Cowboys Begin NCAA Play At Clemson Regional

Friday, June 3

Clemson, S.C.

11:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

Nebraska

June 01, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball

#2-seed Oklahoma State (36-20)

at the

NCAA Clemson Regional

Doug Kingsmore Stadium (6,272)

Clemson, S.C.

Fri., June 3-Mon., June 6

GAME NOTES

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State makes its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Baseball Championship in 2016 as the Cowboys are the No. 2 seed at the NCAA Clemson Regional and open tourney play Friday against third-seeded Nebraska at 11 a.m. (CST). OSU is 36-20 on the season and ranked as high as 16th nationally.

Led by Donnie Walton and J.R. Davis, the Cowboys are hitting a collective .261, while Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year Thomas Hatch highlights a pitching staff that has posted a 3.47 ERA.

Cowboys At The NCAA Baseball Championship

Oklahoma State is making its 42nd appearance in the NCAA Baseball Championship, which ranks as fourth most all time, and the Cowboys own a 140-89 (.611) record in the tourney, with the 140 wins seventh on the all-time list. The Cowboys have also made 19 College World Series appearances, which is tied for sixth all time.

OSU is seeking to advance to the fourth NCAA Super Regional in program history (1999, 2007, 2014). Should the Cowboys advance out of the Clemson Regional, they will face the winner of the NCAA Columbia (South Carolina) Regional in a Super Regional.

The 2016 NCAA Regional berth is OSU's fourth in as many seasons under head coach Josh Holliday. In Holliday's first season at the helm of his alma mater, the Cowboys advanced to the finals of the 2013 NCAA Louisville Regional as the No. 3 seed, and in 2014, top-seeded OSU captured its first Regional championship since 2007. Last season, OSU hosted a Regional as a No. 1 seed for a second-straight year and went 1-2.

The NCAA Clemson Regional Field

Host Clemson is the top seed at the Regional and is 42-18 on the season. Led by ACC Player of the Year Seth Beer, the Tigers are hitting .271 and sport a 4.33 team ERA. OSU is 2-4 all time against Clemson, the last meeting coming in the title game of the 2009 NCAA Clemson Regional with the Tigers taking the crown with a 6-5 victory in the if-necessary game.

Nebraska is the No. 3 seed at the tourney and owns a 37-20 record. The Cornhuskers are hitting .283 with a team ERA of 3.84. OSU is 119-76 against its former Big Eight and Big 12 Conference foe, with the last meeting coming in 2013 at the TD Ameritrade Classic in Omaha, Neb.; the Cowboys won both games of a doubleheader that day.

Western Carolina rounds out the field as the No. 4 seed. The Catamounts were the Southern Conference champions and own a .304 batting average and 5.96 ERA. OSU is 2-2 all time against WCU, the last meeting coming in 2003 in a midweek series in Stillwater with the Catamounts winning both contests.

Watch, Listen, Follow

All games of the NCAA Clemson Regional will air live on ESPNU or ESPN3, with Tom Hart and Mike Rooney on the call.

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 NCAA Baseball Championship games can be found at www.ncaa.com. 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 16th by Perfect Game. The Cowboys are also ranked No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA, 20th in the USA Today coaches poll and No. 24 in the Baseball America poll.

OSU has been ranked in at least one national poll for 67 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.

Omaha

The Cowboys' coaching staff is no stranger to the College World Series, with Josh Holliday and Rob Walton combining for nine CWS appearances as either a player or coach.

Holliday played on a pair of CWS teams at OSU (1996 & 1999) and has coached in the CWS as an assistant at Georgia Tech (2006), Arizona State (2009) and Vanderbilt (2011).

Walton spent four seasons as a pitcher at OSU from 1983-86, and each of those teams appeared in the CWS.

Building A Winner

In the first four 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 finished first or second in the conference standings each year (1st in 2014, 2nd in 2013, 2015 and 2016);

• 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 NCAA Regionals in 2014 and 2015 and was the top-seeded team both times;

• The Cowboys have earned four 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, 5 in 2016).

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 70 games in Holliday's four seasons, notching 18 comeback wins in 2013, 28 in 2014, 15 in 2015 and nine in 2016.

Awards Show

Highlighted by Thomas Hatch and Donnie Walton, OSU had nine players earn All-Big 12 honors in 2016, including tying league champion Texas Tech with four first-team selections.

Hatch was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, while Walton became the first Cowboy in program history — and one of only 10 in Big 12 history — to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors three times in a career. Joining that duo on the first team was Tyler Buffett and J.R. Davis, while Garrett Benge picked up All-Big 12 Second Team honors.

