High Noon Highlights(3/18): Cowgirl Softball come in top-20 in first RPI rankings

It’s high noon...

Cowgirl Softball comes in at No.13 in the latest RPI rankings:

The first RPI rankings of the season were released Sunday and the Cowgirls are one of the top-15 teams in the country at No.13. They’ve got a 20-7 record and are perfect at 5-0 when in Stillwater. Coming in at No.1 is Florida State, who is always a good team. Then you’ve got fellow Big-12 team and rival Oklahoma at No.4, and Texas rounds out the top 5. The Cowgirls will have their series with Texas in Stillwater in two weeks.

Things to know for the NCAA Wrestling Tournament:

With Oklahoma State wrestling headed to the NCAA tournament later this week, here’s some thing you need to know if you’re wanting to follow along.

Oklahoma State finished the dual season unbeaten and with a seventh consecutive Big 12 Conference crown. The Cowboys, winners of 34 NCAA team titles but none since 2006, bring nine wrestlers to Pittsburgh led by top seeds Fix and heavyweight Derek White (28-1). OSU also has unbeaten Nick Piccininni (30-0 at 125) and Preston Weigel (11-0 at 197) seeded inside the top three. Finalists and All-Americans are required and John Smith’s group has the potential to out all nine of its entries on the podium. Two-time All-American Joe Smith received no favors at 165 pounds; the junior might square off with top-seeded Alex Marinelli of Iowa in the first round. {NCAA.com}

Oklahoma State softball struggles in Oxford:

This weekend, the Cowgirls headed to Oxford, Mississippi to play Samford and Ole Miss. They would win their first game of a double-header on Saturday against Samford but would fall in the game against Ole Miss later Saturday afternoon and lose another game against the Rebels on Sunday. Here’s what coach Gajewski had to say.

“In the first game, we played OK - shut them out, had some big hits - but I just didn’t like our energy all day,” Gajewski said. “When you don’t play with passion and energy and you just don’t fight, things catch you. It caught us in that second game. I’m disappointed with the way we coached. We didn’t prepare our kids. We’re going to go inside (tonight) and work to figure out what we can do to help them. We’ll get that done, jump out here tomorrow and have a nice day.”

In the opener, Oklahoma State got onto the scoreboard quickly against Samford, as Madi Sue Montgomery drove home Rylee Bayless from third base with a sacrifice fly to right field. It was Montgomery’s 11th career sacrifice fly, bringing her within one of tying Alysia Hamilton’s OSU career record. {okstate.com}