Cowgirls Hit The Road For Trip To Arkansas

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THE BASICS

Oklahoma State Softball and second-year head coach Kenny Gajewski return to action for a midweek trip to Arkansas. This will be the second and final matchup between the two teams this year after the Hogs took the initial meeting 7-6 in Stillwater on March 1.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION

Fans can catch the game live on the SEC Network or listen on 105.5 FM in Stillwater. Live stats will be on okstate.com and as always updates will be provided on Twitter (@CowgirlSB).

OKLAHOMA STATE SNAPSHOT

Oklahoma State comes into the week fresh off its first three-game series sweep of the Texas Longhorns in Stillwater. The Cowgirls won the games by a combined three runs with Brandi Needham, Shea Coats and Christina Biggerstaff picking up wins. Vanessa Shippy led the charge at the plate going 4-for-11 with five RBIs on the weekend.
To find the Cowgirls in the Big 12 Standings this week you'll have to go look at the top as OSU finds itself tied for first after the first weekend of competition. Oklahoma State is tied for first with Texas Tech after both teams finished a perfect 3-0 in Big 12 play. After coming in at No. 49 in the initial RPI rankings, the Cowgirls moved up to No. 41 this week after the sweep of the Longhorns.
Vanessa Shippy continues to lead the charge at the plate for the Cowgirls. The junior is leading the team with a .388 batting average on 38 hits, 31 runs scored and 24 RBIs. Shippy has been an extra-base machine so far with a Big 12-best four triples, eight doubles and three home runs. She has also shown plenty of discipline as she has drawn 24 walks up to this point. In the field, she's been invaluable as she has played six different positions (catcher, first, short, left, center, right) this year with a .948 fielding percentage.
Rylee Bayless has shined in her first year in Stillwater. The NEO-transfer has produced at the plate with a .356 batting average on 31 hits with 30 runs scored and 25 RBIs. Bayles also has a team-best 11 doubles and has shown she's a danger once on base with a team-high 13 stolen bases. The biggest threat she provides is getting on base as she has a .551 on-base percentage, thanks in large part to her 39 walks on the year. The 39 walks is the third-most in the nation and most in the Big 12. In the field she is the only Cowgirl to have played all 33 games at the same position (third) this season.
Maddi Holcomb has quietly had a solid year in 2017. The junior is hitting .382 with 29 hits and 15 runs scored. Hitting in the ninth position, Holcomb has mastered the art of turning the lineup over no matter what it takes. More valuable to the Cowgirls though has been her play in center. Having started 30 games, Holcomb has become known for making incredible catches to take away sure hits. In the Texas series, Holcomb made two great diving catches to take away crucial extra base hits in one-run games. On the year, Holcomb has a .972 fielding percentage on 34 putouts.
Taylor Lynch is off to another good start after an impressive freshman campaign. Lynch is batting .367 on 36 hits with 18 runs scored and 24 RBIs. Lynch has shown the ability to leg out extra-base hits with seven doubles through her 31 games of action. The sophomore has also shown some stealthy speed on the bases, going 5-for-6 on stolen base attempts up to this point. Lynch has stepped up in the field this year in right field, having never played the position before the first game of this season. She has also seen time at second and first with a combined .978 fielding percentage with just one error and 38 putouts.
Brandi Needham has stepped up in the circle to replace 20-game winner Kacy Freeze, who graduated after last season. Needham has led the team with a 10-4 record along with her team-best .271 ERA. Needham has been valuable with her 80 innings pitched, throwing seven-complete games, three of which were shutouts. What's just as impressive is the senior has struck out 41 batters while allowing just 16 walks. Teams are batting a low .273 on Needham up to this point.
Home has been home sweet home once more for the Cowgirls as OSU has jumped out to a 9-3 record. Oklahoma State has 11 more home games left in the 2017 schedule.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: ARKANSAS

Arkansas

2017: Comes into the Oklahoma State game with an impressive 22-9 record, including a 9-1 record at home. The Hogs have been great at the plate with a .320 batting average while two players are batting .400 or better and an addition three are batting .300 or better. The Hogs sit at No. 25 in the RPI.

2016: Arkansas finished the 2016 season with a 10-31 record despite showing much improvement under new leadership. The Hogs dropped both games to the Cowgirls as the teams met once at both sites. Arkansas was 0-3 overall against the Big 12.

2017 Oklahoma State/Arkansas Series: Arkansas used an offensive output of three runs in the third and four in the top of the sixth to propel itself to a 7-6 victory over the Cowgirls. Rylee Bayless and Vanessa Shippy led the way at the plate for the Cowgirls going a combined 4-for-6 with five RBIs. Kristin Reasnor also shined going 2-for-3 with one RBI for OSU. Senior Brandi Needam took the loss for the Cowgirls in five innings of work.

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Players Mentioned

Rylee Bayless

Christina Biggerstaff

Shea Coats

Kacy Freeze

Maddi Holcomb

Taylor Lynch

Brandi Needham

Kristin Reasnor

Vanessa Shippy

Oklahoma State University Athletics