Oklahoma State University Athletics
Bases Loaded: Cowgirls Respond After Midweek Defeat
April 08, 2019 | Cowgirl Softball
STILLWATER - The Oklahoma State softball team continued to embrace the grind of its 2019 season this past week, as the Cowgirls posted a 3-1 record during week nine. All three victories came as part of a three-game sweep of Big 12-foe Kansas over the weekend, and they were all in response to a disappointing midweek effort against UT Arlington. A look at the week that was:
FIRST BASE: Agony in Arlington
A week that ultimately finished as a positive one for the Cowgirls did not start off that way. Last Wednesday, OSU visited the Mavericks of UT Arlington and were dispatched in a 2-1 loss that halted whatever momentum the Pokes had built up after nearly sweeping then-No. 9 Texas the weekend prior.
It was a deflating loss for the team, but one that ultimately might serve the Cowgirls well in the long run, if that's possible. The defeat was a stark reminder that wins and losses are not given out to the team that's most talented, or the one that has the best uniforms and so forth. Wins and losses are doled out to those that earn them every day at practice and those that are locked in on every pitch as if it's their last during a game.
Wednesday's loss was a disappointment. There's no other way to phrase it.
The best the Cowgirls can do from here is make sure it doesn't happen again. OSU responded well over the weekend, sweeping Kansas in a three-game series at home, but we'll get to that shortly.Â
Oklahoma State has two midweek matchups remaining on its schedule at the moment. First, the Pokes host Tulsa in the second half of the teams' annual home-and-home series on April 16, and then the Cowgirls visit North Texas on April 24. Both games will provide another tough test and will be a good marker for where this year's squad is at as postseason play looms in the coming weeks.
SECOND BASE: The Pennington's Power & Paws
Sophomore Sydney Pennington can put on a laser show at any moment with her bat.
In batting practice, she and her teammates routinely smash balls that finally find their rest place on the other side of McElroy Road. She showcased that power again in the fifth inning of Friday's opener against Kansas when she launched a three-run home run into the crowd in left-center field.
A fan barehanded Pennington's ninth home run of the season, sending the outfield fan group known as 'The Social' into a frenzy. Who was that fan, you might ask? It was her father, Brett Pennington.
"I saw him catch it as I was rounding second base - I just saw him jumping up and down," Sydney said of her father's incredible snag. "The team kind of makes fun of me for having big hands, and they were like, 'He just barehanded that ball!' So I said, 'Well you should see his hands!'"
The Penningtons, their power and their paws took social media by storm as video of their crazy connection spread like wildfire.
As of this article's writing, the video of the #Pennington2Pennington connection has been seen more than 920,000 times on Twitter. The younger Pennington quoted the original tweet from @CowgirlSB, and her post has been retweeted more than 1,100 times and like by nearly 13,000 people.
The sophomore's tweet hasn't the been the only thing on fire recently, as Pennington's bat has come to life in recent weeks after a slow start to the season. Sydney has recorded a hit in 13 of her last 19 games, and eight of those were multi-hit efforts. After her batting average dropped below the Mendoza Line and hit .197 on March 8, she has bounced back tremendously and raised her average by 95 points and is nearly back to the .300 number she posted as a freshman last season.
THIRD BASE: Sweeping in Stillwater
It took three tries, but the Cowgirls finally picked up their first sweep of Big 12 play this season. Sweeping is never easy, not matter the opponent, but taking all three games in various series is a vital part of the formula for teams hoping to capture conference titles in this game.
The Pokes' first sweep of the season came against Kansas, and it was a great way for the team to bounce back after their tough midweek loss at UT Arlington.
OSU jumped on the Jayhawks early, winning both halves of a Friday doubleheader, 8-1 and 5-0, to clinch the series and stomp out any bad vibes left over from Wednesday night. The Cowgirls then continued to grind down their conference foe Saturday, as they pulled out a 7-3 win to sweep the series and improve to 7-2 in Big 12 play.
Through three weeks of Big 12 action, Oklahoma State currently stands alone in second place behind only that team that resides 90 minutes south of Stillwater. The Cowgirls finished second last season for the first time since 2003, and will be grinding in search of the program's first conference title since 1995 in the weeks ahead.
HOME PLATE: On to Ames
The last weekend road trip of the regular season awaits Oklahoma State this week, as the Cowgirls head north of the wall and visit Iowa State for a three-game conference series this weekend in Ames.
These are the games that decide whether a team hosts a regional, wins a conference title or cements its standing in the national polls. Iowa State is the only opponent on the Pokes' schedule this week, so there will be plenty of prep time put in on powering past the conference rival.
All in all, this weekend's series in Iowa should be a great example of what the Big 12 is all about. The Cyclones have been a scrappy team under second-year head coach Jamie Pinkerton, and have won each of their last four games entering this week. That is the second longest active winning streak among Big 12 schools, trailing only Oklahoma's nation-leading 25-game string of victories.
