Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Close Regular Season At Texas Tech
May 19, 2011 | Cowboy Baseball
May 19, 2011
OSU Game Notes vs. Texas Tech in PDF Format
#22 Oklahoma State (33-19, 13-10)
at Texas Tech (31-22, 10-14)
. . .
May 20-22 • Lubbock, Texas
Dan Law Field (4,466)
Fri. - 6:30 p.m./Sat. - 5 p.m./Sun. - 1 p.m.
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State closes out the 2011 regular season this weekend in Lubbock, Texas, against Texas Tech. The 22nd-ranked Cowboys are 33-19 overall and enter the final Big 12 Conference weekend in fourth place in the league standings with a 13-10 mark. The Cowboys, who have won five of their eight Big 12 series this season, could finish as high as third or as low as fifth in the standings depending on the outcomes of this weekend's league games. OSU will make its return to the Big 12 Baseball Championship field next week in Oklahoma City.
OSU ranks second in the Big 12 in batting average (.297) and fourth in ERA (3.37). Sophomore designated hitter Dane Phillips leads the offense with a .350 batting average, while senior Brad Propst has compiled a team-high seven 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 295 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 Texas Tech
Texas Tech is 31-22 on the season and in seventh place in the Big 12 standings at 10-14. The Red Raiders sport a .274 batting average and a 4.81 ERA.
Expected to start on the mound for the Red Raiders against OSU are:
Fri.: David Paiz, Fr., RHP (3-4, 5.44)
Sat.: Tray Masek, Fr., RHP (4-3, 4.50)
Sun.: Duke von Schamann, RS Fr., RHP (4-0, 4.46)
OSU is 29-23 all time against Texas Tech. The Cowboys lost two of their three games to the Red Raiders 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).
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 788-175 (.818) 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 25-7 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 295-177, which includes a 109-100 Big 12 mark. He ranks third on OSU's all-time coaching wins list.
Hit Man
Sophomore Dane Phillips has been one of the Big 12's most consistent hitters in 2011, and he ranks among the top four in the league in four offensive categories -- batting average (.350), hits (75), triples (8) and total bases (117). His eight triples ranks second in the NCAA this season and is one shy of OSU's single-season record.
Spending most of his time at DH but also seeing time at catcher and in the outfield, Phillips hit safely in OSU's first 13 games and has hits in 46 of the Cowboys' 52 games this season. He is third on the club with 19 multi-hit games, including three four-hit efforts.
Phillips reached base safely in the first 30 games this season, extending a streak dating back to last season to 35 games before it was snapped against Missouri on April 9.
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 .297 batting average that ranks second in the league, OSU leads the conference with 117 doubles and holds down the second spot in hits (539), home runs (37), RBIs (277) and slugging percentage (.447).
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 176 earned runs in 469.2 innings, which translates to a 3.37 team ERA, and the Cowboys are second in the Big 12 with seven shutouts.
Ten different Cowboy hurlers have notched wins, with eight notching at least two victories.
Want more? OSU's opponents are hitting just .253, and of the 14 Cowboys with at least four appearances, eight of them have an ERA of 3.20 or less.
And while we're at it, go ahead and note that OSU's staff has issued just 139 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 13 games in 2011 and is 7-4 with a 2.97 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 six wins, a 3.34 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 59.1 innings.
• Mike Strong - A two-time MLB Draft pick, Strong is 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 13 games this season and at team-high 68 Ks in 67.1 IP.
• Chris Marlowe - Marlowe leads the Cowboys with 20 appearances, and the JUCO transfer has racked up 66 strikeouts in only 38.2 innings. He 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 3.20 ERA in 20 appearances. He has 24 Ks in 39.1 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 recorded two saves and has allowed just one earned run in 11 appearances. He has 15 strikeouts in 18.0 innings pitched.
Flashing The Leather
Over the last several seasons, OSU's defense has turned in some of the top fielding performances in program history.
OSU has recorded a fielding percentage over .970 just six times in its history, and five of those have come in the last six seasons.
The Cowboys made history in 2010 when they set a school record with a .978 fielding percentage, a mark that 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. Both those fielding percentages led the Big 12.
In 2011, the Cowboys have made 48 errors and sport a .976 fielding percentage.
Senior Sensation
Brad Propst is having a memorable final season in an OSU uniform.
The senior right-hander has established himself as an ace of the Cowboys' staff with a 7-4 record and a 2.97 ERA in 13 starts.
Propst has pitched at least six innings in nine of his 13 starts, and he ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 88.0 innings pitched.
On March 28, Propst was named Big 12 Pitcher of Week after tossing a complete game against No. 4 Texas in which he allowed just one run on seven hits and struck out six.
Propst is 5-2 with three complete games and a 2.84 ERA in his eight Big 12 starts, and he has recorded 33 strikeouts and just 10 walks.
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 five wins against Top 10 teams this season, including two apiece against No. 4 Texas and No. 8 Oklahoma.
OSU's 33 wins are the fourth most in the Big 12 this season, and the Cowboys have already surpassed last season's win total. With 13 wins in Big 12 play, the Pokes have already topped 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 league series, the first time that had happened since the 2008 Cowboys won six consecutive series against conference foes.
It's Been Awhile
In March, 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 (Baseball America). The Pokes have remained in the national rankings for seven consecutive weeks and are currently ranked as high as 22nd 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.
Strong-est
For his dominating performance in the series opener vs. Baylor, Mike Strong picked up several awards, including Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week and CollegeBaseballInsider.com National Pitcher of the Week.
In eight scoreless innings against the Bears, Strong racked up 14 strikeouts, tying for the most strikeouts by a Big 12 pitcher this season. The 14 Ks was also the most by a Big 12 pitcher in conference play this season and was two shy of OSU's single-game record.
Strong allowed just two hits, both of them singles, and did not issue a walk.
Short Hops
OSU has won seven games in its final at bat this season, four of those in Big 12 play ... Nine different position players and 10 different pitchers have made their OSU debuts in 2011 ... OSU has turned 62 double plays on the year, the most in the Big 12.
