Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Texas
Cowboys Begin Postseason At Big 12 Championship
May 23, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball
#2-seed Oklahoma State (35-18)
at theÂ
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
Oklahoma City
Wed., May 25-Sun., May 29Â
Oklahoma StateÂ
    Oklahoma State enters the 2016 Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Championship as the tourney's No. 2 seed and opens double-elimination play Wednesday against seventh-seeded Texas at 7:30 p.m. at Oklahoma City's Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The 11th-ranked Cowboys are 35-18 overall and finished with a 16-8 mark in Big 12 play, winning five conference series.
    Led by Donnie Walton and his .348 batting average, the Cowboys are hitting a collective .259, while the pitching staff has posted a Big 12-best 3.19 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
Cowboys At The Big 12 Baseball Championship
    OSU is making its 18th appearance at the Big 12 Baseball Championship and owns a 20-33 all-time record in the tournament. The Cowboys have advanced to the title game each of the last two seasons, falling to TCU in 2014 and Texas a year ago. OSU won its lone Big 12 Championship title in 2004, defeating Missouri 10-9 in 13 innings in Arlington, Texas.
    OSU is the No. 2 seed and in Division Two of this year's double-elimination Big 12 tournament field, along with third-seeded TCU, sixth-seeded Baylor and seventh-seeded Texas. The Cowboys are 8-1 against teams in their division this season — 3-0 vs. Texas and Baylor and 2-1 vs. TCU.
    The teams in Division One of the tournament include top-seeded Texas Tech, No. 4 West Virginia, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 8 Kansas State.
Watch, Listen, Follow
    All games of the Big 12 Baseball Championship will be televised live on Fox College Sports and are also available via the Fox Sports Go app; Chad McKee and George Frazier will call the OSU contests. Sunday's title game will air on FSN, with Dave Barnett and Pat Combs in the booth.
    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 be found at www.Big12Sports.com/bsb-scoreboard. Additionally, fans can follow the official OSU Baseball Twitter account, @OSUBaseball, for in-game updates.
In The Polls
    OSU remained in this week's national polls and is ranked as high as 11th by Perfect Game. The Cowboys are also ranked No. 12 by Collegiate Baseball, 16th in the USA Today coaches poll, 17th in the Baseball America poll and No. 19 by D1Baseball.com. (This week's NCBWA poll has not yet been released).
    OSU has been ranked in at least one national poll for 66 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.
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Building A Winner
    In the first three seasons as head coach at his alma mater (2013-15), Josh Holliday 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 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. In 2015, they were ranked as high as 17th in the final polls.
    • In 2014, OSU advanced to the third Super Regional in program history and won its first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship;
    • OSU hosted two NCAA Regionals and been the top-seeded team both times;
    • The Cowboys earned three NCAA Regional berths and advanced to the regional championship round twice;
    • OSU won at least five of its eight Big 12 Conference series each season (5 in 2013, 7 in 2014, 6 in 2015).Â
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 four years, and the Cowboys are the only Big 12 team during 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 69 games in Holliday's four seasons, notching 18 comeback wins in 2013, 28 in 2014, 15 in 2015 and eight in 2016.
Close Calls
    OSU is 39-21 in one-run games since 2013, including a 13-8 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.), 39 of the Cowboys' 75 losses have come by two runs or less, including 12 in 2016.
Small Ball
    OSU has smashed program records for sacrifice bunts each of the last three years.
    In 2014, the Cowboys were third nationally with 88 sacrifice bunts, which trumped the 2013 team's 74 sac bunts to set a program record. Donnie Walton ranked fourth in the NCAA in 2014 with 22 sac bunts and has racked up an OSU career-record 54 sacrifice bunts, a total which ranks ninth on the NCAA's all-time list.
    Last season, OSU led the NCAA with 81 sacrifice bunts, and four different Cowboys had at least 10 sac bunts.
Swept Away
    OSU made history with its sweep of Texas in Austin as it marked the first time OSU has swept three Big 12 road series in a single season. The Cowboys also swept Kansas State and Baylor on the road this year.
    The Cowboys finished the season 10-2 in Big 12 road games, the lone losses coming at West Virginia.Â
Strong-Armed
    In its first three seasons under the direction of coach Rob Walton, OSU's pitching staff turned in impressive numbers.Â
    The Cowboys' success under Walton from 2013-15 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 with a 3.19 team ERA (tied with TCU), with Thomas Hatch posting a league-best 2.10 ERA and two other Cowboys in the top 10 — Tyler Buffett (5th at 2.56) and Jensen Elliott (7th at 3.25).
