Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host K-State This Weekend
April 28, 2011 | Cowboy Baseball
April 28, 2011
OSU Game Notes vs. Kansas State in PDF Format
#19 Oklahoma State (28-13, 10-8)
vs. Kansas State (26-15, 8-10)
. . .
April 29-May 1 • Stillwater, Okla.
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
Fri. - 6:30 p.m./Sat. - 2 p.m./Sun. - 1 p.m.
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State will try to snap a four-game losing streak Friday when the 19th-ranked Cowboys open a weekend series against Kansas State at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. The Cowboys are 28-13 overall and in fourth place in the Big 12 standings with a 10-8 league mark. OSU has won four of its six conference series this season, including both of its series at home.
OSU ranks second in the Big 12 in batting average (.299) and fourth in ERA (3.24). Sophomore designated hitter Dane Phillips leads the offense with a .381 batting average, while senior Brad Propst has compiled a team-high six 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 290 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 State
Kansas State has won six-straight games and is 26-15 on the season, and the Wildcats hold down sixth place in the Big 12 Conference standings at 8-10. Of K-State's 41 games this season, 17 have been decided by one run, and the Wildcats are 8-9 in those contests. K-State sports a .270 batting average and a 3.42 ERA.
Expected to start on the mound for the Wildcats this weekend are:
Fri.: Kyle Hunter, Jr., LHP (4-3, 2.93)
Sat.: Matt Applegate, Jr., RHP (4-2, 3.57)
Sun.: Shane Conlon, Fr., LHP (2-0, 1.76)
OSU is 147-47 all time against K-State, but the Wildcats have won the last seven meetings dating back to the 2008 season.
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).
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 784-171 (.821) 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 21-3 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 290-170, which includes a 106-98 Big 12 mark. He ranks third on OSU's all-time coaching wins list.
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 .299 batting average that ranks second in the league, the Cowboys lead the conference with 89 doubles and hold down the second spot in hits (427), triples (20) and slugging percentage (.444).
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 133 earned runs in 370.0 innings, which translates to a 3.24 team ERA, and the Cowboys are second in the league with six shutouts.
Ten different Cowboy hurlers have notched wins, with eight of those collecting at least two victories.
Want more? OSU's opponents are hitting just .259, and of the 14 Cowboys with at least three appearances, eight of them have an ERA of 3.42 or less.
And while we're at it, go ahead and note that OSU's staff has issued just 110 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 10 games in 2011 and is 6-2 with a 2.01 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 five wins, a 3.42 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 50.0 innings.
• Mike Strong - A two-time MLB Draft pick, Strong is 3-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 10 games this season and has 46 Ks in 44.2 IP.
• Chris Marlowe - Marlowe leads the Cowboys with 17 appearances, and this JUCO transfer has been unhittable at times. He has a team-high 63 strikeouts in only 37.0 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 2.81 ERA in 17 appearances. He has 21 Ks in 32.0 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 allowed just one earned run in eight appearances. He has 14 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched.
Season Superlatives
OSU has emerged as one of the nation's top teams in 2011, and the Cowboys continue to add to their resumé.
The Cowboys have four wins against Top 10 teams this season, winning two of their three games in series against No. 4 Texas and No. 8 Oklahoma.
OSU's 28 wins are the fourth most in the Big 12 this season, and the Cowboys are just one victory shy of last season's win total. With 10 wins in Big 12 play, the Pokes have already surpassed their league win totals in each of the past two seasons.
After dropping their first Big 12 series of the year at Kansas, OSU won four-straight series, the first time that had happened since the 2008 Cowboys won six consecutive league series.
It's Been Awhile
Last month, OSU became the first team to win a Big 12 series against Texas since 2009, snapping the Longhorns' streak of 11-straight conference series wins.
The Cowboys followed that performance by winning a series against Nebraska in Lincoln for the first time since 1997.
Based in large part on those performances, OSU entered the national rankings on April 4 for the first time since the end of 2009 season, debuting at No. 23 in the Baseball America rankings. This week, the Cowboys are ranked as high as 19th by Baseball America.
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 25
OSU entered the week ranked among the top 25 in the NCAA in several team categories, including:
• Triples - 10th with 20
• Double Plays - 2nd at 52
• Walks Allowed Per 9 Innings - 16th at 2.56
• Winning Percentage - 24th at .700
More Top 25
The Cowboys also ranked among the top 25 in the NCAA's individual stats entering this week's games in the following categories:
• Total Bases - Dane Phillips 23rd with 101
• Triples - Phillips 2nd with 8
• Triples Per Game - Phillips 3rd with 0.2
• Hits Allowed Per 9 Inn. - Chris Marlowe 24th with 5.84
Short Hops
• The Cowboys are hitting .324 (142-for-438) with runners in scoring position.
• OSU has won six games in its final at bat this season.
• 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 53 double plays this season, the most in the Big 12.
• Chris Marlowe is averaging 15.32 strikeouts per nine innings.
![Image Taken at [event name], [day], [month date], [year], [venue], [city]. Brayden Hartmann/OSU Athletics](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Fokstate.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F4%2F20%2FConover_celebration_vs._Kansas.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
