Around The Horn With Cowboy Baseball

Oklahoma State went 3-1 last week, dropping a 7-6 midweek game at Arkansas before traveling to Austin and sweeping Texas. The Cowboys do not play in the midweek due to final exams and return to action Friday when they open a three-game series against Prairie View A&M in Stillwater.

Highlights & Notes

With OSU's performance last week, the Cowboys improved to 28-15 overall and are in sole possession of second place in the Big 12 Conference standings with a 12-6 league mark.
OSU's sweep of Texas was only its second series sweep of the Longhorns in Austin, the other coming in 2008. The Cowboys also swept UT in Stillwater in 2015 and in 1999.
The sweep also made history 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.
OSU finishes the season 10-2 in Big 12 road games, the lone losses coming at West Virginia.
The Cowboys moved up in the national rankings this week and are as high as 14^th, earning that spot from Perfect Game. OSU has now been ranked in at least one national poll for 63 consecutive weeks dating back to 2013.
OSU checks in at No. 27 in this week's official NCAA RPI.
In the series opener at Texas, Thomas Hatch became the first OSU pitcher to toss consecutive shutouts since Andrew Heaney in 2012.
Hatch led the Cowboys to a 3-0 win in which he struck out six and walked only one while allowing five hits, all singles. He threw 117 pitches in becoming the only Big 12 pitcher to record multiple shutouts this season.
OSU senior shortstop Donnie Walton extended his career-long hitting streak to 16 games. The streak is tied for the second longest in the Big 12 this season and the longest by a Cowboy since 2013 when Tanner Krietemeier hit in 18 straight.
Tyler Buffett was one of 40 pitchers named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, which was released last week.

Stat Speak

Of OSU's 15 losses this season, 10 have been by two runs or less. The Cowboys are 10-8 in one-run games and 2-2 in two-run games this season.
The Cowboys' pitching staff leads the Big 12 in ERA (3.08), opponent batting average (.240), strikeouts (368), complete games (3) and saves (14).
OSU ranks fifth nationally in double plays turned with 52. The Cowboys also rank in the top 25 in the NCAA in ERA, sacrifice bunts and shutouts.
Thomas Hatch leads the Big 12 with a 1.52 ERA, which also ranks 16^th nationally.
Hatch has not allowed an earned run over his last 26 1/3 innings of work dating back to April 8 against Texas Tech.
In Big 12 play, Hatch is 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA. He's tossed two shutouts in six starts while striking out 40 in 46.0 innings of work.
Tyler Buffett's 1.78 ERA ranks third in the Big 12, and the junior right-hander leads the league with a .196 opponent batting average. He's also second in saves (8) and appearances (25).
Corey Hassel leads OSU with 14 doubles, while his 12 sacrifice bunts are also tops on the team and rank 11^th nationally.
Donnie Walton ranks fifth in the Big 12 with a .366 batting average.

Up Next

OSU hosts Prairie View A&M at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium this weekend in a three-game series opening Friday. The Cowboys originally scheduled a three-game series with College of Charleston this weekend, but CoC was forced to cancel the series in the fall after the Colonial Athletic Association added a team and changed the CoC schedule.
OSU has two Big 12 series remaining – vs. Oklahoma May 13-15 (games in OKC and Tulsa) and at home May 19-21 against Kansas. The Cowboys also have non-conference games against Dallas Baptist (May 10) and at Oral Roberts (May 17) remaining on the schedule.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Buffett

Corey Hassel

Thomas Hatch

Donnie Walton

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