Game Notes: Cowgirls Shift Focus Toward Midweek Matchups

Tuesday, April 10

Stillwater, OK

5:30 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

UT Arlington

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Photo by: OSU Athletics

April 09, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball

PDF Notes - UTA & MSU

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State softball team faces a pair of midweek tests, as the Cowgirls host UT Arlington Tuesday night at Cowgirl Stadium and then travel to Missouri State for a meeting with the Bears on Wednesday evening. OSU is coming off a three-game sweep of Kansas this past weekend, and the Cowgirls are looking to build even more momentum before a pivotal series against Baylor this coming weekend.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is receiving votes in both national polls this week. While the Cowgirls are among the top non-ranked teams in the country, this week's top-25 announcement ended a nine-week run in which OSU held a spot in at least one of the national polls, dating back to last year's end-of-season rankings.

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 Entering the Matchups
- OSU is 33-22 in games decided by two runs or less since the start of the 2016 season.
-  Vanessa Shippy has started 212 consecutive games. She has started every possible game during her Oklahoma State career thus far, and has played every position but pitcher in a live game.
-  Madi Sue Montgomery has started 160 consecutive games.
-  Vanessa Shippy has tallied 196 hits to only 49 strikeouts since Gajewski became head coach at OSU.
-  Vanessa Shippy has recorded 62 hits over her last 53 games played.
-  Vanessa Shippy has reached base as the Cowgirls' first batter in 20 of OSU's last 24 contests, walking on 10 of those occasions.
-  Samantha Clakley has not walked more than two batters in her last 17 appearances.
-  Taylor Lynch has logged at least one hit in 33 of 39 games played this season.
-  Maddi Holcomb has logged at least one hit in 22 of her last 32 games.
-  Madi Sue Montgomery has driven in multiple runs on 12 occasions this season, including in each of OSU's last three games of the Mizuno Classic.
-  Sydney Pennington has recorded at least one hit in 29 of her 39 games played thus far and has driven in at least one run on 20 occasions so far in 2018.
-  Logan Simunek has allowed just 16 earned runs in 64.0 innings pitched this season.