Oklahoma State University Athletics
Friday, May 11
Oklahoma City, OK
11 A.M. CT
Oklahoma State University
vs
Baylor
Photo by: OSU Athletics
Tournament Notes: Cowgirls Enter Big 12 Championship as No. 2 Seed
May 09, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball
Full PDF Notes
STILLWATER – The No. 24 Oklahoma State softball team begins what it refers to as the "third season" this week, as the Cowgirls enter the 2018 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship as the tournament's No. 2 seed. OSU will square off with No. 16 Baylor, as well as Texas Tech, on the opening day of pool play, before awaiting a third opponent in Saturday's final day of action.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and is No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 this week. It is the 11th 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 35-23 in games decided by two runs or less since the start of the 2016 season.
- Vanessa Shippy has started 228 consecutive games.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has started 176 consecutive games.
- Vanessa Shippy has tallied 217 hits to only 53 strikeouts since Gajewski became head coach at OSU.
- Vanessa Shippy has recorded 83 hits over her last 68 games played.
- Samantha Clakley has not walked more than two batters in her last 27 appearances.
- Taylor Lynch has logged at least one hit in 44 of 55 games played this season.
- Maddi Holcomb has logged at least one hit in 32 of her last 48 games.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has driven in multiple runs on 15 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 62 hits in 2018, with 28 of those resulting in extra bases.
- Sydney Pennington has recorded at least one hit in 39 of her 55 games played thus far and has driven in at least one run on 24 occasions so far in 2018.
- Logan Simunek has allowed four earned runs in her last 16.1 innings pitched, with all of those innings coming against teams currently ranked among the nation's top three (No. 1 UCLA, No. 3 Oklahoma).
STILLWATER – The No. 24 Oklahoma State softball team begins what it refers to as the "third season" this week, as the Cowgirls enter the 2018 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship as the tournament's No. 2 seed. OSU will square off with No. 16 Baylor, as well as Texas Tech, on the opening day of pool play, before awaiting a third opponent in Saturday's final day of action.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and is No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 this week. It is the 11th 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 35-23 in games decided by two runs or less since the start of the 2016 season.
- Vanessa Shippy has started 228 consecutive games.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has started 176 consecutive games.
- Vanessa Shippy has tallied 217 hits to only 53 strikeouts since Gajewski became head coach at OSU.
- Vanessa Shippy has recorded 83 hits over her last 68 games played.
- Samantha Clakley has not walked more than two batters in her last 27 appearances.
- Taylor Lynch has logged at least one hit in 44 of 55 games played this season.
- Maddi Holcomb has logged at least one hit in 32 of her last 48 games.
- Madi Sue Montgomery has driven in multiple runs on 15 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 62 hits in 2018, with 28 of those resulting in extra bases.
- Sydney Pennington has recorded at least one hit in 39 of her 55 games played thus far and has driven in at least one run on 24 occasions so far in 2018.
- Logan Simunek has allowed four earned runs in her last 16.1 innings pitched, with all of those innings coming against teams currently ranked among the nation's top three (No. 1 UCLA, No. 3 Oklahoma).
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