Game Notes

UT Rio Grande Valley (2-2) vs. #24 Oklahoma State (2-2)

Fri., Feb. 21/4 p.m. • Sat., Feb. 22/1 p.m. • Sun., Feb. 23/1 p.m.
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000) • Stillwater, Okla.

Video/TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Fri. & Sun.) (Dave Hunziker & Tom Holliday)
Radio: KSPI 93.7 FM (Fri. & Sun.)/Pete 94.3 (Sat.) stillwaterradio.net (Rex Holt & Matt Davis)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Twitter In-Game Updates: @OSUBaseball

About Oklahoma State
   • Oklahoma State is 2-2 after dropping its season-opening series at Grand Canyon and then winning a midweek showdown at No. 8 Arizona State. Up next, the Cowboys host UT Rio Grande Valley in a three-game weekend series at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
   • The Cowboys are coming off a 40-21 season in which the Cowboys advanced to within one game of the College World Series. After winning the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Oklahoma City Regional titles, the Pokes fell in three games to Texas Tech at the Lubbock Super Regional.
   • Four position players who started at least 45 games for the Cowboys last season return in 2020 — outfielders Carson McCusker and Cade Cabbiness, infielder Hueston Morrill and first baseman Alix Garcia. OSU also returns a number of experienced arms on the mound, led by Parker Scott, Brett Standlee and Ben Leeper.
   • The 2020 season is OSU's eighth under head coach Josh Holliday, who is 273-155-1 at his alma mater.

About UTRGV
   • UT Rio Grande Valley opened the 2020 season by splitting a four-game series at home against Kansas State.
   • The Vaqueros return 19 letterwinners, including leading hitter Conrado Diaz (.319, 31 RBI, 11 2B in 2019), from year's 34-21 team that won the WAC regular season championship.
   • Derek Matlock is in his third season as UTRGV's head coach and owns a 59-54 career record.
   • UTRGV's starting pitching rotation vs. the Cowboys is expected to be:
   Friday: RHP Kevin Stevens — 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA; 9 K, 0 BB in 5.0 IP
   Saturday: RHP Kevin Palm — 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA; 3 K, BB in 5.0 IP
   Sunday: RHP Christian Ramos — 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA; K, 3 BB in 4.1 IP

Cowboys vs. Vaqueros
   Oklahoma State is 14-18 all time against UT Rio Grande Valley (formerly UT Pan American), including a 4-2 mark under Josh Holliday.
   Last 6 Meetings
   2019: OSU 10, UTRGV 3; UTRGV 5, OSU 2; OSU 3, UTRGV 1(Edinburg, TX)
   2014: UTPA 3, OSU 1; OSU 4, UTPA 3; OSU 7, UTPA 6 (Stillwater)

In The Polls
   OSU entered 2020 ranked in each of the national preseason polls, and the Cowboys remained in several of those this week as they checked in at No. 24 in both the Baseball America and Perfect Game rankings while occupying the 28th spot by Collegiate Baseball and 29th spot in the NCBWA poll.
   The Cowboys spent 12 weeks in the rankings in 2019 and finished as high as No. 11 in the final polls.
   From March 4, 2013 to April 3, 2017, OSU was ranked in at least one national poll, a streak of 77 consecutive weeks. During that time, the Cowboys spent 18 weeks in the Top 10 and were ranked as high as No. 3 (by the NCBWA in 2014). They have finished in the top 10 in the final national polls twice in the last six seasons — 10th in 2014 and fourth in 2016.

High Five
OSU entered the 2020 season as the fifth-winningest team in NCAA history in terms of winning percentage at .661.

2,657 & Counting
   Oklahoma State began the 2020 season 15th on the NCAA's all-time Division I wins list with 2,657. The Cowboys are one of only 24 programs in Division I history to reach 2,600 victories, and of those, only three — Florida State, Miami (Fla.) and Fresno State — have played fewer seasons than OSU's 108.

