April 18, 2008

Stillwater, OK (UWIRE) -- As the Oklahoma State Cowboys head to Austin to face Texas this weekend, coach Frank Anderson said the top spot in the Big 12 this week belongs to an unlikely team - the University of Texas-Arlington.

UTA beat No. 14 OSU (24-11, 8-7 Big 12) on Tuesday in Arlington and beat Texas the next day in Austin.

The Cowboys are tied with the No. 15 Longhorns (23-11, 8-7) for fourth place in the conference.

"UTA is leading the Big 12 right now," Anderson said. "But [Texas] is playing pretty well, and it will be tough for us this weekend."

UT swept OSU last season in Stillwater, and senior first baseman Rebel Ridling said it will be even harder to win the series in Austin.

"It doesn't matter if you've been winning or losing, conference is conference," Ridling said. "It's tough, especially on the road. I guarantee Texas is going to be ready to play, and I know we'll be ready to play."

Friday's game starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU. Saturday's game will start at 2 p.m., and Sunday's starts at 1 p.m.

The Cowboys are coming off a 25-1 victory against Mid-America Christian University on Wednesday, and Anderson said he thought going into the series after a win will help OSU's confidence.

"Any time you can feel good about yourself, I think that helps," Anderson said. "I think it was good for us to get another game after [Tuesday]."

Ridling said he is looking forward to his first trip to Austin.

"I'm just excited to play; I didn't get to go my sophomore year because I broke my wrist," he said. "Plus, I played with six guys on their team this summer, so to see those guys and play against them, that will be fun."

Ridling said he is also excited about the opportunity to get revenge from last season.

"We've had a lot of struggles in the past against them," Ridling said. "This is a whole different group of guys we've got, and none of them have ever struggled against Texas; they've never played.

"So we want to turn over a new page and try to go out and play well."

(C) 2008 Daily O'Collegian via UWIRE