COWBOY BASEBALL GETS FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON

Oklahoma State picked up its first win of the 2012 season Tuesday as the Cowboys defeated Dallas Baptist, 9-7, in their home opener at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

OSU got a strong pitching performance from Chase Stevens and home runs from Zach Fish and Robbie Rea, and sophomore Vince Wheeland came up big on the mound for his first-career save as the Cowboys improved to 1-3 on the year.

The Cowboys fell behind 1-0 in the first inning as DBU (3-1) plated an unearned run off Stevens, but OSU’s offense erupted for six runs in the bottom of the second to take command.

The six-run rally was fueled by Fish as the freshman made his first hit in an OSU uniform a memorable one by blasting a grand slam over the center field wall off Patriots’ starter Aaron Gilbreath to put the Cowboys up 4-1.

Following back-to-back singles by Gage Green and Rea, Hunter Bailey drove in OSU’s fifth run on a groundout before Mark Ginther collected an RBI single to give the Pokes a 6-1 advantage. The hit was one of a team-high three for Ginther on the night.

The Cowboys used the long ball to add to their lead in the eighth. This time it was Rea sending a two-run shot over the wall in left to put OSU on top by an 8-1 margin. The blast was the first round tripper of the junior’s career.
With the Cowboys’ offense providing support, Stevens was impressive on the hill. In seven innings of work, the junior righty struck out 10 and allowed just two hits as he picked up the first win of his OSU career.

That win wouldn’t come easy, however.

In the eighth, the Patriots batted around, and a pair of three-run home runs trimmed OSU’s lead to one.

The first of the long balls came off the bat of Boomer Collins as he deposited a Blake Barnes pitch over the left field wall. Four batters later, it was Austin Elkins with a big fly as his first home run of the season, off Kenton Bevacqua, brought home three more runs and made the score 8-7.

OSU wasn’t out of trouble as pinch-hitter KJ Alexander delivered a two-out double before Wheeland was called out of the Cowboy bullpen.

And Wheeland delivered, striking out pinch hitter Michael Miller to end the inning without further damage.

The Cowboys added a crucial insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by Victor Romero that scored Bailey and gave OSU a 9-7 cushion.

Things would be interesting again in the ninth. Back-to-back singles by Ronnie Mitchell and Nash Knight and a sacrifice bunt by Collins put Patriots on second and third with one out. But Wheeland got Landon Anderson to fly out to shallow left, then snared a sharp grounder by Joel Hutter and tossed to first for the final out to give OSU the win.

The Cowboys return to action today when they host St. Gregory’s at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 780 AM KSPI.

BEDLAM TONIGHT IN NORMAN

Oklahoma State's Cowboy Basketball team heads to Norman, Okla., Wednesday night for round two of Bedlam with the Oklahoma Sooners. Tipoff is set for 7 pm inside the Lloyd Noble Center, and the game will be televised by the Big 12 Network.

Oklahoma State is led by reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Keiton Page, who is averaging 15.7 points after a 40-point performance against Texas on Saturday. Freshman Le'Bryan Nash is averaging 13.4 points per game, while sophomore Markel Brown is adding 10.7 ppg.

Oklahoma is led by junior guard Steven Pledger who is averaging 16.8 points per game. Point guard Sam Grooms is leading the Big 12 Conference with 6.1 assists per game. The Sooner frontcourt duo of Andrew Fitzgerald and Romero Osby are combining to average 24.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest. OU has lost six-straight games dating back to a 63-60 win at Kansas State on Jan. 28.

OSU won the earlier meeting this season in Stillwater with a 72-65 victory over OU. In that game, Nash scored a game-high 21 points while Page added 18 points. Brian Williams chipped in 13, while Michael Cobbins nearly recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds and nine points.

Oklahoma leads the all-time series with OSU 127-94, although since 1935, the series is much more competitive with the Cowboys holding an 85-83 edge. Oklahoma State has won five of the last seven games in the series, but has not won in Norman since 2004, a span of seven games.

