Oklahoma State University Athletics
Bases Loaded: Bayless Balls Out, Cowgirls Extend Winning Streak
April 15, 2019 | Cowgirl Softball
STILLWATER -Â The No. 14 Oklahoma State softball team ran its winning streak to six with a trio of road victories over Iowa State this past weekend in Ames.
It was a tough weekend for the Cowgirls, who had to twice come from behind to topple the Cyclones, but in the end week 10 proved to be another successful outing. A look at the biggest talking points coming out of the weekend:
FIRST BASE: Big Baller Bayless
Wow.
That's all we could come up with to describe Rylee Bayless' three-game set in Iowa over the weekend. The only other way to properly summarize her showing is to tell you her raw numbers at the plate:
10-for-12, 13 total bases, 5 runs scored, 4 runs batted in, 3 doubles, 2-for-2 on stolen-base attempts, 1 walk and an astronomical .833/.846/1.083 slash line.
Bayless recorded at least three hits in all three outings this past weekend, capping her dominant display with a 4-for-4 day at the plate in Sunday's series finale. Her four-hit outing was the 32nd such effort in OSU history, and she was the first to achieve that feat since Vanessa Shippy did it on Feb. 17, 2018.
Shippy is, in fact, a good measuring stick for where Bayless' performance ranks among some all-time great Cowgirl weekends.
On opening weekend last year, Vanessa Shippy batted 11-for-13, scored 9 runs, drove in 6, walked 5 times and hit two home runs. For her incredible effort, Shippy was named the Big 12 Player of the Week, Louisville Slugger/NFCA D1 National Player of the Week, USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness Field Player of the Week.
We'll know quickly this week where Bayless' effort ranks, as those weekly honors will all be unveiled by Tuesday afternoon this week.
SECOND BASE: Home Run-Record Hunting
The Cowgirls' magic number sits at one.
That's how many home runs the Pokes are away from tying last year's team for the school's single-season home run record.
Currently, OSU has hit 61 homers in just 43 games, compared to 62 in 61 contests a season ago. Starting Tuesday night in Stillwater, the Pokes will have a chance to put that record out of reach, at least until next year's Cowgirls find a way to top it again.
Samantha Show and Michaela Richbourg are the long-ball leaders in the clubhouse for OSU at this point, with the pair combining to hit 24 home runs between them.
Richbourg, in particular, was a key contributor this past weekend, as she blasted three home runs in three consecutive at-bats during Saturday's doubleheader. The sophomore first hit a solo shot in the top of the fourth inning of game one, came back with a grand slam in the top of the fifth, and then hit a second solo shot in the first inning of game two.
Her grand slam was the 41st four-run jack in program history, and the second this season. Show provided the first on Feb. 9 vs. Illinois, and her 13 home runs this season are just two away from matching the program's single-season record.
Madi Sue Montgomery currently owns that single-season record, but she has her eyes currently peeled on the career mark.
This weekend, Montgomery snapped a 22-game homerless streak with a two-run shot in the opening frame of game two Saturday, and then she hit another two-run blast in Sunday's finale. The senior's homers made her the third Cowgirl to join the 30-home run club, and pulled her within four of Tiffany Mikkelson's program record.
THIRD BASE: Welcome to Broomsday
The road to conference titles requires two things: winning conference series, and sweeping those series when you have the opportunity.
That is the message that coach Kenny Gajewski has shared with his team throughout his tenure thus far, and the Cowgirls have capitalized on his words thus far.Â
OSU won its first two Big 12 series this season, taking two of three from both Baylor and then-No. 9 Texas. But over the past two weekends, the Pokes have remembered the second part of the message - sweeps.
The Cowgirls have won six-straight games, all of them in conference play over the last two weekends. Three of those wins came over Kansas in Stillwater, and the last three on the road in Ames this weekend to post back-to-back Big 12 sweeps.
OSU currently stands alone in second place in the Big 12 after four weeks of league play, trailing only its Bedlam rivals to the south. It's the third-straight year that OSU has won at least 10 of its first 12 conference games, and the Cowgirls are again in prime position to chase their first conference title since 1995 down the stretch.
HOME PLATE: Tested by Tulsa
There is only one game on the Oklahoma State schedule this week, and it's one the Cowgirls will certainly be looking forward to after their first matchup with Tulsa earlier this year.
In that first outing, the Golden Hurricane one-hit the Pokes on the east side of the state, so OSU will be looking to avenge that loss and snap its recent skid against its in-state foe. It won't be easy though, as both teams currently rank in the top 25 of the RPI and the rivalry only makes things more intense.
