Oklahoma State University Athletics
Wednesday, April 18
Wichita, KS
6 P.M. CT
Oklahoma State University
at
Wichita State
Photo by: Charles Taylor
Game Notes: Top-20 Cowgirls to Square Off With Wichita State
April 17, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball
PDF Notes
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State softball team, coming off the program's first three-game sweep of No. 16 Baylor and riding a four-game winning streak, heads to Wichita, Kansas, for the second half of a home-and-home series with Wichita State. OSU lost the first meeting between the two midwestern squads, 5-3, in Stillwater, but the Cowgirls have won 22 of the last 30 meetings with the Shockers.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 this week. It is the eighth time this season that OSU has been ranked in at least one of the national polls, with the Cowgirls peaking as high as No. 15 on February 13.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Oklahoma State enters the 2018 season with a genuine buzz surrounding the program. Much of that has to do with a highly-successful first two years under head coach Kenny Gajewski, as well as a large crop of returning and new talent among the squad this season.
OSU was one of the best teams in the nation at getting on base last season, doing so at a .396 clip. That trend figures to remain a fixture of the team's success in 2018, as much of last year's core returns in this season's lineup. Senior Vanessa Shippy, who owns OSU's career on-base percentage record (.502), will lead the line once again as she looks to cement her place among the all-time great Cowgirls.
Along with Shippy, Oklahoma State's lineup will feature stars like Taylor Lynch, Madi Sue Montgomery and a host of other top-notch competitors. Among the 13 returners this year, OSU brings more than 75 percent of its total number of at-bats from a season ago (1,219-1,592 AB). That percentage grows when you look strictly at the number of hits that still reside in Stillwater from a season ago (77 pct./355-458 H).
Notable Streaks and Trends
- OSU is 34-22 in games decided by two runs or less since the start of the 2016 season.
- Vanessa Shippy has started 217 consecutive games.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has started 165 consecutive games.
- Vanessa Shippy has tallied 207 hits to only 51 strikeouts since Gajewski became head coach at OSU.
- Vanessa Shippy has recorded 73 hits over her last 58 games played.
- Vanessa Shippy has reached base as the Cowgirls' first batter in 24 of OSU's last 29 contests, walking on 11 of those occasions.
- Samantha Clakley has not walked more than two batters in her last 20 appearances.
- Taylor Lynch has logged at least one hit in 37 of 44 games played this season.
- Maddi Holcomb has logged at least one hit in 27 of her last 37 games.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has driven in multiple runs on 13 occasions this season, including a career-high six in Oklahoma State's run-rule win over No. 16 Baylor on April 13.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has logged 55 hits in 2018, with 26 of those resulting in extra bases.
- Sydney Pennington has recorded at least one hit in 33 of her 44 games played thus far and has driven in at least one run on 22 occasions so far in 2018.
- Logan Simunek has allowed just 16 earned runs in 66.2 innings pitched this season.
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State softball team, coming off the program's first three-game sweep of No. 16 Baylor and riding a four-game winning streak, heads to Wichita, Kansas, for the second half of a home-and-home series with Wichita State. OSU lost the first meeting between the two midwestern squads, 5-3, in Stillwater, but the Cowgirls have won 22 of the last 30 meetings with the Shockers.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 this week. It is the eighth time this season that OSU has been ranked in at least one of the national polls, with the Cowgirls peaking as high as No. 15 on February 13.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Oklahoma State enters the 2018 season with a genuine buzz surrounding the program. Much of that has to do with a highly-successful first two years under head coach Kenny Gajewski, as well as a large crop of returning and new talent among the squad this season.
OSU was one of the best teams in the nation at getting on base last season, doing so at a .396 clip. That trend figures to remain a fixture of the team's success in 2018, as much of last year's core returns in this season's lineup. Senior Vanessa Shippy, who owns OSU's career on-base percentage record (.502), will lead the line once again as she looks to cement her place among the all-time great Cowgirls.
Along with Shippy, Oklahoma State's lineup will feature stars like Taylor Lynch, Madi Sue Montgomery and a host of other top-notch competitors. Among the 13 returners this year, OSU brings more than 75 percent of its total number of at-bats from a season ago (1,219-1,592 AB). That percentage grows when you look strictly at the number of hits that still reside in Stillwater from a season ago (77 pct./355-458 H).
Notable Streaks and Trends
- OSU is 34-22 in games decided by two runs or less since the start of the 2016 season.
- Vanessa Shippy has started 217 consecutive games.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has started 165 consecutive games.
- Vanessa Shippy has tallied 207 hits to only 51 strikeouts since Gajewski became head coach at OSU.
- Vanessa Shippy has recorded 73 hits over her last 58 games played.
- Vanessa Shippy has reached base as the Cowgirls' first batter in 24 of OSU's last 29 contests, walking on 11 of those occasions.
- Samantha Clakley has not walked more than two batters in her last 20 appearances.
- Taylor Lynch has logged at least one hit in 37 of 44 games played this season.
- Maddi Holcomb has logged at least one hit in 27 of her last 37 games.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has driven in multiple runs on 13 occasions this season, including a career-high six in Oklahoma State's run-rule win over No. 16 Baylor on April 13.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has logged 55 hits in 2018, with 26 of those resulting in extra bases.
- Sydney Pennington has recorded at least one hit in 33 of her 44 games played thus far and has driven in at least one run on 22 occasions so far in 2018.
- Logan Simunek has allowed just 16 earned runs in 66.2 innings pitched this season.
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