Oklahoma State Cowgirls
13-10 overall; 5-9 Big 12
vs.
Kansas State Wildcats
17-9 overall; 8-6 Big 12

Game 24
Wednesday :: Feb. 22, 2012 :: 7 p.m. CST
Manhattan, Kansas
Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)

KGFY 105.5 FM

What 2 Watch 4
• The Cowgirls will look to snap a three-game losing streak on Wednesday when they travel to Manhattan, Kan., to take on Kansas State at 7 p.m.
•  Two of OSU’s last three losses came at the hands of Top 25 opponents in Baylor and Texas A&M.
• The contest will be televised by FS Kansas City with Brent Stover and Missy Heidrick handling the call.
• The Cowgirls have held 19 of their 23 opponents thus far under 40 percent shooting from the floor.
• 93 of OSU’s 115 starts thus far have been made by freshmen and sophomores.
• Tiffany Bias has led the Cowgirls in assists in 22 of OSU’s 23 games this season and has now paced OSU in 47 of her 55 career games.
• Bias is 11 assists shy of becoming the seventh Cowgirl to reach 300 for her career.
• Bias is also one steal shy of tying Andrea Riley for 10th place on the school’s single-season list at 65.

Know The Foe
•  The Wildcats currently sport a 9-3 mark at home after their 65-45 win over Texas last weekend.
•  K-State ranks second in the league in scoring defense and is allowing just 55.1 points per game.
•  Brittany Chambers ranks fifth in the Big 12 with her 15.3 points per game.
•  Chambers is tops in the league with her 2.7 3-pointers per game and ranks second in minutes played at 36.4 per contest.
•  Mariah White is fourth in the Big 12 in assists at 5.1 per contest and is third in assist-to-turnover ratio.
•  With their 67-56 win earlier this year in Stillwater, K-State has now won two in a row in the series and eight of the last 10.
•  Overall, K-State owns a 29-27 mark in the series.
•  OSU has lost its last two in Manhattan with its last road win in the series coming in 2007.

Texas A&M Leftovers
•  Against Texas A&M, Bias logged six assists to pass Andrea Riley for the No. 6 spot on the school’s single-season list with 154.
•  Junior Toni Young pulled 10 rebounds against the Aggies to move into seventh place on the school’s all-time list at 653.

 

2012 COWBOY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED

Seven home games, including visits from Big 12 newcomers West Virginia and TCU, highlight the 2012 Oklahoma State University football schedule.

The Cowboys open the season Sept. 1 when the defending Big 12 champions face Savannah State in the initial meeting between the schools. The following week the Cowboys hit the road for the first time when they travel to Tucson to face Arizona. The Cowboys and Wildcats will be meeting for the third straight year. They will face each other in Arizona for the first time since 1942.

On Sept. 15 Louisiana visits OSU. The Ragin Cajuns, who will be in Stillwater for a second straight season, are coming off a win in the New Orleans Bowl.

Following an open week, Oklahoma State opens Big 12 play against Texas. The Longhorns will be in Stillwater for the first time since 2009. Another open week follows the Texas game before OSU travels to Kansas on Oct. 13.

Homecoming in 2012 will take place on Oct. 20 with Iowa State in town to face the Cowboys. The following week, OSU and TCU will clash in Stillwater in the first ever meeting between the schools as Big 12 foes. The Cowboys and Horned Frogs haven't faced each other since 1993.

Oklahoma State visits Kansas State on Nov. 3 before returning home to face new Big 12 foe West Virginia. The Cowboys and Mountaineers have not played each other since the 1987 a thrilling Cowboy victory in the 1987 Sun Bowl. West Virginia last visited Stillwater in 1929.

A visit by Texas Tech on Nov. 17 closes OSU's home schedule. The Cowboys are then on the road at Oklahoma for Bedlam on Nov. 24 before closing the season Dec. 1 at Baylor.

The television schedule will be announced as available and dates are subject to change.