The Cowgirls get to face TU at home this time, where they have posted a 10-1 record during the 2019 campaign. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Plus Tuesday night.
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It was a tough weekend for the Cowgirls, who had to twice come from behind to topple the Cyclones, but in the end week 10 proved to be another successful outing. A look at the biggest talking points coming out of the weekend:
FIRST BASE: Big Baller Bayless
Wow.
That's all we could come up with to describe Rylee Bayless' three-game set in Iowa over the weekend. The only other way to properly summarize her showing is to tell you her raw numbers at the plate:
10-for-12, 13 total bases, 5 runs scored, 4 runs batted in, 3 doubles, 2-for-2 on stolen-base attempts, 1 walk and an astronomical .833/.846/1.083 slash line.
Bayless recorded at least three hits in all three outings this past weekend, capping her dominant display with a 4-for-4 day at the plate in Sunday's series finale. Her four-hit outing was the 32nd such effort in OSU history, and she was the first to achieve that feat since Vanessa Shippy did it on Feb. 17, 2018.
Shippy is, in fact, a good measuring stick for where Bayless' performance ranks among some all-time great Cowgirl weekends.
On opening weekend last year, Vanessa Shippy batted 11-for-13, scored 9 runs, drove in 6, walked 5 times and hit two home runs. For her incredible effort, Shippy was named the Big 12 Player of the Week, Louisville Slugger/NFCA D1 National Player of the Week, USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness Field Player of the Week.
We'll know quickly this week where Bayless' effort ranks, as those weekly honors will all be unveiled by Tuesday afternoon this week.
SECOND BASE: Home Run-Record Hunting
The Cowgirls' magic number sits at one.
That's how many home runs the Pokes are away from tying last year's team for the school's single-season home run record.
Currently, OSU has hit 61 homers in just 43 games, compared to 62 in 61 contests a season ago. Starting Tuesday night in Stillwater, the Pokes will have a chance to put that record out of reach, at least until next year's Cowgirls find a way to top it again.
Samantha Show and Michaela Richbourg are the long-ball leaders in the clubhouse for OSU at this point, with the pair combining to hit 24 home runs between them.
Richbourg, in particular, was a key contributor this past weekend, as she blasted three home runs in three consecutive at-bats during Saturday's doubleheader. The sophomore first hit a solo shot in the top of the fourth inning of game one, came back with a grand slam in the top of the fifth, and then hit a second solo shot in the first inning of game two.
Her grand slam was the 41st four-run jack in program history, and the second this season. Show provided the first on Feb. 9 vs. Illinois, and her 13 home runs this season are just two away from matching the program's single-season record.
Madi Sue Montgomery currently owns that single-season record, but she has her eyes currently peeled on the career mark.
This weekend, Montgomery snapped a 22-game homerless streak with a two-run shot in the opening frame of game two Saturday, and then she hit another two-run blast in Sunday's finale. The senior's homers made her the third Cowgirl to join the 30-home run club, and pulled her within four of Tiffany Mikkelson's program record.
THIRD BASE: Welcome to Broomsday
The road to conference titles requires two things: winning conference series, and sweeping those series when you have the opportunity.
That is the message that coach Kenny Gajewski has shared with his team throughout his tenure thus far, and the Cowgirls have capitalized on his words thus far.Â
OSU won its first two Big 12 series this season, taking two of three from both Baylor and then-No. 9 Texas. But over the past two weekends, the Pokes have remembered the second part of the message - sweeps.
The Cowgirls have won six-straight games, all of them in conference play over the last two weekends. Three of those wins came over Kansas in Stillwater, and the last three on the road in Ames this weekend to post back-to-back Big 12 sweeps.
OSU currently stands alone in second place in the Big 12 after four weeks of league play, trailing only its Bedlam rivals to the south. It's the third-straight year that OSU has won at least 10 of its first 12 conference games, and the Cowgirls are again in prime position to chase their first conference title since 1995 down the stretch.
HOME PLATE: Tested by Tulsa
There is only one game on the Oklahoma State schedule this week, and it's one the Cowgirls will certainly be looking forward to after their first matchup with Tulsa earlier this year.
In that first outing, the Golden Hurricane one-hit the Pokes on the east side of the state, so OSU will be looking to avenge that loss and snap its recent skid against its in-state foe. It won't be easy though, as both teams currently rank in the top 25 of the RPI and the rivalry only makes things more intense.
The Cowgirls get to face TU at home this time, where they have posted a 10-1 record during the 2019 campaign. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Plus Tuesday night.
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