Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
TCU
Cowboys Host TCU In Weekend Series
April 21, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball
#25 Oklahoma State (23-13, 7-5)
vs. #4 TCU (27-8, 9-3)
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000)
Stillwater, Okla.
Fri., April 22: 6 p.m.
Sat., April 23: 4 p.m.
Sun., April 24: 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES
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Oklahoma StateÂ
   Oklahoma State carries a four-game winning streak into a showdown of nationally ranked teams this weekend at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, where the 25th-ranked Cowboys host No. 4 TCU. The Cowboys are 23-13 overall and at 7-5, are in third place in the Big 12 Conference standings behind Texas Tech and TCU. Friday's series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m., with Saturday's game at 4 p.m. and Sunday's finale at 1 p.m.
   Led by Donnie Walton and his .344 batting average, the Cowboys are hitting a collective .245, while the pitching staff has posted a Big 12-best 2.80 ERAÂ
   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 marks OSU's fourth under Holliday, who compiled a 127-57 record in his first three seasons at his alma mater.Â
About The Horned Frogs
   TCU is 27-8 overall and in second place in the Big 12 standings with a 9-3 mark. Led by junior Elliott Barzilli (.422,Â
5 HR, 30 RBI), the Horned Frogs lead the league with a .316 batting average, while the pitching staff sports a 2.95 ERA.
   Expected to start on the mound for TCU are:
   Friday - RHP Luken Baker (3-1, 1.75)      Saturday - LHP Dalton Horton (6-0, 1.99)  Â
    Sunday - RHP Brian Howard (5-1, 2.79)
   OSU is 19-17 all time against TCU and won last season's series in Fort Worth by taking 2-of-3 games against the top-ranked Frogs. The Cowboys are 5-6 vs. TCU in three seasons under Josh Holliday.
Watch, Listen, Follow
  All three games of the TCU series will be televised live on the FOX Sports family of networks, with Dave Hunziker and Cowboy Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Holliday on the call. The Friday and Sunday games air on FOX College Sports while Saturday's game is on FOX Sports Plus.
   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 once again maintained a spot in this week's national rankings, with the Cowboys checking in at No. 25 in the NCBWA poll.Â
   OSU has been ranked in at least one national poll for 61 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.Â
   OSU is 890-214 (.806) all time at Reynolds Stadium and has lost more than two consecutive games on its home turf only six times (six in a row in 2007; four straight in 2016; three in a row in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014).
   The Cowboys are 10-6 on their home field in 2016.
On The Road Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and...
   As has become commonplace, OSU opened 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 opened 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.
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Big 12 Home Series Winning Streak Snapped
   Prior to last weekend's sweep by Texas Tech, OSU had 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. From 2013-15, the Cowboys 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 67 games in Holliday's four seasons, notching 18 comeback wins in 2013, 28 in 2014 and 15 a year ago.
Close Calls
   OSU is 36-20 in one-run games since 2013, including a 10-7 mark this season. After losing their first five one-run games this season, including four via walk-off, the Cowboys won nine in a row before dropping two at West Virginia. Under head coach Josh Holliday (2013-pres.), 36 of the Cowboys' 70 losses have come 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.Â
   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). Â
Dealing
   OSU leads the Big 12 and ranks 12th nationally with a 2.80 team ERA, and a pair of Cowboys rank in the top 10 in the league in ERA – Tyler Buffett (first at 1.48) and Thomas Hatch (fifth at 1.98).
   OSU also leads the conference with 306 strikeouts, and its .236 opponent batting average and 12 saves rank second.
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 196 career games, the switch hitter owns a .313 batting average to go along with nine home runs, 113 RBIs, 39 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 was one of 50 players on USA Baseball's 2016 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List and was recently named to the Brooks Wallace Award (nation's top shortstop) Watch List by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
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).
   One of two Cowboys to start all 36 games this season, Hassel is hitting .257 to go along with a team-high 13 doubles.
The Candyman Can
   Tyler Buffett was a reliable performer on the mound in his first two seasons in Stillwater, but he has taken on a starring role in 2016.