Omaha
   The Cowboys' coaching staff is no stranger to the College World Series, with Josh Holliday, Rob Walton, Marty Lees and Robin Ventura combining for 15 CWS appearances as either a player or coach.
   Prior to leading his alma mater to Omaha in 2016, Holliday previously played on a pair of CWS teams at OSU (1996 & 1999) and coached in the CWS as an assistant at Georgia Tech (2006), Arizona State (2009) and Vanderbilt (2011).
   Holliday is one of only 17 people to reach the College World Series as both a player and head coach.
   Walton spent four seasons as a pitcher at OSU from 1983-86, and each of those teams appeared in the CWS.
   Lees was on the Oregon State staff for Beavers' teams that made three consecutive College World Series appearances from 2005-07 and won back-to-back NCAA titles in '06 and '07.
   An All-American for the Cowboys, Ventura helped lead OSU to Omaha in two of his three seasons in 1986 and 1987, with the Pokes finishing as NCAA runners-up in '87.

HOFers
   Oklahoma State's coaching staff includes three hall of famers. Josh Holliday was inducted into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003, while Rob Walton joined him in 2018; Robin Ventura is a member of both the National College Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame.
   Holliday's playing days for the Cowboys saw him hit .311 with 53 homers and 237 RBIs in 256 games, while Walton was 20-4 with a 3.74 ERA and 10 complete games in 54 appearances.
   Ventura was one of the greatest hitters in college baseball history, posting an OSU-record .428 career batting average. He is also the Cowboys' career record holder in hits (329) and runs (300) while ranking second in doubles (71), home runs (68), total bases (608), RBIs (302) and slugging percentage (.792).

Star Studded
   With the addition of Matt Holliday (volunteer assistant) and Robin Ventura (student assistant) to the coaching staff, OSU has a coaching duo unique to a college baseball dugot. Between them, Holliday and Ventura played in nearly 4,000 Major League Baseball games over 31 seasons and accumulated 610 home runs, 2,402 RBIs and nine All-Star selections.
   Holliday won four Silver Slugger Awards and played in three World Series, including winning a title with St. Louis in 2011, while Ventura racked up six Gold Gloves as a third baseman and also spent five seasons (2012-16) as the manager of the Chicago White Sox and led them to 375 wins.

Baseball In Their Orange Blood
   Baseball — and Oklahoma State — is a family affair for Josh Holliday.
   Josh's father, Tom, served as an OSU assistant coach for 19 years then took over as the Cowboys' head coach from 1997-2003, leading the program to a College World Series appearance in 1999 (and coaching Josh in his final three college seasons). Tom spent four decades as a collegiate coach and was inducted into the OSU Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
   Josh's younger brother, Matt, was a Major League Baseball standout from 2004-18 who was named to seven All-Star teams in 15 career seasons with the Rockies, Athletics, Cardinals and Yankees.
   Josh's uncle, Dave Holliday, was an OSU assistant coach from 1981-87 and has since held a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including his current spot as a professional scout for the Atlanta Braves.

Extra Innings At Allie P.
   OSU's historic ballpark, Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, enters its 40th season in 2020 and will play host to 14 games before the Cowboys move into the new O'Brate Stadium on March 20.
   Allie P. has been home to Oklahoma State baseball since April 4, 1981, and in those 39 seasons, the Cowboys have established a decisive home-field advantage.
   OSU is 935-247-1 (.791) all time at Reynolds Stadium. In the stadium's history, the Cowboys have lost more than two consecutive games on their home turf only 10 times (six in a row in 2007; five straight in 2017; four in a row in 2016 and 2018; three straight in 2010, '12, '13, '14, '17 and '18).

Building A Winner
   In seven seasons as head coach at his alma mater, Josh Holliday has built a sparkling resume. Among the highlights:
   • The Cowboys earned seven NCAA Regional berths, advanced to three Super Regionals and played in the College World Series for the first time since Holliday was a senior for the Cowboys in 1999.
   • OSU finished first or second in the Big 12 Conference standings five times, claiming the program's first-ever regular season Big 12 title in 2014 and finishing second in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
   • The Cowboys finished in the top 10 in the national rankings in 2014 (10th) and 2016 (4th) after ending the 2013 season ranked as high as No. 19. In 2019, they were ranked as high as 11th in the final polls.
   • The Pokes have added three Big 12 championships to the program's total. In 2014, OSU won its first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship, and the 2017 club captured the second Big 12 Championship title in program history. The Cowboys also claimed the conference tourney title in 2019.
   • OSU hosted NCAA Regionals in 2014 and 2015 and was the top-seeded team both times. The Cowboys were also awarded a No. 9 national seed and host and top-seed status of the NCAA Oklahoma City Regional in 2019.
   • Holliday has coached 62 All-Big 12 performers, six All-Americans, two Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honorees, a Big 12 Player of the Year and a Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

