Game Notes: Cowgirls Resume Big 12 Play in Lubbock

Thursday, March 29

Lubbock, TX

6 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

Texas Tech

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Photo by: OSU Athletics

March 28, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball

OSU PDF Game Notes
Texas Tech Game Notes
Big 12 Statistics (Thru 3/26/18)

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State softball team looks to break out of its brief slump as the Cowgirls hit the road for a three-game set against Big 12 rival Texas Tech. The series is set to be played Thursday through Saturday due to recognition of the Easter holiday on Sunday. OSU is coming off a pair of losses to Iowa State and Wichita State, but the Cowgirls have still managed to win 14 of their last 17 contests overall.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 and is No. 25 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll this week. It is the ninth consecutive week that OSU has 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 Weekend
- OSU is 32-21 in games decided by two runs or less since the start of the 2016 season.
- Vanessa Shippy has started 205 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 153 consecutive games.
-  Vanessa Shippy has tallied 189 hits to only 48 strikeouts since Gajewski became head coach at OSU.
-  Vanessa Shippy has recorded 55 hits over her last 46 games played.
-  Vanessa Shippy has reached base as the Cowgirls' first batter in 14 of OSU's last 17 contests.
-  Emmie Robertson has struck out at least four batters in seven of her 15 appearances this year.
-  Samantha Clakley has not walked more than two batters in her last 12 appearances.
-  Taylor Lynch has logged at least one hit in 26 of 32 games played this season.
-  Maddi Holcomb has logged at least one hit in 17 of her last 25 games.
-  Madi Sue Montgomery has driven in multiple runs on nine 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 23 of her 32 games played thus far and has driven in at least one run on 17 occasions so far in 2018.
-  Logan Simunek has allowed just six earned runs in 47.0 innings pitched this season.