Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Open Big 12 Play At Kansas
March 17, 2011 | Cowboy Baseball
March 17, 2011
OSU Game Notes vs. Kansas in PDF Format
Oklahoma State (13-3)
at Kansas (7-9)
. . .
March 18-20 • Lawrence, Kan.
Hoglund Ballpark (2,500)
Fri. - 3 p.m./Sat. & Sun. - 1 p.m.
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State heads into Big 12 Conference play on a seven-game winning streak and takes a 13-3 record into this weekend's series at Kansas, which begins Friday at 3 p.m. at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan. Friday's game also marks the first true road game for OSU this season as the Cowboys have played 13 games in Stillwater and three at a neutral site tournament in Tucson, Ariz.
The Cowboys rank second in the Big 12 in batting average (.317) and ERA (2.03). Dane Phillips leads the offense with a .409 batting average, while Andrew Heaney and Blake Barnes each has three wins on the mound.
OSU head coach Frank Anderson is in his eighth season at the helm of the Cowboys and has led the club to 275 wins and five NCAA Tournament appearances in his career. During a four-year span from 2006-09, OSU was the only Big 12 Conference team to advance to an NCAA Regional championship round each season.
About Kansas
The Jayhawks are 7-9 under ninth-year head coach Ritch Price and enter the weekend looking to snap a three-game losing streak. KU sports a .220 batting average and a 3.44 ERA.
Expected to start on the mound for the Jayhawks are:
Fri.: RHP T.J. Walz (2-2, 5.18)
Sat.: RHP Tanner Poppe (0-2, 2.11)
Sun.: RHP Alex Cox (0-1, 4.32)
OSU is 127-45 all time against Kansas. The Cowboys won last year's series with KU in Stillwater by earning victories in the final two games, with Andrew Heaney picking up both wins in relief.
On The Air & The Web
All OSU baseball games are carried live by Stillwater Radio and will air on KSPI 93.7 FM or 780 AM. Bill Van Ness will handle play-by-play duties for the Kansas series (Rex Holt is with the Cowboy wrestling team at the NCAA Wrestling Championship), with Matt "Chief" Davis providing color commentary.
Radio broadcasts and live stats can also be accessed via www.okstate.com (links are available under Schedule/Results).
Additionally, all OSU home games are available to watch online via paid subscription at okstate.tv.
Home Sweet Home
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium has been home to Oklahoma State baseball since 1981, and in those 31 seasons the Cowboys have been nearly unbeatable on their home field.
OSU is 774-170 (.820) all-time at Reynolds Stadium and has lost more than two consecutive games on their home turf only twice (six in a row in May 2007; three straight in 2010).
The Cowboys are 11-2 at home in 2011.
300 Club
OSU head coach Frank Anderson is on the verge of becoming the third coach in Cowboy history to reach 300 wins. Gary Ward (953 wins) and Toby Greene (318) are the only two previous OSU coaches to reach that mark.
Anderson is in his eighth season at OSU and owns a career record of 275-161, which includes a 96-90 Big 12 mark. He ranks fourth on OSU's all-time coaching wins list, six wins shy of third-place Tom Holliday's 281.
Aluminum Assault
Over the last several seasons, OSU has established itself among the top hitting teams in the Big 12 Conference, and that trend is continuing this season.
Along with a .317 batting average that ranks second in the league, the Cowboys lead the conference with 47 doubles and hold down the second spot in slugging percentage (.460), triples (10) and sacrifice flies (11).
The 2010 club ranked second in the league with a .307 batting average and finished third in doubles (128) and sacrifice flies (31). Five of the Cowboy regulars in the starting lineup hit .316 or better.
In 2009, the Cowboys ranked among the Big 12's best in batting average (third at .300), triples (second with 21), home runs (third with 81) and slugging percentage (second at .503).
OSU led the Big 12 in three offensive categories in 2008 -- 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.
Strong Armed
OSU's pitching staff has allowed just 33 earned runs in 146.0 innings, which translates to a 2.03 team ERA, and the Cowboys have tossed a league-high five shutouts.
Seven different Cowboy hurlers have notched wins, with Andrew Heaney and Blake Barnes leading the way with 3-0 marks.
Want more? OSU's opponents are hitting just .231, and of the 11 Cowboys with at least three appearances, 10 of them have an ERA of 3.38 or less.
And while we're at it, go ahead and note that OSU's staff has issued just 34 walks, the second fewest in the Big 12.
Among the leaders on the pitching staff this season are:
• Brad Propst - A converted infielder, Propst entered this season with three wins and three saves in 30 career appearances. The senior right-hander has started all four of the Cowboys' Friday games in 2011 and is 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA.
• Andrew Heaney - A year ago, this lefty became the first freshman to lead OSU in wins since 2001 as he was 5-4 with a save in 16 outings (10 starts). As a sophomore, he's been even better, with three wins, a 0.91 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.
• Mike Strong - A two-time MLB Draft pick, Strong is 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA in four games this season and has 19 Ks in just 13.2 IP. In his last two outings, the lefty has struck out 14 of the 34 batters he's faced.
• Chris Marlowe - Tied for the team high with seven appearances, this JUCO transfer has been nearly unhittable of late. He has 23 strikeouts in only 13.1 innings and earned his first-career win by striking out 10 in 4.2 innings of relief work vs. New Mexico, a performance that earned him Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week honors.
• Blake Barnes - A junior right-hander Barnes has three wins, all in relief, and a 0.79 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .154 against him, and he has 10 Ks in 11.1 innings of work.
• Gabe Weidenaar - A junior who spends most of his time in center field, Weidenaar has also been a star on the mound as he's tied with Marlowe with a team-best two saves in three appearances.
Flashing The Leather
Over the last several seasons, OSU's defense has turned in some of the top fielding performances in program history.
The Cowboys have recorded a fielding percentage over .970 just six times in its history, and five of those have come in the last six seasons.
OSU made history in 2010 when the Cowboys set a school record with a .978 fielding percentage, a mark which also ranked fifth nationally.
Last year's performance marked the third-straight year that OSU had tied or set the school record for fielding percentage after the Cowboys had a .974 fielding percentage in 2008 and a .976 fielding percentage in 2009.
OSU's '08 and '09 fielding percentages led the Big 12.
In 2011, the Cowboys have made 16 errors and sport a .975 fielding percentage.
Southpaw Slinging On Saturdays
Andrew Heaney had a solid freshman season a year ago, but in his first four outings of 2011, he's stating his case as one of the Big 12's top pitchers.
Heaney is 3-0, and he ranks third in the league in innings pitched (29.2) and fourth in opponent batting average (.167). He did not allow a run in his first 16.0 innings of work and has given up just three on the year. The southpaw has also recorded 22 strikeouts and just six walks.
Short Hops
• The Cowboys are hitting .332 (64-for-193) with runners in scoring position.
• Nine different position players have made their OSU debuts this season while 10 different pitchers have toed the pitching rubber for the first time as Cowboys.
• OSU has turned 22 double plays this season, the second most in the conference.
