Cowboys Host Michigan In Showdown Of Nationally Ranked Teams

Friday, March 18

Stillwater, Okla.

4:00:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

Michigan

Thomas Hatch

Cowboys Host Michigan In Showdown Of Nationally Ranked Teams

March 17, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball

#22 Oklahoma State (11-6)

vs. #18 Michigan (11-3)

Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)

Stillwater, Okla.

Fri., March 18: 4 p.m.

Sat., March 19: 2 p.m.

Sun., March 20: Noon

GAME NOTES

Oklahoma State

Winners of five in a row, Oklahoma State puts its streak on the line this weekend at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in a showdown of nationally ranked teams when the No. 22 Cowboys host 18th-ranked Michigan. OSU is 11-6 on the season, which includes a 7-1 mark on its home field. Friday's series opener is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start with Saturday's contest at 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale set for noon.

Led by Donnie Walton and his .361 batting average, the Cowboys are hitting a collective .260 while the pitching staff owns a Big 12-best 2.42 ERA

The Cowboys are coming off a 38-20 season in which they made their third consecutive NCAA Regional appearance, and expectations are again high. OSU was ranked in the top 10 nationally in four different preseason polls and returns seven starters from 2015, including All-Big 12 Conference performers Donnie Walton, Ryan Sluder and Corey Hassel.

The 2016 season will mark OSU's fourth under Holliday, who compiled a 127-57 record in his first three seasons at his alma mater.

About The Wolverines

Michigan comes to Stillwater on a four-game winning streak and is 11-3 overall. Led by Harrison Wenson (.404, 3 HR, 14 RBI), the Wolverines are hitting .308 as a team while the pitching staff sports a collective 1.83 ERA.

Expected to start on the mound for Michigan are:

Friday - LHP Oliver Jaskie (3-0, 0.00) Saturday - LHP Brett Adcock (1-1, 1.15)

Sunday - LHP Evan Hill (2-1, 3.21)

OSU is 2-1 all time against the Wolverines. The two teams met on the final weekend of the 2015 regular season in Ann Arbor, with the Cowboys winning the first two games of the series — outscoring the home team by a 23-7 margin — before dropping the finale by a 6-2 count.

Watch, Listen, Follow

The Michigan series will stream free online at www.okstate.com/live and will also be televised in Oklahoma City and Tulsa on Cox Cable channel 703/HD 1333 in OKC and 1003/HD 1333 in Tulsa.

All OSU baseball games are carried live by Stillwater Radio, with Friday and Saturday's games airing on KSPI 780 AM and Sunday's finale on KSPI 93.7 FM. Bill Van Ness will call the action during the Michigan series, with Matt "Chief" Davis providing color commentary. Radio broadcasts are also available online at okstate.com/watch.

Live stats for all games can also be found at okstate.com, with links available under the Schedule tab on the baseball home page. Additionally, fans can follow the official OSU Baseball Twitter account, @OSUBaseball, for in-game updates.

In The Polls

OSU is ranked as high as No. 22 in this week's national polls, earning that spot from Baseball America. The Cowboys are also ranked 23rd by Perfect Game, 24th in the NCBWA poll and 25th by D1Baseball.com.

OSU has been ranked in at least one national poll for 56 consecutive weeks dating back to 2013, when the Cowboys were in the polls for the final 14 weeks of the season. During that time, they have spent 16 weeks in the Top 10 and been ranked as high as No. 3 (by the NCBWA in 2014). They finished the '14 season ranked 10th in each of the final polls, marking the 19th time in program history OSU ended the season in the top 10 in the national polls.

Home Sweet Home

Allie P. Reynolds Stadium has been home to Oklahoma State baseball since April 4, 1981, and in those 35 seasons, the Cowboys have been nearly unbeatable on their home field.

OSU is 887-209 (.809) all time at Reynolds Stadium and has lost more than two consecutive games on its home turf only five times (six in a row in 2007; three straight in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014).

The Cowboys are 7-1 on their home field in 2016.

Close Calls

OSU is 30-18 in one-run games since 2013, including a 4-5 mark this season (four of those losses have been walk-off defeats). Under head coach Josh Holliday (2013-pres.), 35 of the Cowboys' 63 losses have come by two runs or less. In 2015, 14 of OSU's 20 losses were by two runs or less.

Strong-Armed

In three seasons under the direction of coach Rob Walton, OSU's pitching staff has turned in impressive numbers.

The Cowboys' success under Walton includes 12 All-Big 12 pitchers, two consensus first-team All-Americans, a Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and a first-round Major League Baseball Draft pick.

Here's just a sampling of how the Cowboys have performed under Walton:

• OSU's pitching staff led the Big 12 in ERA in conference-only games in 2014 (2.43) and 2015 (2.50).

• The Cowboys' 2.84 ERA in 2015 ranked eighth nationally and was the lowest by an OSU pitching staff since 1973.

• OSU recorded seven shutouts in both 2013 and 2014, marking just the fourth and fifth times in program history the Cowboys had reached that mark. In the 26 seasons prior to 2013, the program had reached seven shutouts only once.

• Over the last three seasons, OSU has seen Jason Hursh drafted in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft, Brendan McCurry (2014) and Michael Freeman (2015) named first-team All-Americans and Freeman garner Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors.