SOS
   Oklahoma State's strength of schedule ranked as the nation's second toughest in 2019, and the Pokes will face stout opposition again this season, with 10 NCAA Regional teams from a year ago on the slate. Nine of OSU's opponents were ranked in the preseason polls — Arizona State (3), Texas Tech (3), UCLA (8), Oklahoma (16), TCU (20), Texas A&M (20), Dallas Baptist (23), Texas (24) and Oregon State (25).

Close Calls
   OSU is 72-40 in one-run games under Josh Holliday, and 71 of the Cowboys' 155 losses under Holliday have come by two runs or less.

Comeback Cowboys
   Come-from-behind victories have been a trend for the Cowboys under Josh Holliday; OSU has overcome deficits to win 118 games in Holliday's seven seasons.

Armed & Dangerous
   In seven seasons under the direction of coach Rob Walton, OSU's pitching staff has turned in impressive numbers.
   The Cowboys' success under Walton includes 23 All-Big 12 pitchers, two consensus first-team All-Americans, two Big 12 Pitcher of the Year winners and 22 Major League Baseball Draft picks, including a first rounder.
   Here's just a sampling of how the Cowboys have performed under Walton, who was named the 2016 ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year:
   • Four of OSU's pitching staffs under Walton recorded an ERA of 3.29 or lower.
   • In 2016, the Cowboys led the Big 12 with 574 strikeouts, 10 shutouts and 21 saves, totals that each ranked as the second highest in a single season in school history.
   • 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 2019 and had 10 in 2016, the second most in a single season in program history. Those totals also marked four of only seven times in program history the Cowboys have tallied seven shutouts or more in a season; in the 26 seasons prior to 2013, OSU 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).

Go Pro
During Josh Holliday's tenure as head coach, Oklahoma State has had 45 players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. Thirteen of those Cowboys were picked in the top 10 rounds, including 2013 first-rounder Jason Hursh.
In 2016, OSU tied a program record with 11 MLB Draft picks. (The 2007 Cowboys also had 11 draftees). The 11 draft picks tied the Cowboys with Mississippi State for the third most of any Division I program in 2016 behind only Texas A&M (13) and Southern California (12). Five of those went in the first 10 rounds, which marked the most top-10-round picks for OSU since five Pokes were taken in the top-10 rounds in 2008. Seven of the OSU players drafted were pitchers.
   In 2019, OSU's eight draft picks tied for the ninth most of any Division I program; all eight were selected in the first 30 rounds, tying the Cowboys for the fifth-highest total in Division I.

Opportunity Knocked, They Answered
   A pair of Cowboys who came to Stillwater after starting at the JUCO level forced their way into the lineup and haven't left while continuing to produce at a high level.
   • Carson McCusker — Over the first five weeks of his first season in an OSU uniform in 2018, McCusker made just one start and collected only one hit, a single, in 11 at-bats.
   Things changed in a hurry for the sophomore in a doubleheader sweep of TCU on March 31. McCusker started both games of the twin bill in right field and went 4-for-6 with three home runs, all solo shots, while also making several highlight-reel defensive plays in the outfield.
   Following the breakout performance, McCusker started 34-straight games in right field and was one of OSU's most consistent performers, hitting .314 with six homers and 11 RBIs in league play to earn honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades.
   As a junior, McCusker continued to shine as he led the Cowboys with a .311 batting average and 17 doubles and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors for a second consecutive year.
   McCusker was voted a Preseason All-Big 12 outfielder by the conference's head coaches.
   • Alix Garcia — Garcia played in just eight of the Cowboys' first 21 games in 2019, his first season in an OSU uniform, but was inserted into the starting lineup in the second game of the Big 12 schedule at Kansas State and never left.
   Garcia started 41 consecutive games at first base to end the season and was OSU's second-leading hitter with a .294 batting average while hitting eight home runs and collecting 25 RBIs.
   In Big 12 play, Garcia was OSU's top hitter as he turned in a .324 average against conference foes.