Earning All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades were Trey Cobb, Jensen Elliott, Corey Hassel and Dustin Williams, while Elliott was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

I Feel A Draft

OSU has nine players on its 2016 roster who have been Major League Baseball Draft picks, including a pair of two-time draftees in Conor Costello (2011, Cincinnati, 16th/2015, Pittsburgh 38th) and Donnie Walton (2012, NY Mets, 36th/2015, Milwaukee, 23rd). Other MLB Draft picks include: Garrett Benge (2015, Cleveland, 22nd); Thomas Hatch (2013, Colorado, 32nd); Jon Littell (2014, Washington, 39th); David Petrino (2014, Chicago Cubs, 39th); Andrew Rosa (2013, Boston, 30th); Collin Theroux (2015, Minnesota, 33rd); and Garrett Williams (2013, San Diego, 33rd).

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' 77 losses have come by two runs or less, including 12 in 2016.

Small Ball

OSU has smashed program records for sacrifice bunts under Josh Holliday.

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 55 sacrifice bunts, a total which ranks seventh 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.

Strong-Armed

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

The Cowboys' success under Walton from 2013-15 includes 16 All-Big 12 pitchers, two consensus first-team All-Americans, two Big 12 Pitcher of the Year winners 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 2013, 2014 and 2016, marking three of only six times in program history the Pokes have reached that mark. In the 26 seasons prior to 2013, the program had reached seven shutouts only once.

• Jason Hursh was a first-round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, Brendan McCurry (2014) and Michael Freeman (2015) were first-team All-Americans and Freeman (2015) and Thomas Hatch (2016) were named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.

• 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 ranks second in the Big 12 with a 3.47 team ERA, with four Cowboys ranking in the top 10 in the league in ERA — Thomas Hatch (2nd at 2.31), Jensen Elliott (8th at 3.40), Tyler Buffett (9th at 3.58) and Trey Cobb (10th at 3.59).

OSU leads the conference with a .242 opponent batting average and four complete games while ranking second in strikeouts (501), saves (17) 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 216 career games, which ranks ninth on the program's all-time list, the switch hitter owns a .318 batting average to go along with 11 home runs, 133 RBIs, 44 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 10 players in conference history to earn All-Big 12 First Team accolades three times (2014-16) and the first Cowboy to achieve the feat.

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 56 games this season, Hassel leads OSU with 16 doubles, 18 sacrifice bunts — which ranks third nationally — and 15 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 33 appearances, 31 of those in relief, the junior right-hander is 6-2 with nine saves and a 3.58 ERA, with the six wins and nine saves marking career highs. A unanimous All-Big 12 First Team pick, he leads the conference in appearances and ranks second in saves while he's also in the top 10 in opponent batting average (.232) and 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, and he was named an honorable mention all-conference performer.

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.

An honorable mention All-Big 12 selection again in 2016, Cobb has made 18 appearances this season, 12 of those as a starter, and is 4-7 with two saves and a 3.59 ERA. He also ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 85 strikeouts in 67.2 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.

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 .299 with 36 RBIs and a .461 slugging percentage, and he earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors as an infielder.

Injuries Take A Toll

Several key Cowboys have missed signficant time this season due to injury. A shoulder issue kept Garrett Williams out of action until a relief appearance on March 25, while three starters have also been out extended periods — Conor Costello has missed 18 games due to a broken hamate and a sprained knee, Ryan Sluder (thumb) missed nine games and Colin Simpson (hamate) was out of action for 15.

After fouling a ball off his foot against Arkansas on March 29, Donnie Walton had to leave the game and was limited to pinch hitting and DH duties in the series at West Virginia.

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 while flourishing as an All-Big 12 First Team infielder. He is tied for the team lead with a .352 batting average in 48 games, and the Cowboys are 28-11 with Davis batting in the leadoff spot.

Friday Night Filth

Thomas Hatch missed the 2015 season with a sprained UCL, but he returned to the OSU rotation as the Cowboys' Friday night starter this year and captured Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors.

Hatch has made 15 starts as a redshirt sophomore and is 6-2 with a 2.31 ERA that ranks second in the Big 12. The right-hander leads the conference with 105.1 innings pitched, and he has worked six or more innings in 12 of his 15 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 88 hits Hatch has allowed this season, only nine have gone for extra bases.

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.

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 15 starts and compiling an 8-2 record and 3.40 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 Tour

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 32th in the official NCAA RPI ... The Cowboys have turned 66 double plays this season, which ranks fourth nationally ... OSU is 7-9 against ranked teams this season.