Ryan Steele - NewsPress
May 09, 2008 08:43 am
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Though his players may be thinking about it, Oklahoma State coach Frank Anderson is keeping his distance from the subject.
If the 10th-ranked Cowboys take care of business throughout the next few weeks, they will likely be on track to host an NCAA Regional for the first time since 1997.
“That’s a long ways down the road and we’ve still got a lot of games to play before any of that stuff is decided,” Anderson said during Thursday’s Big 12 teleconference. “To be honest, I haven’t really looked at that, and I think if you play well, that takes care of itself.”
OSU (35-13, 14-7) certainly has a resumé fit for a Regional host. The Cowboys have the nation’s 16th-best RPI and boast a 13-7 record against ranked opponents, with eight victories coming against Top 10 foes.
Despite an 11-3 setback against unranked Utah Valley State last weekend, Rivals.com still projects O-State as a No. 8 national seed, which earns the right to host a Super Regional if it advances past the NCAA’s first round.
In a contest which may have had national seed implications, the Cowboys dropped a 4-2 decision to seventh-ranked Rice on Wednesday. OSU, which flew to Houston the day of the game, fell behind 4-0 in the second inning.
“They kind of punched us in the mouth early in the game,” Anderson said. “There’s no excuses for going out and not getting after it right at the get-go. We looked a little sluggish from finals and flying down (to Houston). We haven’t quite got back to where we were before.
“We’re working hard to get that feel back and it takes a while when you take a week off from this game because of the day-to-day process. Obviously the intensity level wasn’t there (during the loss to UVS) and there might have been a little bit of a carryover (Wednesday).”
Even though Wednesday featured a battle between a pair of Top 10 clubs which could’ve played a factor in determining Regional seeding, Anderson said the contest didn’t live up to his expectations.
“I thought it would be more of a playoff, Regional-type atmosphere and it really wasn’t from either side,” he added. “My expectation was a really exciting pitch to pitch battle all the way through. It was a good game but it wasn’t at that level of intensity that I thought it might be.”
With just two weeks left on the regular-season schedule, O-State is looking to get that spark back. The Cowboys play their final home series of the year starting tonight when they host Texas Tech (21-26, 6-15), the conference’s cellar dweller. The Red Raiders have lost 14 of their last 19 outings.
“I’m worried about Texas Tech,” Anderson said. “When you’re in (Tech’s) situation, it’s kind of a no-holds-barred deal. You could end up playing a dangerous opponent that’s backed into a corner.
“Texas Tech is going to come in here and they’re going to get after it, and we need to match their intensity. That’s my biggest focus.”
Tonight’s first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. The series will resume Saturday at 2 p.m. with the finale scheduled for a 1 p.m. start Sunday. The Cowboys then close the regular season with a meeting with Western Illnois on Tuesday and a three-game series against Oklahoma next weekend.
Scouting TTU
The Red Raiders, who are coming off Wednesday’s 16-7 loss to Dallas Baptist, are led by junior Roger Kieschnick, a second-team All-Big 12 pick last season and the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2006.
It was recently announced that head coach Larry Hays will step down after his contract expires next year. First-year associate head coach Dan Spencer was named head coach designate and will replace Hays, who has coached the program for 22 seasons.
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