Cowgirl Softball Prepares For Home Opener

The Basics
?Oklahoma State Softball and second-year coach Kenny Gajewski return home for the 2017 season opener against SEC-foe Arkansas. First pitch is set for 5:30 PM as the Cowgirls look to win their fourth-straight against the Hogs dating back to 2011.

Following the action
?Fans can watch Wednesday's game on OState TV with Max Gross and Austyn Iven on the call. Fans can also listen to the action on 105.5 FM with Bill Van Ness on the call. You can also follow the action on Twitter (@CowgirlSB) or with live stats on okstate.com.

Oklahoma State snapshot
?Oklahoma State concluded its 15-game road swing with a 3-2 record at the Mary Nutter Classic. The Cowgirls posted wins over Long Beach State, UCSB and New Mexico State. Maddi Holcomb led the way at the plate with a .583 batting average on seven hits with four runs scored. In the circle, Brandi Needham posted a team-best 2-1 record with wins over Long Beach State and New Mexico State. After this past weekend's games, five of the seven loses on the year have come at the hands of ranked opponents.
?Vanessa Shippy once again finds herself batting north of .400 with an impressive .405 batting average through 15 games. That ties for fifth best in the Big 12 and leads the team. Shippy has been impressive at the plate with the second-most walks in the conference (9), fourth-best on-base percentage (.545) and 10th-best slugging percentage (.571). She has also played well in the field while playing four positions (catcher, first, LF and CF) thus far with a .958 fielding percentage.

?Rylee Bayless didn't wait long to impress those in Stillwater. Through her first 15 games at OSU, Bayless is batting .389 with a team-best 10 runs, seven RBIs and a 3-2, two-out grand slam to tie the game in the fifth inning against McNeese State in the Tiger Classic earlier this year. In the Big 12, Bayless is tied for ninth in batting average, seventh in stolen bases (five), first in walks (18), first in on-base percentage (.593) and ninth in slugging percentage (.583). On the year, Bayless has reached base in all 15 games, the longest active streak on the team.

?Although just her second year in Stillwater, fans have become accustomed to seeing Taylor Lynch put up big numbers at the plate. Lynch is hitting .375 on the year with a team-best 12 RBIs and 18 hits. In the Big 12 she's tied for sixth with hits and third for doubles (5). Lynch has made the transition this year from third base to right field, somewhere she has never played before this year.

?One of the bigger questions coming into 2017 was how would the Cowgirls replace 20-game winner Kacy Freeze in the circle, and so far Brandi Needham has been a solid answer to the question. She's third in the Big 12 with a 1.80 ERA while posting an impressive 5-2 record in nine appearances. Two of Needham's six starts have been complete game shutouts and she leads the team in innings pitched (35) and strikeouts (20). On the year, teams are batting a low .265 with runners on base against Needham, and only .227 with two outs.

?Early in 2017, the Cowgirls haven't backed down in one-run games. Oklahoma State is a perfect 4-0 in games decided by one run with wins over McNeese State, Penn State, Hofstra and UCSB. Holding teams to less than five runs has also been important as OSU is 8-2 on the year when doing so.

?Oklahoma State has shown early on it isn't a team you can fall behind to if you expect to win, especially late in the game. The Cowgirls are a perfect 5-0 when leading after four and 6-0 when leading after six.

?After a 15-game road trip to start the season, the Cowgirls finally return to Cowgirl Stadium. OSU will play eight games in Stillwater before hitting the road again on March 10 for the Rebel Classic at Ole Miss.

Scouting the opponent: Arkansas
? Arkansas Notes
The team: Arkansas is led offensively by Nicole Schroeder. She's batting .457 through 12 games with 11 hits and 22 RBIs thus far. In the circle, Grace Moll has led the charge with a 5-0 record and a 1.50 ERA through six starts and seven games overall.
2016: Arkansas went 10-31 in head coach Courtney Deifel's first year, including a 3-15 record in road games. Arkansas lost both games to Oklahoma State last year, and went 0-3 overall against Big 12 opponents.
2017: Arkansas comes into its matchup with Oklahoma State with an 11-1 record, including a three-game win streak with wins over Florida A&M, Memphis and Connecticut in Boca Raton, Fla. This will be the Hogs fourth road game of the year. Arkansas is 2-1 record on the road with two wins against North Texas.
Last Meeting: Oklahoma State senior Kacy Freeze went the distance in the circle, allowing just four hits in a 4-1 victory to secure the season sweep. Taylor Lynch led the was at the plate for the Cowgirls, going 3-for-4 with an RBI to help lead the team to victory.
Series vs. Oklahoma State: The Cowgirls lead the overall series 7-6. The last Arkansas win came on 4/01/09 in Tulsa, Okla. Arkansas won that game by a score of 6-0.

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Players Mentioned

Rylee Bayless

Kacy Freeze

Maddi Holcomb

Taylor Lynch

Brandi Needham

Vanessa Shippy

Oklahoma State University Athletics