Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Take Win Streak To Nebraska
March 30, 2011 | Cowboy Baseball
March 30, 2011
OSU Game Notes vs. Nebraska in PDF Format
Oklahoma State (19-6, 3-3)
at Nebraska (18-9, 1-2)
. . .
April 1-3 • Lincoln, Neb.
Hawks Field at Haymarket Park (8,486)
Fri. - 6:35 p.m./Sat. - 2:05 p.m./Sun. - 1:05 p.m.
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State takes a three-game winning streak into this weekend's Big 12 Conference showdown at Nebraska. The Cowboys are 19-6 overall and tied for fourth in the conference standings with a 3-3 mark. OSU is coming off a series win over Texas last weekend as the Cowboys handed the Longhorns their first Big 12 series loss since 2009, snapping a streak of 11-straight conference series wins for the Horns by winning the final two games of last weekend's series in Stillwater.
The Cowboys rank third in the Big 12 in batting average (.306) and second in ERA (2.18). Dane Phillips leads the offense with a .419 batting average, while Brad Propst has a team-high four 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 281 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 Nebraska
Nebraska is 18-9 and in ninth place in the Big 12 standings at 1-2 after opening league play last weekend at Texas Tech. The Cornhuskers are hitting .301 and sport a 3.48 ERA.
Expected to start on the mound for the Cornhuskers this weekend are:
Fri.: Matt Freeman, Sr., RHP (4-1, 1.77)
Sat.: Jon Keller, Fr., RHP (2-2, 2.70)
Sun.: Dylan Vogt, So., RHP (1-0, 3.75)
OSU is 115-75 all time against Nebraska and won 2-of-3 games against the Huskers last season in Stillwater.
Watch, Listen, Follow
All OSU baseball games are carried live by Stillwater Radio and will air on KSPI 93.7 FM. Rex Holt, who is in his 29th season with Cowboy baseball (16th as the play-by-play voice), will call the action, 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).
Fans can watch a free NET broadcast of Saturday's game vs. Nebraska at www.huskers.com.
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 779-171 (.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 16-3 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 281-162, which includes a 99-93 Big 12 mark. He is tied for third on OSU's all-time coaching wins list with Tom Holliday.
New Faces
OSU's 33-man 2011 roster includes 18 newcomers -- 12 junior college transfers, five high school players and one Division I transfer.
Five of the Cowboy newcomers were selected in last June's Major League Baseball Draft, highlighted by freshman right-handed pitcher Jason Hursh, who was a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Also among OSU's freshman class is Nate Sorenson, a scholarship quarterback for the Cowboy football team who was a 40th-round pick of Pittsburgh following his prep career.
The group of JUCO newcomers includes MLB draftees Chris Marlowe and Blake Barnes, who have boosted OSU's bullpen, and infielder Zach Johnson, who has nailed down the Cowboys' starting spot at first base.
Hit Man
Sophomore Dane Phillips has been one of the Big 12's most consistent hitters in 2011. He tops the conference with a .667 slugging percentage and seven triples (which also leads the NCAA and is two shy of the OSU single-season record) and is second in the league in batting average (.419), hits (44) and total bases (70).
Splitting time between DH and catcher, Phillips hit safely in OSU's first 13 games and has hits in 24 of the Cowboys' 25 games this season. He leads the club with 12 multi-hit games, including a trio of four-hit efforts.
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 .306 batting average that ranks third in the league, the Cowboys lead the conference with 62 doubles and 17 triples and hold down the second spot in slugging percentage (.461) and sacrifice flies (15).
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 56 earned runs in 231.0 innings, which translates to a 2.18 team ERA, and the Cowboys are second in the league with five shutouts.
Ten different Cowboy hurlers have notched wins, with five of those collecting at least two wins.
Want more? OSU's opponents are hitting just .236, and of the 12 Cowboys with at least three appearances, 10 of them have an ERA of 3.04 or less.
And while we're at it, go ahead and note that OSU's staff has issued just 53 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 six games in 2011 and is 4-1 with a 1.51 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 2.65 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 37.1 innings.
• Mike Strong - A two-time MLB Draft pick, Strong is 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA in six games this season and has 33 Ks in 25.2 IP. In his last four outings, the lefty has racked up 28 strikeouts.
• Chris Marlowe - Marlowe leads the Cowboys with 11 appearances, and this JUCO transfer has been nearly unhittable. He has a team-high 40 strikeouts in only 23.2 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 1.89 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .200 against him, and he has 15 Ks in 19.0 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 recorded two saves and has yet to allow a run in four appearances. He has nine strikeouts in 9.1 IP and opponents are hitting only .161 off him.
Randy Returns
Randy McCurry suffered a season-ending elbow injury while throwing his warm-up pitches in OSU's 2010 season opener vs. USC. The injury caused McCurry to redshirt after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March.
A healthy McCurry has returned to the hill this spring, where he is 2-0 with a 0.55 ERA in six appearances, and he has also seen playing time in the infield, outfield and DH.
As a freshman in 2009, McCurry tied OSU's single-season record with 10 saves. In a team-high 28 appearances as a freshman, he was also 4-1 with a team-best 2.16 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 41.2 innings of work.
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 22 errors and sport a .978 fielding percentage.
ReKord Setters
Mike Strong and Chris Marlowe set an OSU record in the series opener against Texas as the duo combined for 21 strikeouts, the most ever by the Cowboys in a single game and one shy of the Big 12 Conference record.
Strong and Marlowe broke the record set just last season by Kevin Chambers and Brian Denneny, who combined for 20 strikeouts against Alabama A&M.
In the record-setting performance, Strong was the starter and struck out nine in 8.1 innings before Marlowe came out of the bullpen and racked up 12 Ks in 6.2 innings.
Top 10
OSU entered the week ranked among the top 10 in the NCAA in several team categories, including:
• Doubles - 5th with 62
• Triples - 2nd with 17
• Walks Allowed Per 9 Inn. - 4th at 2.15
• Double Plays - 6th at 31
More Top 10
The Cowboys also had several individuals among the top 10 in the national statistics entering this week's games, including:
• Hits - Dane Phillips 6th with 43
• Triples - Dane Phillips 1st with 7
• Total Bases - Dane Phillips 6th with 69
• Sacrifice flies - Zach Johnson 2nd with 5
Short Hops
• The Cowboys are hitting .318 (89-for-280) 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 34 double plays this season, the second most in the Big 12.
• Chris Marlowe is averaging 15.21 strikeouts per nine innings, while Mike Strong's strikeouts per nine innings average stands at 11.57.
