Cowboys Open Big 12 Play In The Little Apple

#19 Oklahoma State (14-7, 0-0)
at Kansas State (11-10, 0-0)

Tointon Family Stadium (2,331)
Manhattan, Kan.

Thurs., March 24: 6:05 p.m.
Fri., March 25: 6:35 p.m.
Sat., March 26: 2:05 p.m.

GAME NOTES

Oklahoma State
     Oklahoma State begins Big 12 Conference play with a three-game series at Kansas State, which opens Thursday in Manhattan, Kan. OSU is 14-7 on the season and ranked as high as 19th nationally, and the Cowboys have won 12 of their last 14 games. Thursday's series opener is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., with Friday's contest at 6:35 p.m. and Saturday's finale at 1:05 p.m.
     Led by Donnie Walton and his .338 batting average, the Cowboys are hitting a collective .251 while the pitching staff owns a Big 12-best 2.29 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 Wildcats
     Kansas State is 11-10 on the season, which includes a 7-5 mark on its home turf. Led by junior second baseman Jake Wodtke (.377, 18 RBI), the Wildcats are hitting .281 as a team, while the pitching staff sports a collective 5.06 ERA.
     Expected to start on the mound for K-State are:
     Friday - RHP Levi MaVorhis (3-0, 2.60)       Saturday - LHP Parker Rigler (2-3, 3.86)
     Sunday - TBA
     OSU is 160-50 all time against the Wildcats, including a 3-1 mark last season (two wins in Stillwater, one at Big 12 Championship). The Cowboys are 8-2 against KSU under Josh Holliday.

Watch, Listen, Follow
     Thursday's series opener will air live nationally on FS1 with Dave Barnett and Pat Combs on the call. Friday's game airs on FOX College Sports, while fans can watch the series finale Saturday online via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
     All OSU baseball games are carried live by Stillwater Radio and air on KSPI 93.7 FM or 780 AM. Rex Holt, who is in his 34th season on the air with Cowboy baseball, will call the action, 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. 19 in this week's national polls, earning that spot from Baseball America. The Cowboys are also ranked 20th by Perfect Game, 22nd by D1Baseball.com and the NCBWA and 25th in the USA Today coaches poll.
     OSU has been ranked in at least one national poll for 57 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.

On The Road Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and...
     As has become commonplace, OSU will open Big 12 Conference play on the road in 2016.
     The Cowboys have begun league play at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium only twice since 2003 (in 2005 and 2013), and this season OSU will open at Kansas State.
     The trend will continue in the near future as the conference office has set schedules for 2017 and 2018, and in each of those seasons, OSU opens Big 12 action away from Stillwater.
     Since 2004 and spanning through 2018, OSU will have opened conference play on the road 13 times and only two times at home. Since Big 12 baseball began play in 1997, the Cowboys will have opened league play on the road 16 times and just six times in Stillwater.

It's Been Awhile
     OSU has not lost a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium since 2012 when it was swept by Texas A&M on the final weekend of the season. Over the last three seasons, the Cowboys have won nine consecutive three-game league series on their home field following a split in a rain-shortened two-game series with Baylor to open league play in 2013. (In 2015 OSU lost its only game vs. West Virginia in Stillwater — the final two games of the series were canceled due to weather).

Big 12's Best
     Oklahoma State's .690 winning percentage (127-57) from 2013-15 marked the highest in the Big 12 Conference during that span. TCU came in second at .677, with the Cowboys only trailing the Horned Frogs by one in the win column.
     OSU has also finished first or second in the league standings each of the last three years, and the Cowboys are the only Big 12 team over that span to finish over .500 in conference play each year.

Comeback Cowboys
     Come-from-behind victories have become a trend for the Cowboys under Josh Holliday. OSU has overcome deficits to win 64 games in Holliday's four seasons, notching 18 comeback wins in 2013, 28 in 2014 and 15 a year ago.

Close Calls
     OSU is 31-18 in one-run games since 2013, including a 5-5 mark this season (four of those losses have been walk-off defeats). Under head coach Josh Holliday (2013-pres.), 36 of the Cowboys' 64 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 2.29 team ERA, and three Cowboy hurlers rank in the top 10 in the conference in ERA – Tyler Buffett (third at 1.59), Thomas Hatch (fifth at 2.03) and Jensen Elliott (ninth at 2.19).
     OSU's 178 strikeouts, .219 opponent batting average and seven saves also lead 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 181 career games, the switch hitter owns a .310 batting average to go along with nine home runs, 106 RBIs, 35 doubles and an OSU-record 54 sacrifice bunts (which ranks ninth 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 21 games this season, Hassel is third on the Cowboys with a .315 batting average to go along with a .441 on-base percentage and seven stolen bases.

The Candyman Can
     Tyler Buffett was a reliable performer on the mound in his first two seasons in Stillwater but a month into the 2016 season, he has taken on a starring role.
     In a team-high 11 appearances, 10 of those in relief, the junior right-hander is 3-1 and ranks in the top five in the Big 12 in wins, opponent batting average (.163) and ERA (1.53). He also ranks among the league leaders in strikeouts (28) and innings pitched (29.1).
     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 seven homers while ranking among the league leaders in RBIs (22), total bases (47) and slugging percentage (.595).
     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 10 appearances this season, three of those as a starter, and is 3-3 with two saves and a 2.52 ERA. He has also recorded 30 strikeouts in 25.0 innings, including 13 in six innings of work against 18th-ranked Michigan.

Hit Man
     Garrett Benge put up video game numbers at the junior college level last season, and he's proving to be a valuable hitter in his first season in an OSU uniform.
     As a freshman at Cowley County CC, Benge was the 2015 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 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 as he ranks second on the club in batting average (.333), doubles (7) and RBIs (15).

Injuries Take A Toll
     Several key Cowboys have missed signficant time this season due to injury. Garrett Williams has yet to pitch because of a shoulder issue, while Conor Costello (hamate) has been on the injured list over the last nine games. Ryan Sluder (thumb) missed nine games, and Colin Simpson (hamate) was out of action for 15 — both returned to action off the bench at Wichita State.

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).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Garrett Benge

Tyler Buffett

Trey Cobb

Conor Costello

Jensen Elliott

Michael Freeman

Corey Hassel

Thomas Hatch

Colin Simpson

Ryan Sluder

Donnie Walton

Dustin Williams

Garrett Williams

Oklahoma State University Athletics