. In fact, the Cowgirls have played 24 games in Tucson, all in tournaments, and have compiled a 14-10 mark.
OSU-Arizona Ties
There are several ties between Oklahoma State and Arizona players. Cowgirl freshman Katie Asher and UA freshman pitcher Kenzie Fowler both attended Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, and were high school All-Americans for the Dorados. Katy High School, home of Wildcat Matte Haack, is just 30 miles west-northwest of Bellaire High, home of OSU freshman hurler Kat Espinosa. Crescenta Valley High School, home of Arizona’s Baillie Kirker, is just nine miles west of Julie Ward’s hometown of Altadena, Calif.
