Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Prepare for Tulsa, Texas Tech
April 14, 2015 | Cowgirl Softball
April 14, 2015
STILLWATER, Okla. --Â The Oklahoma State softball team will kick off a set of five games in five days on Wednesday, as the Cowgirls travel to Tulsa, Okla., for the first of back-to-back games with the Golden Hurricane. After hosting Tulsa on Thursday, Oklahoma State will welcome Texas Tech to Stillwater for a three-game set at Cowgirl Stadium, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. contest on Friday. All games can be followed live on okstate.com and on Twitter at @CowgirlSB, and fans can listen on the radio at 105.5 KGFY-FM in Stillwater.
General admission tickets for all Cowgirl softball home games are $5, and can be purchased by phone at (877) 255-4678, at the OSU Athletic Ticket office on the NE corner of Gallagher-Iba Arena or at Cowgirl Stadium one hour prior to first pitch on game days.
Game Notes 
Last Time Out
Last weekend, Oklahoma State traveled to Ames, Iowa, for a three-game series against conference foe Iowa State. The Cowgirls started the weekend in dominating fashion, beating the Cyclones, 11-1, in five innings in Friday's series opener. Tiffany Mikkelson launched two home runs, and Brandi Needham tossed a complete-game victory.
The Cowgirls wasted no time earning their first conference series victory of the season, as Oklahoma State won the second game of the series, 8-6, in a back-and-forth battle that was eventually won by Danielle Riddle's three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning. Jessi Haffner pushed her record to 5-2 with a complete-game win, and four Cowgirls posted multi-hit efforts.
With bad weather in Sunday's forecast, the teams chose to finish the series on Saturday. In the series finale, OSU held a 3-1 lead through five innings, but was unable to hold off Iowa State, who eventually pulled out a 5-3 victory.
Scouting the Opponent
Team Information
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (26-15,8-4)
American Athletic Conference
2014 Record: 53-9 (Regionals)
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/3
Newcomers: 4
Season Leaders
BA - Julie Kernen - .362
R - Erica Sampson -- 48
HR - Julie Kernen -- 10
Wins - Bailey Erwin -- 12
ERA - Emily Watson - 2.40
Team Information
Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-24, 2-7)
Big 12 Conference
2014 Record: 35-19
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/5
Newcomers: 4
Season Leaders
BA - Jordan Bettiol - .394
R - Jordan Bettiol -- 29
HR - Lea Hopson -- 10
Wins - Cara Custer -- 10
ERA - Cara Custer - 4.82
On Top of the World
Since the first set of NCAA National Statistics Rankings were released on March 9, Cowgirl senior Shelby Davis has held the nation's No. 1 spot in the stolen bases category. Her current mark of 1.16 stolen bases per game leads the country, and her season total of 43 stolen bases ranks first nationwide. Through 42 games this season, Davis has stolen more than twice as many bases than any other competitor in the Big 12.
Along with Davis, Shianne Hughes (.39), Tiffany Mikkelson (.39) and Vanessa Shippy (.39) also rank in the top 115 in steals per game. As a team, the Cowgirls average 2.54 swiped bags per contest, a mark that ranks third in the nation.
Speed Kills
Before the 2015 season, Davis established herself as 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 ranked third in school history, while also giving her the chance to ascend the list in 2015.
During the Cowgirls' series against Kansas last weekend, Davis added four stolen bags to her 2015 campaign, bringing her season total to 43. She now needs nine 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.           107        Shelby Davis (2012-pres.)
4.           47          Cyndi Smith (1995-96)
5.           41          Ari Morrison (2011-14)
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.
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).
