Oklahoma State University Athletics
Softball Opens Conference Play with Jayhawks
March 27, 2014 | Cowgirl Softball
March 27, 2014
LAWRENCE, Kan. - The Oklahoma State softball team opens its 2014 Big 12 Conference schedule this weekend when the Cowgirls travel to Lawrence, Kan., to take on Kansas in a three-game series. Play begins Friday evening at 5 p.m., with Saturday's game slated for 2 p.m. The series will wrap up Sunday at noon.
The Cowgirls (19-11) are coming off of a 12-8 victory over Central Arkansas Wednesday night.
OSU is 68-47 all-time against the Jayhawks (24-10). Last season, the Cowgirls took the season series, two games to one.
Offensively, the Cowgirls are hitting .308 as a team. Shelby Davis continues to lead Oklahoma State in batting average (.377), at-bats (114), hits (43) and stolen bases (25). Tiffany Mikkelson leads the team in doubles (nine), runs batted in (28), walks (17), slugging percentage (.593) on-base percentage (.458) and total bases (51). Tarah Ettinger leads the team with five home runs, and Ari Morrison is first on the squad with 24 runs scored.
In the circle, Simone Freeman (14-6) has a 1.51 earned run average. She's started 20 games and has made a total of 24 appearances, registering 13 complete games and four shutouts. In 129.2 innings, she's given up 41 runs and struck out 172. Whitney Whitehorn (4-4) sports a 2.26 ERA in nine starts. In 40.1 innings, she's allowed 20 runs and struck out 20 batters. In recent games, Meagan Lively has come up strong for the Cowgirls. In 18.1 innings, she is 1-1 with two saves. She sports a 3.82 ERA and has allowed 10 runs with 26 strikeouts.
The Cowgirls continue to hold spots in the Big 12 statistical rankings. Davis is second in stolen bases with 25. She is sixth in hits and 10th in individual batting. Mikkelson ranks third in doubles and seventh in both walks and RBIs.
Freeman is first in the conference in strikeouts. She is second in wins and opponent batting average (.166). She ranks third in ERA, innings pitched and complete games, and ranks fourth in appearances and games started. Whitehorn ranks 10th in the conference in ERA, and Lively is second in saves.
Nationally, Freeman is fourth in the country in total strikeouts with 172, while Davis ranks ninth in stolen bases.
Cowgirl fans can listen to Friday and Sunday's games on KGFY (105.5 FM) and Saturday's game on KSPI (780 AM). Fans can also follow the Cowgirls via Twitter @CowgirlSB for news, updates and much more.