This weekend will be Iowa State's second home weekend of conference play, and the Cyclones have already taken a victory away from then-No. 15 Texas Tech at home. Funny things can happen on the road, and really at any time, when it comes to the Big 12, so the Cowgirls will have to be at their sharpest if they hope to make it two-straight conference sweeps this coming weekend.
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FIRST BASE: Agony in Arlington
A week that ultimately finished as a positive one for the Cowgirls did not start off that way. Last Wednesday, OSU visited the Mavericks of UT Arlington and were dispatched in a 2-1 loss that halted whatever momentum the Pokes had built up after nearly sweeping then-No. 9 Texas the weekend prior.
It was a deflating loss for the team, but one that ultimately might serve the Cowgirls well in the long run, if that's possible. The defeat was a stark reminder that wins and losses are not given out to the team that's most talented, or the one that has the best uniforms and so forth. Wins and losses are doled out to those that earn them every day at practice and those that are locked in on every pitch as if it's their last during a game.
Wednesday's loss was a disappointment. There's no other way to phrase it.
The best the Cowgirls can do from here is make sure it doesn't happen again. OSU responded well over the weekend, sweeping Kansas in a three-game series at home, but we'll get to that shortly.Â
Oklahoma State has two midweek matchups remaining on its schedule at the moment. First, the Pokes host Tulsa in the second half of the teams' annual home-and-home series on April 16, and then the Cowgirls visit North Texas on April 24. Both games will provide another tough test and will be a good marker for where this year's squad is at as postseason play looms in the coming weeks.
SECOND BASE: The Pennington's Power & Paws
Sophomore Sydney Pennington can put on a laser show at any moment with her bat.
In batting practice, she and her teammates routinely smash balls that finally find their rest place on the other side of McElroy Road. She showcased that power again in the fifth inning of Friday's opener against Kansas when she launched a three-run home run into the crowd in left-center field.
A fan barehanded Pennington's ninth home run of the season, sending the outfield fan group known as 'The Social' into a frenzy. Who was that fan, you might ask? It was her father, Brett Pennington.
"I saw him catch it as I was rounding second base - I just saw him jumping up and down," Sydney said of her father's incredible snag. "The team kind of makes fun of me for having big hands, and they were like, 'He just barehanded that ball!' So I said, 'Well you should see his hands!'"
The Penningtons, their power and their paws took social media by storm as video of their crazy connection spread like wildfire.
As of this article's writing, the video of the #Pennington2Pennington connection has been seen more than 920,000 times on Twitter. The younger Pennington quoted the original tweet from @CowgirlSB, and her post has been retweeted more than 1,100 times and like by nearly 13,000 people.
The sophomore's tweet hasn't the been the only thing on fire recently, as Pennington's bat has come to life in recent weeks after a slow start to the season. Sydney has recorded a hit in 13 of her last 19 games, and eight of those were multi-hit efforts. After her batting average dropped below the Mendoza Line and hit .197 on March 8, she has bounced back tremendously and raised her average by 95 points and is nearly back to the .300 number she posted as a freshman last season.
THIRD BASE: Sweeping in Stillwater
It took three tries, but the Cowgirls finally picked up their first sweep of Big 12 play this season. Sweeping is never easy, not matter the opponent, but taking all three games in various series is a vital part of the formula for teams hoping to capture conference titles in this game.
The Pokes' first sweep of the season came against Kansas, and it was a great way for the team to bounce back after their tough midweek loss at UT Arlington.
OSU jumped on the Jayhawks early, winning both halves of a Friday doubleheader, 8-1 and 5-0, to clinch the series and stomp out any bad vibes left over from Wednesday night. The Cowgirls then continued to grind down their conference foe Saturday, as they pulled out a 7-3 win to sweep the series and improve to 7-2 in Big 12 play.
Through three weeks of Big 12 action, Oklahoma State currently stands alone in second place behind only that team that resides 90 minutes south of Stillwater. The Cowgirls finished second last season for the first time since 2003, and will be grinding in search of the program's first conference title since 1995 in the weeks ahead.
HOME PLATE: On to Ames
The last weekend road trip of the regular season awaits Oklahoma State this week, as the Cowgirls head north of the wall and visit Iowa State for a three-game conference series this weekend in Ames.
These are the games that decide whether a team hosts a regional, wins a conference title or cements its standing in the national polls. Iowa State is the only opponent on the Pokes' schedule this week, so there will be plenty of prep time put in on powering past the conference rival.
All in all, this weekend's series in Iowa should be a great example of what the Big 12 is all about. The Cyclones have been a scrappy team under second-year head coach Jamie Pinkerton, and have won each of their last four games entering this week. That is the second longest active winning streak among Big 12 schools, trailing only Oklahoma's nation-leading 25-game string of victories.
This weekend will be Iowa State's second home weekend of conference play, and the Cyclones have already taken a victory away from then-No. 15 Texas Tech at home. Funny things can happen on the road, and really at any time, when it comes to the Big 12, so the Cowgirls will have to be at their sharpest if they hope to make it two-straight conference sweeps this coming weekend.
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