   In a team-high 21 appearances, 20 of those in relief, the junior right-hander is 5-1 with six saves and a 1.65 ERA, with the five wins and six saves marking career highs. He leads the Big 12 in ERA and opponent batting average (.183) and is second in the league in saves. He's also among the conference leaders in wins, appearances and strikeouts (45).
   In the month of March, Buffett appeared in 11 of OSU's 18 games and went 4-0 with four saves and a 1.54 ERA to go along with 27 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings. He was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week twice (March 7th and 28th).
   Named to the National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, Buffett is 2-0 with three saves and a 0.82 ERA in seven relief outings in Big 12 play. He has allowed only one run in 11.0 innings while racking up 13 strikeouts against league foes.
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 is currently tied for the Big 12 lead with eight homers.
   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 13 appearances this season, seven of those as a starter, and is 4-5 with two saves and a 3.19 ERA. He also ranks third in the Big 12 with a team-high 58 strikeouts in 48.0 innings, including a career-high 13 in six innings of work in a win against 18th-ranked Michigan and 12 in a victory vs. Baylor.Â
   The opening day starter for the Cowboys vs. UT Arlington, Cobb's next six appearances came in relief before he re-joined the weekend starting rotation March 14 against Abilene Christian.
   Cobb has twice been named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week this season — April 4 and April 18.
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 has swung a consistent bat for the Cowboys as he's hitting .315 with a team-leading .496 slugging percentage and ranks second on the club with 25 RBIs.
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).Â
The Cyclist
   J.R. Davis made history in the series finale at West Virginia when he joined Josh Fields (2003) and Zach Johnson (2011) as the only OSU players to hit for the cycle during the Big 12 era (since 1997). The Cowboy second baseman is also one of just 18 Big 12 players to ever hit for the cycle.
   After leading off Sunday's game vs. WVU with a walk, Davis delivered an RBI triple in the third and a leadoff single in the sixth. In the eighth, he hit his first-career home run, a two-run shot, and then in the ninth he recorded an RBI double to complete the cycle. He finished the historic day 4-for-4 with a career-high four RBIs and three runs scored.
   Davis, a JUCO transfer who had not played since 2014 prior to joining OSU this season, appeared in just one of the Cowboys' first nine games this season but was inserted in the starting lineup at second base March 1 vs. Indiana State and has not left since. He owns a .324 batting average in 28 games, and the Cowboys are 15-4 with Davis batting in the leadoff spot.
Friday Night Filth
   Thomas Hatch missed the 2015 season with a sprained UCL, but he has returned to the OSU rotation as the Cowboys' Friday night starter this year and is consistently displaying the talent he showed glimpses of as a freshman two years ago.
   Hatch has made nine starts as a redshirt sophomore and is 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA, which ranks as the fifth lowest in the Big 12 in 2016. The right-hander leads the Cowboys with 59.0 innings pitched and has worked six or more innings in seven of his nine starts.
Fantastic Freshman
   OSU's pitching staff is arguably the best in the Big 12, and Jensen Elliott is a big reason why. The freshman right-hander has been in the Cowboys' weekend starting rotation throughout the year, making nine starts and compiling a 4-2 record and 3.10 ERA.
   Elliott won his first-career start on Feb. 20 at UT Arlington with five shutout innings, and in the series finale at West Virginia he became the first OSU freshman since Matt Smith in 1998 to throw a complete game. In that game, he threw 133 pitches and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out four in a performance that earned him Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors. He was also named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on April 18 following his win over Baylor.
   Elliott has recorded at least four strikeouts in seven of his nine outings this season, including racking up a career-high eight against No. 18 Michigan.
Award TourÂ
   OSU has had eight Big 12 weekly award winners in 2016, the fifth-most in a single season in conference history (the record is 11). The Cowboys are also only the seventh team in league history to record five or more Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors in a single season and first since 2013.Â
   Tyler Buffett (March 7 and March 28) and Trey Cobb (April 4 and April 18) have each been named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week twice, while Jensen Elliott has been the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (April 4) and Newcomer of the Week (April 18). Other winners are Dustin Williams (Player of Week on March 14 and J.R. Davis (Newcomer of Week on April 4).
Short Hops
   OSU is 27th in the latest official NCAA RPI ... The Cowboys have turned 44 double plays this season, which ranks fourth nationally ... OSU is 5-7 against ranked teams this season