    OSU also leads the conference with a .235 opponent batting average and four complete games and ranks second in strikeouts (471), saves (16) and shutouts (7).
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 213 career games, which ranks ninth on the program's all-time list, the switch hitter owns a .317 batting average to go along with 11 home runs, 130 RBIs, 43 doubles and an OSU-record 55 sacrifice bunts (which ranks seventh 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 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).
    The only Cowboy to start all 53 games this season, Hassel leads OSU with 16 doubles, 16 sacrifice bunts — which ranks fourth nationally — and 13 stolen bases.
The Candyman Can
    Tyler Buffett was reliable on the mound in his first two seasons in Stillwater, but he has taken on a starring role in 2016.
    In a team-high 31 appearances, 29 of those in relief, the junior right-hander is 6-2 with nine saves and a 2.56 ERA, with the six wins and nine saves marking career highs. He leads the Big 12 in appearances and opponent batting average (.210), ranks second in saves and is fifth in ERA.
    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 and the NCBWA's Stopper of the Year Watch List, Buffett was 2-0 with six saves in 13 relief outings in Big 12 play. He allowed only eight runs in 21.1 innings while racking up 21 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 currently leads the Big 12 lead with 14 homers, the most by an OSU player since 2009 when Neil Medchill also had 14.
    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 17 appearances this season, 11 of those as a starter, and is 4-7 with two saves and a 3.39 ERA. He also ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 80 strikeouts in 63.2 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 has swung a consistent bat for the Cowboys as he's hitting .304 and ranks second on OSU with a .471 slugging percentage to go along with 35 RBIs.
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 .347 batting average in 45 games, and the Cowboys are 27-9 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 14 starts as a redshirt sophomore and is 6-2 with a Big 12-best 2.10 ERA. The right-hander also leads the conference with 98.2 innings pitched, and he has worked six or more innings in 11 of his 14 starts, including three complete games.
    Hatch's three complete games also leads the Big 12, and he's been dominant in those performances (vs. TCU, Texas and Prairie View), tossing shutouts in all three to become just the 10th pitcher in Big 12 history to record three shutouts in a season. Against No. 4 TCU, he racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts and did not allow a runner past first base until the ninth inning; he followed that with six-strikeout effort in blanking Texas as he became the first Cowboy pitcher since All-American Andrew Heaney in 2012 to record consecutive shutouts. Against PVAMU, he took a perfect game into the seventh and struck out a career-high 11 while allowing just two hits and facing only one hitter over the minimum.
    In Big 12 play, Hatch was 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA and tossed two shutouts in eight starts.
    Of the 79 hits Hatch has allowed this season, only six have gone for extra bases (four doubles, two home runs).Â
Hatch Went Streaking
    Thomas Hatch did not allow an earned run in 38 2/3 consecutive innings over a stretch from the seventh inning of his start against Texas Tech on April 8 until the fourth inning vs. Oklahoma on May 13. The only runs he gave up during the streak were two of the unearned variety against Baylor on April 15.
    Hatch also recorded a streak of 33 consecutive scoreless frames from the seventh inning vs. Baylor until the fourth inning against Oklahoma.
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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 14 starts and compiling an 8-2 record and 3.25 ERA. He led OSU with five wins in Big 12 play, where he was 5-1 in eight starts.
    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.
Award TourÂ
    OSU finished 2016 with 12 conference weekly award winners, the most by a team in a single season in Big 12 history (previous record was 11 by Baylor in 2012). The Cowboys also set a record with seven pitcher of the week honorees.
    Tyler Buffett (March 7 and March 28), Trey Cobb (April 4 and April 18) and Thomas Hatch (April 25 and May 9) were each named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week twice, while Jensen Elliott earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (April 4) and Newcomer of the Week (April 18) honors. Other winners were Dustin Williams (Player of the Week on March 14), J.R. Davis (Newcomer of the Week on April 4 and May 23) and Corey Hassel (Player of the Week on May 23).
Short Hops
   OSU entered the week 28th in the official NCAA RPI ... The Cowboys have turned 63 double plays this season, which ranks fourth nationally ... OSU is 7-8 against ranked teams this season.
