Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Set Sights On NCAA Nashville Regional
May 31, 2011 | Cowboy Baseball
May 31, 2011
OSU Game Notes at NCAA Nashville Regional in PDF Format 
#2-Seed Oklahoma State (35-23)
at the
NCAA Nashville Regional
. . .
June 3-6 • Nashville, Tenn.
Charles Hawkins Field (3,700)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State makes its return to the NCAA Baseball Championship in 2011, and the Cowboys are the No. 2 seed at the Nashville Regional. OSU is 35-23 on the season and opens tourney play Friday at 2 p.m. against third-seeded Troy. Vanderbilt, the regional's host and top-seeded team, will take on fourth-seeded Belmont in other opening round action Friday at 7 p.m.
OSU ranks brings a .295 batting average and a 3.70 ERA into the NCAA Tournament. Junior first baseman Zach Johnson, the 2011 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, leads the Cowboys' offense with a .358 batting average, 13 home runs and 62 RBIs, while senior Brad Propst and sophomore Andrew Heaney have each 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 296 wins and six 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 the championship round of an NCAA Regional each season. OSU is 11-10 under Anderson in the NCAA Tournament.
OSU At The NCAA Baseball Championship
Oklahoma State is making its 38th appearance in the NCAA Baseball Championship, which ranks fourth on the NCAA's all-time list. The Cowboys are 134-81 (.623) all time in NCAA Regional play, with the 134 wins ranking seventh all time. OSU's 19 College World Series appearances are the fifth most in NCAA history, and the Cowboys own a 38-36 all-time mark at the CWS.
The Nashville Regional Field
Vanderbilt is the tourney host and the top seed in the regional, and the Commodores are also the No. 6 national seed. Vandy is 47-10 on the season and is making its sixth-straight NCAA appearance.
Third-seeded Troy won the regular season Sun Belt Conference championship and is 42-17. The Trojans are making their first NCAA tourney appearance since 2007.
Rounding out the field is Atlantic Sun Conference champion Belmont. The fourth-seeded Bruins are making their first-ever NCAA Championship appearance and are 36-24 on the year.
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.
Live stats can also be accessed via www.NCAASports.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 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 were 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 297-181, which includes a 110-102 Big 12 mark. He ranks third on OSU's all-time coaching wins list.
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 the bullpen, and Zach Johnson, OSU's starting first baseman.
Three of OSU's newcomers earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2011: infielder Zach Johnson, catcher Jared Womack and utility player Gabe Weidenaar. In addition, Johnson was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
Hit Man
Dane Phillips has been one of the Big 12's top hitters in 2011, posting offensive statistics that helped him earn All-Big 12 First Team honors as a designated hitter. The sophomore ranks among the league leaders in batting average (.342), hits (81), triples (8), total bases (124) and runs (44). His eight triples rank fourth in the NCAA this season and are 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 50 of the Cowboys' 58 games this season. He is third on the club with 21 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 .295 batting average that ranks second in the league, the Cowboys lead the conference with 48 home runs and 130 doubles and also hold down the second spot in hits (600) and slugging percentage (.452).
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 214 earned runs in 520.0 innings, which translates to a 3.70 team ERA, and the Cowboys are second in the Big 12 with seven shutouts.
Ten different Cowboy hurlers have notched wins, with seven posting at least three victories.
Want more? OSU's opponents are hitting just .263, and of the 12 Cowboys with at least six appearances, eight of them have an ERA under 4.00.
And while we're at it, go ahead and note that OSU's staff has issued just 170 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 15 games in 2011 and is 7-5 with a 3.66 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 seven wins, a 3.88 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 65.0 innings.
• Mike Strong - A two-time MLB Draft pick, Strong is 5-1 with a 3.61 ERA in 15 games this season and has 70 Ks in 72.1 IP.
• Chris Marlowe - Marlowe leads the Cowboys with 23 appearances, and the JUCO transfer has racked up 70 strikeouts in only 40.2 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 3.48 ERA in 22 appearances. He has 29 Ks in 44.0 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 three saves and has allowed just one earned run in 14 appearances. He has 18 strikeouts in 21.0 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 56 errors and sport a .975 fielding percentage.
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 remained in the national rankings for seven consecutive weeks and climbed to as high as No. 15 (Collegiate Baseball).
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 35 wins are the fifth most in the Big 12 this season, and with 14 wins in Big 12 play, the Pokes topped their league win totals from 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.
Smooth Transitions
Several newcomers have had immediate impacts for the Cowboys in 2011.
JUCO transfers Gabe Weidenaar and Jared Womack have been constants in the lineup and rank among OSU's top performers.
A native of Montana, Weidenaar was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team as a utility player. Along with a .288 batting average, he has also picked up a three saves on the mound.
Womack played in 12 games as an OSU freshman in 2009 before spending last season in junior college. He returned to Stillwater this season and has been one of the Cowboys' top run producers with eight homers and 45 RBIs, numbers which earned him All-Big 12 Second Team accolades.
A pair of right-handed pitchers from the JUCO ranks -- Blake Barnes and Chris Marlowe -- have combined for six wins, four saves and 99 strikeouts in 84.2 innings.
Top 25
OSU entered the postseason ranked among the top 25 in the NCAA in several team categories, including:
• Doubles - 12th at 130
• Triples - 21st with 22
• Home Runs - 23rd with 48
• Slugging Percentage - 24th at .452
• Double Plays - 2nd at 73
West Coast Swing
After establishing himself as a prep and JUCO star in his native California, Zach Johnson brought his talents to Stillwater, where he has emerged as one of the Big 12's top sluggers.
A junior from San Ramon, Calif., Johnson leads the Big 12 in home runs (13), RBIs (62), total bases (140) and slugging percentage (.642), and he ranks in the top five in the league in batting average (.358), hits (72), runs (51) and doubles (21).
Numbers like those make it easy to see why Johnson was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Second Team.
Johnson has started 57 games at first base for the Cowboys and has hit safely in 49 of his 57 outings. He opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak, the longest by an OSU player this season.
Spending most of the year in the third spot in the Cowboys' lineup, Johnson leads the club with 16 multi-RBI games, including six games in which he drove in four or more runs.
On April 29 against Kansas State, Johnson became the first Cowboy since 2003 to hit for the cycle.
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 73 double plays on the year, the most in the Big 12 ... The Cowboys are hitting .304 (182-for-599) with runners in scoring position ... OSU has collected 113 two-out RBIs, with Dane Phillips' 17 leading the club ... Chris Marlowe is averaging 15.49 strikeouts per nine innings ... The Cowboys have collected 113 two-out RBIs this season.
