Cowboy Baseball Set For Midweek Home Opener

California Baptist (2-1) at #15 Oklahoma State (1-2)

Tues., Feb. 21 • 4 p.m.

O’Brate Stadium (8,000) • Stillwater, Okla.

 
 
  Video/TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Dave Hunziker & Tom Holliday)
  Radio: KSPI 93.7 FM & stillwaterradio.internet (Rex Holt & Matt Davis)
  Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
  Twitter In-Game Updates: @OSUBaseball
 

About Oklahoma State

     • OSU is 1-2 after successful its season opener towards Missouri final weekend on the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas, earlier than dropping its subsequent two video games to Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Up subsequent, the Pokes host California Baptist of their house opener Tuesday earlier than a three-game weekend collection with LMU at O’Brate Stadium.
     • The Cowboys are coming off a 42-22 season in 2022 by which they made their ninth consecutive NCAA Regional look. OSU completed tied for second within the Big 12 standings with a 15-9 convention mark, one sport out of first place. 
     • OSU was the No. 7 nationwide seed in final 12 months’s NCAA Championship, this system’s highest ever tourney seeding, and was an NCAA Regional host for the fourth time beneath Josh Holliday; the Pokes superior to the NCAA Regional finals for the sixth time beneath Holliday.
     • Led by Nolan McLean and Roc Riggio, the Cowboys return six place starters and 13 letterwinners from a 12 months in the past.
     • The 2023 season is OSU’s eleventh beneath head coach Josh Holliday, who’s 362-199-2 at his alma mater. The Cowboys have earned an NCAA Region berth annually beneath his watch.
 

About California Baptist

     • California Baptist opened the season with a collection win at Oklahoma, dropping the opener earlier than claiming the ultimate two video games of the weekend towards the Sooners.
     • Gary Adcock is in his twentieth season as CBU’s head coach and owns a 669-333-1 profession file.
     • This would be the first-ever assembly between OSU and California Baptist.
 

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

     OSU was ranked as excessive as No. 8 within the preseason nationwide polls, getting that rating from USA TODAY Sports. This week, the Cowboys are ranked No. 15 by D1Baseball, sixteenth by Collegiate Baseball, nineteenth by the NCBWA, twenty first by Baseball America and twenty fifth by Perfect Game.
     OSU has been nationally ranked for 39 consecutive weeks courting again to the 2021 preseason polls. The Cowboys reached No. 2 twice in 2022, marking their highest-ever rating beneath Josh Holliday, and completed the 12 months ranked as excessive as No. 17 within the remaining polls.
     From March 4, 2013 to April 3, 2017, a streak of 77 consecutive weeks, OSU was ranked in no less than one nationwide ballot. During that point, the Cowboys spent 18 weeks within the Top 10, climbing as excessive as No. 3. They have completed within the prime 10 within the remaining polls twice beneath Josh Holliday — tenth in 2014 and fourth in 2016.
 

Big 12 Love For The Pokes

     OSU positioned 4 gamers on the 2023 Preseason All-Big 12 Team as Marcus Brown, Nolan McLean, Roc Riggio and Juaron Watts-Brown earned that distinction. Additionally, Watts-Brown was named the Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year and Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year.
     The Cowboys have been picked to complete second within the Big 12 standings, receiving 4 first-place votes from the league’s coaches. Two-time defending champion TCU collected 5 first-place votes to edge OSU as the favourite.
 

If You Build It…

     OSU ranked eighth nationally in common house attendance in 2022; within the 32 house dates at O’Brate Stadium, the Cowboys averaged 5,580 followers.
     OSU’s complete of 178,566 followers at O’Brate Stadium final season ranked ninth within the NCAA.
     In a dozen Big 12 Conference video games at house, OSU averaged 6,211 followers.
 

All-American Golden Cowboys

     Juaron Watts-Brown and Nolan McLean are each consensus Preseason All-Americans.
     Watts-Brown, the Cowboys’ sophomore right-handed pitcher, was a second-team choose by D1Baseball and Baseball America and a third-team alternative by Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game and the NCBWA.
     A two-way standout, McLean was named a Preseason All-American as a utility participant and earned second-team standing from D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball and third-team honors from Baseball America, Perfect Game and the NCBWA.
     Both McLean and Watts-Brown are additionally on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, which incorporates 55 of the nation’s prime newbie gamers.
     Joining the McLean/Watts-Brown duo as a Preseason All-American is second baseman Roc Riggio, who was a third-team choice by Baseball America and D1Baseball.
    

New Faces

     OSU’s roster contains 23 newcomers, and the Cowboys introduced in a recruiting class and switch class that have been each ranked within the prime 10 nationally.
     The group of newcomers contains 12 freshmen, six Division I transfers and 5 gamers who joined the Pokes from the JUCO ranks.
 

