PREVIEW: Softball Starts Big 12 Road Schedule at #15/#14 Oklahoma State; Friday’s Start Adjusted Due to Weather

STILLWATER, Okla. – The University of Houston Softball team is back on the road, heading to preseason Big 12 Conference favorites #15/#14 Oklahoma State for a three-game weekend series.

The teams start with a 6 p.m., Friday tilt before clashing again at 2 p.m., Saturday. The series concludes at noon, Sunday.

OKLAHOMA STATE
Date \| Time				March 14 \| 6 p.m. \| Watch \| Live Stats \| Tickets March 15 \| 2 p.m. \| Watch \| Live Stats \| Tickets March 16 \| Noon \| Watch \| Live Stats \| Tickets
Location				Stillwater, Okla. \| Cowgirl Stadium
Game Notes				Game Notes

SERIES vs OKLAHOMA STATE

All-Time: 8-8
In Stillwater: 3-2
Last Houston Win: March 13, 2021; 4-2
Last Oklahoma State Win: April 7, 2024; 10-2 (6)
Last 10 in Series: 4-6
Current Streak: L3

HEAD COACH KRISTIN VESELY
Overall record: 227-200-1 (9th season)
At Houston: same

FIRST PITCH

In its last time out, Houston won its first Big 12 Conference series, taking two of three games from Iowa State. After losing an offensive showcase on Friday, Houston rallied back to win on both Saturday and Sunday. The Cougars held Iowa State to four runs in the pair of wins.
Freshmen are well represented in the starting lineup for this year's squad. Out of 228 positional start this season, first-years have earned 106 of them (46 percent) while underclassmen as a whole have snagged 205 of the team's 228 starts (90 percent). It is believed to be both one of the most freshmen heavy lineups and underclassmen heavy lineups.
Houston has been drawing walks at a prolific rate this season. Picking up 145 bases on balls through the first 23 games, the Cougars lead the country in walks, sitting 13 walks ahead of second place LSU. In the total is five games where Houston drew double-digit walks, including 13 against New Mexico on Feb. 7 which is the second most walks drawn in a single game by a NCAA Division I team this season as well as a new program record for walks in a game.
Houston used a 5-3-5 triple play to clinch a 4-3 win against Pitt on Feb. 15. It was the team's second triple play in program history and its first since April 7, 2007, against UTEP. The Cougars are one of six NCAA Division I teams to turn a triple play this season, joining Alcorn, Campbell, Elon, Jackson State and ULM. Houston, Alcorn and Campbell all completed the feat in the second weekend of the season.
After tying the record for most runs through 11 games with 94 runs last season, Houston is back to its run-scoring ways this year. Averaging 10.2 runs per game through five games, Houston broke its record for most runs to start the season in that span, besting its previous mark of 39 runs in 2022.
Freshman Brooke Wells played for the US Women's Junior National Team in the WBSC World Cup Group Stage last August. She helped lead the team to a 6-0 finish while herself posting nine RBIs with 10 runs scored, also collecting a .467 batting average with five extra-base hits, including a grand slam. She was named to both D1Softball's and Softball America's Freshman Watch Lists.
Cougar Softball Stadium features multiple upgrades for the 2025 season, including an expanded concessions menu, new safety netting and a new sound system.
Houston filled the third assistant coach role permitted by the NCAA last summer, hiring Barrett Barnes to complete the coaching staff. The Cougars' staff of Head Coach Kristin Vesely and assistant coaches Nadia Taylor, Hope Trautwein and Barnes are the only staff in the Big 12 who all have played either softball or baseball professionally.
Sixteen of Houston's 21 players hail from the Lone Star State, including seven from the Houston-metro area.
Vesely has defeated a ranked team in every season as head coach of Houston, including knocking-off top-ranked Texas last season for the Cougars' first win against a #1 opponent in program history.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
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