Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Head West for Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
February 18, 2015 | Cowgirl Softball
Feb. 18, 2015
STILLWATER, Okla. - The Oklahoma State softball team will travel to Palm Springs, Calif., on Friday to begin play at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. At the tournament, the Cowgirls will take on multiple teams that have appeared in the national rankings, including ninth-ranked Florida State. Live stats will be available through okstate.com.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 20 – vs. Long Beach St. – 7:30 p.m. CT
Friday, Feb. 20 – vs. No. 9 Florida St. – 10 p.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 21 – vs. Stanford – 5 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 21 – vs. Fresno St. – 3:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 21 – vs. Cal State-Fullerton – 6:30 p.m. CT
Last Time Out
Last weekend's appearance at the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile, Ala., saw the Cowgirls earn their first two wins of 2015 and take another ranked foe down to the wire. OSU started out the tournament with a thrilling comeback victory, erasing a 5-0 deficit en route to a 9-5 victory over Lipscomb. The team's nine unanswered runs were highlighted by Mallory Collins' three-run home run and Danielle Riddle's two run-shot. In the second half of Friday night's doubleheader, Oklahoma State held a 4-3 lead over No. 24 South Alabama through five innings, but were eventually defeated on the Jaguars' walk-off walk in the bottom of the seventh. Riddle hit her second home run in as many games, while Vanessa Shippy hit her first home run in a Cowgirl uniform.
On Saturday, the Cowgirls took on Evansville and Butler in a day-night twinbill, beginning with an afternoon matchup against the Purple Aces. The back-and-forth battle began with Evansville taking a 3-0 lead in the first, but the Cowgirls kept chipping away, scoring runs in the second, fifth and six innings. However, an Evansville two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth would put the game out of reach for Oklahoma State, which eventually fell in an 8-5 defeat. The Cowgirls would turn things around against Butler, though, and use a six-run fourth inning to post a 9-5 victory over the Bulldogs. Offensively, Riddle and Shelby Davis posted two hits apiece, while Collins added her third home run of the season. In the circle, Brandi Needham tossed the Cowgirls' first complete game of the season, allowing five runs over seven innings while striking out four.
Youth of the Nation
With four seniors and two additional letter-winners gone from last season's squad, the five members of the Cowgirls' 2015 freshman class came to Stillwater knowing that they could make an instant impact. That group was in full force in the team's season-opening series at Arizona, as at least three freshmen started in each of the team's three games. The following list is a detailed look at the breakdown of freshmen starters from the opening weekend:
Feb. 6 Vanessa Shippy (2B), Maddie Holcomb (CF), Jessi Haffner (1B), Mallory Collins (LF)
Feb. 7 Vanessa Shippy (2B), Maddie Holcomb (CF), Mallory Collins (LF)
Feb. 8 Vanessa Shippy (2B), Maddie Holcomb (CF), Jessi Haffner (1B), Mallory Collins (LF), Randee O'Donnell (SS)
Instant Impact
Four Cowgirl freshmen made their collegiate debuts in the team's season opener against Arizona, including Vanessa Shippy, Maddi Holcomb and Jessi Haffner. Shippy, a native of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, recorded her first-career hit with a third-inning double, while Holcomb knocked in her first-career RBI on a groundout in the fifth, which scored pinch runner Randee O'Donnell, also a freshman.
The highlight of the night, however, came in the top of the second, when freshman leftfielder Mallory Collins stepped to the plate for the first time in a Cowgirl uniform. Five pitches later, Collins sent a 2-2 pitch from Arizona starter Nancy Bowling over the leftfield fence, giving her a home run in her first collegiate at-bat. The Sand Springs, Okla., native went on to record base-hits in each of the next two games, putting her total bases tally at six after the opening weekend.
Speed Kills
Cowgirl senior Shelby Davis has been an invaluable asset on the basepaths throughout the first three years of her career. After swiping 23 bags in her first two seasons, Davis stole 41 bases in 2014, a season-total that stands at No. 2 on OSU's all-time list. Going into 2014, her 64 career stolen bases ranks third in school history, while also giving her the chance to ascend the list in 2015.
During the Cowgirls' stay at the Mardi Gras Invitational last weekend, Davis stole a perfect seven bases in seven attempts. She now needs 45 stolen bases this season to become the all-time leader at OSU, as outlined in the following list:
All-Time Career Stolen Bases
1. 115 Mariah Gearhart (2008-11)
2. 108 Shanel Scott (2004-07)
3. 71 Shelby Davis (2012-pres.)
4. 47 Cyndi Smith (1995-96)
5. 41 Ari Morrison (2011-14)
Inside the 2015 Schedule
The 2015 schedule is highlighted by 26 games against teams that made last year's NCAA Tournament. The slate also boasts 37 matchups against teams that finished in the top-100 of the final 2014 RPI rankings. The following is a look at each of last season's NCAA Tournament teams featured on the 2015 Cowgirl softball schedule:
Team Postseason Final 2014 Record
Arizona Super Regionals 44-16
Lipscomb Regionals 41-15
South Alabama Regionals 42-14
Long Beach St. Regionals 39-19
Florida St. WCWS (8th) 55-9
Hofstra Regionals 34-15
Utah Valley Regionals 18-42
BYU Regionals 34-23
Tulsa Regionals 53-9
Baylor WCWS (4th) 49-16
Kansas Regionals 34-23
Texas Regionals 35-23
Oklahoma WCWS (5th) 51-13
Channel Surfing
On Saturday, May 9, Oklahoma State will be featured in the national spotlight, as the Cowgirls' matchup against Oklahoma will televised live on ESPN2. The Bedlam battle, set to begin at 2 p.m. CT, will be hosted by the Sooners, and will be available for fans to watch on the following cable providers: Suddenlink (31/231 HD), AT&T U-Verse (606/1606 HD), DirecTV (206/) and Dish Network (141).
Preseason Recognition
The Cowgirls were selected to finish fourth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, which was released on Jan. 21. The selection is the highest for the Oklahoma State in the history of the conference poll, which was introduced prior to the 1999-2000 season.
Team (first-place votes) Votes
1. Oklahoma (6) 36
2. Baylor (1) 30
3. Texas 27
4. Oklahoma State 19
5. Kansas 17
6. Iowa State 9
6. Texas Tech 9