Two-Way Talent

     Nolan McLean’s highly effective bat was a fixture in the midst of the Cowboys’ order in 2022, and he additionally emerged as OSU’s nearer. That mixture led to him being named a Perfect Game All-American and a semifinalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.
     A local of North Carolina, McLean additionally grew to become the third participant in OSU historical past to earn All-Big 12 honors at two completely different positions — he was named to the All-Big 12 First Team as a utility participant, was an All-Big 12 Second Team choice as a reduction pitcher and picked up honorable point out All-Big 12 plaudits as an infielder.
     McLean slugged a team-high 19 house runs and hit .285 with 16 doubles and 47 RBIs whereas spending nearly all of his time at third base. He was OSU’s second-leading hitter in Big 12 play, posting a .330 common to associate with seven homers and 20 RBIs.
     On the mound, McLean made 23 reduction appearances and posted a 2-1 file and 5 saves whereas recording 39 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. Four of his saves got here in league play.
     McLean spurned skilled baseball to return to Stillwater after being chosen with the primary choose of the third spherical of final July’s Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
     Random Fact: McLean was a quarterback on the OSU soccer group in the course of the 2020 season.
 

What Can Brown Do For You

     Marcus Brown developed into the Cowboys’ on a regular basis shortstop as a sophomore in 2022 and thrived in that position, hitting .316 with 15 doubles, 4 homers and 31 RBIs to earn honorable point out All-Big 12 standing.
     Brown went on a tear on the plate throughout convention play. He entered league motion hitting .256 however posted a .318 common towards convention foes to spice up that mark.
     Brown, who additionally turned within the longest hitting streak by a Poke final season at 13-games, was named a Cape Cod League All-Star over the summer season after starring for the Chatham Anglers.
    Random Fact: Brown was named the 2021 Appalachian League Player of the Year as a member of the Elizabethton River Riders.
 

Fab Frosh

     Zach Ehrhard was a unanimous choose for the Big 12 All-Freshman Team final season as he proved to be one of many Cowboys’ most constant hitters and a fixture on the prime of the lineup.
     The Florida native completed second on the group with a .332 batting common and 23 multi-hit video games and led the Pokes with 18 stolen bases on 23 makes an attempt. He additionally had a streak of 23 video games reaching base safely, the longest by an OSU participant on the season.
     Ehrhard began 44 video games in proper discipline and 11 in heart discipline in 2022 however is predicted to take over heart discipline duties as a sophomore.
    Random Fact: At Wharton High School, Ehrhard was coached by MLB Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, who was a volunteer coach for the baseball group.
 

Roc Rolled

     Roc Riggio loved a Freshman All-American season in 2022, beginning 53 video games for the Cowboys and hitting .295 with 11 house runs, 14 doubles and 47 RBIs.
     The second baseman caught hearth on the plate within the postseason and was named to the all-tournament group at each the Big 12 Baseball Championship and the NCAA Stillwater Regional. In 10 video games, he hit .458 (22-for-48) with six doubles, 5 homers and 19 RBIs.
    Random Fact: As an eighth grader, Riggio dedicated to play baseball at UCLA.
 

Meet The New Guy

     OSU bolstered its pitching workers with the addition of switch Juaron Watts-Brown, who is predicted to guide the Cowboys’ weekend beginning rotation.
     Watts-Brown transferred to OSU after incomes Freshman All-America honors at Long Beach State final season. The right-handed pitcher went 4-4 with a 3.68 ERA in 15 appearances, together with 12 begins, for the Dirtbags and racked up 111 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings.
     During the month of May, Watts-Brown went 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 33 innings, and he posted double-digit strikeout video games in 4 of his final 5 begins of the season.
     Watts-Brown’s first collegiate season additionally noticed him toss the primary full sport no-hitter in LBSU historical past, and he set the varsity file for strikeouts per 9 innings in a season with 13.62.
    Random Fact: Watts-Brown was named the West Yosemite League Player of the Year in baseball, soccer and basketball throughout his prep profession at Hanford High School; he performed quarterback on the gridiron and ahead in hoops.
 

Bat Man

     Another dependable bat in the midst of the Cowboys’ 2022 batting order returns this season within the type of David Mendham.
     In his first season in Stillwater after transferring from South Carolina, Mendham began 57 video games (50 at first base) and hit .276 with 16 doubles, 11 homers and 45 RBIs.
     Mendham, who was an honorable point out All-Big 12 choose, dedicated only one fielding error on the season.
    Random Fact: Mendham is courting OSU softball All-American pitcher Kelly Maxwell.
 

Stillwater Slingers

     A pair of hometown hurlers had profitable debuts for the Cowboys on opening weekend.
     Southpaw Drew Blake picked up the win in reduction within the season opener towards Missouri because the redshirt freshman labored two scoreless innings in reduction of starter Juaron Watts-Brown.
     Against Vanderbilt, Isaac Stebens tossed 4 shutout innings out of the bullpen. A JUCO All-American at Cowley County CC, the righty struck out a pair and allowed simply two hits whereas not issuing a stroll.
     Random Fact: Drew Blake’s dad, Randy, was teammates with Josh Holliday on the Stillwater High School soccer group within the mid-Nineteen Nineties; Holliday was the Pioneers’ quarterback, whereas Blake starred at extensive receiver.