• Freeman's 1.31 ERA ranked sixth in the NCAA in 2015 and was the fifth lowest in a single season in OSU history.

• McCurry set OSU records for single-season saves (19) and career saves (27).

Dealing

OSU leads the Big 12 with a 2.42 team ERA, and three Cowboy hurlers rank in the top 10 in the conference in ERA – Tyler Buffett (second at 1.03), Thomas Hatch (fifth at 1.67) and Jensen Elliott (seventh at 1.93).

OSU's 133 strikeouts and .223 opponent batting average each rank second in the conference.

Back In The Saddle

Donnie Walton spurned professional baseball last summer to return for his senior season with the Cowboys in 2016.

Walton has established himself as one of the Big 12's elite players since arriving on campus in 2013. In 177 career games, the switch hitter owns a .311 batting average to go along with nine home runs, 102 RBIs, 34 doubles and an OSU-record 53 sacrifice bunts (which ranks 10th on the NCAA's all-time list).

Primarily a shortstop throughout his career, Walton is one of just nine players in OSU history to earn All-Big 12 First Team accolades twice (in 2014 & 2015), with no Cowboy ever achieving that status three times.

A 23rd-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers last June, Walton chose not to sign a pro contract and instead starred in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. He was named the CCBL All-Star Game MVP and then earned the Star of Stars Award as the most valuable player of the CCBL playoffs after leading the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to the league championship.

Walton is one of 50 players on USA Baseball's 2016 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. The award is given to the top player in amateur baseball.

Hometown Hero

Corey Hassel played in 86 games and hit just .208 in his first two seasons at OSU, but the Stillwater native had a breakout junior campaign for his hometown Cowboys in 2015.

Used mostly as a late-game defensive replacement and pinch runner in 2013 and 2014, Hassel became a regular starter in the outfield as a junior and led the Cowboys with a .312 batting average. He also topped OSU in multi-hit games (18) and multi-RBI efforts (11) en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors. In conference play, Hassel hit .344 with two home runs and 18 RBIs and led OSU in numerous offensive categories, including RBIs, hits (31) and doubles (6).

A starter in all 17 games this season, Hassel is second on the Cowboys with a .345 batting average to go along with a .467 on-base percentage and six stolen bases.

The Candyman Can

Tyler Buffett was a reliable performer on the mound in his first two seasons in Stillwater but nearly a month into the 2016 season, he has taken on a starring role.

In a team-high nine appearances, eight of those in relief, the junior right-hander is 3-1 and leads the Big 12 in wins and opponent batting average (.159) while ranking second in ERA (1.03). He also ranks among the league leaders in strikeouts (26) and innings pitched (26.1).

Buffett was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 7 following a week that saw him take the mound in three games and go 2-0 with 10 strikeouts in 6.1 scoreless innings.

Deep Threat

Dustin Williams tied for the OSU lead with six home runs last season — and in 15 games this year, he'd already equaled his long ball total of a year ago.

The Cowboys' junior first baseman currently leads the Big 12 with six homers and 21 RBIs and is second in the league with 41 total bases and third with a .661 slugging percentage.

The left-handed hitting Williams was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on March 14 following a three-game stretch that saw him go 5-for-11 (.455) at the plate with four home runs, seven RBIs, 17 total bases and a 1.545 slugging percentage. He homered in all three games — including twice in one of them — and also drove in multiple runs in each contest.

Workhorse

Trey Cobb became the Cowboys' go-to pitcher out of the bullpen in 2015. His team-high 31 appearances marked the third most in a single season in OSU history, and the right-hander compiled a 5-2 record and two saves to go along with a 2.61 ERA. In 58.2 innings — all in relief — Cobb racked up 53 strikeouts, and opponents hit just .221 against him as he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades.

Cobb has made eight appearances this season, two of those as a starter, and is 2-3 with two saves and a 2.84 ERA. He has also recorded 17 strikeouts in 19.0 innings.

Hit Man

Garrett Benge put up video game numbers at the junior college level in 2015, and he's proving to be a valuable hitter in his first season in an OSU uniform.

As a freshman at Cowley County CC last season, Benge was named the NJCAA Division I Player of the Year after hitting .502 with 19 home runs, 97 RBIs, 26 doubles and four triples. In 59 games, he also collected 103 hits and a .946 slugging percentage.

Now manning the hot corner in Stillwater, Benge is off to an impressive start for the Cowboys. He's hitting .327, and his five doubles are the second-highest total on the team.

Building A Winner

In the first three seasons as head coach at his alma mater (2013-15), Josh Holliday has built quite an impressive resume. Just a few of the highlights:

• OSU's .690 winning percentage was the highest among Big 12 teams from 2013-15;

• OSU has finished first or second in the conference standings each year (1st in 2014, 2nd in 2013 and 2015);

• The Cowboys finished in the top 10 in the national rankings in 2014 after ending the 2013 season ranked as high as No. 19. Counting the 2016 preseason polls, they've been nationally ranked for 52 consecutive weeks.

• In 2014, OSU advanced to the third Super Regional in program history and won its first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship;

• OSU has hosted two NCAA Regionals and been the top-seeded team both times;

• The Cowboys have earned three NCAA Regional berths and advanced to the regional championship round twice;

• OSU has won at least five of its eight Big 12 Conference series each season (5 in 2013, 7 in 2014, 6 in 2015).