Instant Impact
   Hueston Morrill chose OSU over professional baseball in 2019 and had an impressive first season for the Cowboys.
   A 36th-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels in the '19 Major League Baseball Draft, Morrill was an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer and was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.
   Spending the majority of his time at second base, "Huey" hit .282 and tallied 20 multi-hit games while leading the Cowboys with 17 doubles, 12 stolen bases and a .390 on-base percentage.
   Morrill proved especially clutch in the postseason, hitting safely in all seven of OSU's NCAA tourney games and posting a .417 batting average in both the NCAA Oklahoma City Regional and NCAA Lubbock Super Regional; he was named to the NCAA OKC Regional All-Tournament Team.
   As a sophomore, Morrill is making the transition to shortstop for the Cowboys.

Back On The Bump
   Parker Scott struggled with injuries that cost him the majority of his first two seasons in Stillwater, but the southpaw emerged healthy in 2019 and proved to be a valuable member of the Cowboys' rotation.
   Scott pitched in six games as a freshman in 2017, starting twice, before an arm injury ended his season. The southpaw suffered another setback when he underwent TJS that November that caused him to redshirt in 2018.
   A year ago, Scott returned to the mound for the first time since March 12, 2017 and tossed a scoreless inning against Michigan (3/10) before earning his first-career win in relief vs. K-State (3/24).
   Scott went on to make 15 appearances, eight as a starter, and went 3-1 with a 2.18 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. He led the Big 12 in conference-only games with a 1.11 ERA while racking up 31 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings of work.
   Scott turned in one of the best performances of his career in the opener of the Big 12 Baseball Championship as he tossed six innings and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out four to earn a win against TCU.

Fear The Beards
   A pair of Cowboy righties developed into key cogs in the OSU pitching staff in 2019 and will be relied on heavily again this season.
   Junior Ben Leeper emerged as OSU's closer a year ago and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 plaudits after going 4-4 with seven saves in 29 appearances while tallying 43 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.
   A native Texan, Leeper did not allow a run over his first 15 1/3 innings of 2019, and he posted saves against UTRGV, Wichita State, Michigan, TCU, Oregon State, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
   Leeper has undergone Tommy John surgery twice, missing his senior season of high school and most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the Cowboys. He entered 2019 with a 1-2 record and 11.02 ERA in 19 career outings at OSU.
   Brett Standlee was expected to be a key contributor to the OSU staff in 2018 but the right-hander was forced to redshirt the season after being declared academically ineligible.
   In his first season in 2019, Standlee served roles as both a starter and reliever and was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. He appeared in 19 games, 12 as a starter, and was 3-2 with a save and a 4.26 ERA while ranking second on the team in strikeouts (55) and innings pitched (72 2/3).
   Standlee made his first-career start against Missouri State and was dominant over seven shutout innings, allowing only six singles while striking out eight, the most strikeouts by a Cowboy pitcher in 2019.
   In the Big 12 Championship title game, Standlee had a memorable performance as he worked a career-high seven innings and allowed just one run while striking out three against West Virginia to earn the win in OSU's 5-2 victory.

Welcome, Glad You're Here
   OSU's 2020 recruiting class was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally, and a number of players are expected to have an immediate impact this season.
   The Cowboys' starting lineup on opening weekend included four newcomers — transfers Brock Mathis, Jake Thompson and Kaden Polcovich and freshman Caeden Trenkle — while two-thirds of the starting pitching rotation was comprised of true freshmen in right-handers Bryce Osmond and Justin Campbell.
   In a vote of the league's head coaches, Polcovich was selected as the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, while Osmond was tabbed the Preseason Freshman of the Year.
   Polcovich comes to Stillwater after two standout junior college seasons at Northwest Florida State. With the versatility to play on the infield and in the outfield, the switch hitter and hit .273 last season with 12 home runs, 38 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 53 games. He followed that up by being named to the 2019 All-Cape Cod League Team last summer.
   Osmond enjoyed a highly decorated career at Jenks High School, where he was a prep All-American. A possible two-way player as a right-handed pitcher and shortstop, he was rated the No. 53 overall prospect in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft by MLB Pipeline, and he was a 35th-round pick of the Washington Nationals last June.

Here For The First Time
   Of the 34 players on OSU's active roster, 21 of those are either true freshmen (11), redshirt freshmen (3) or sophomores (7).
   Of the 14 hurlers who took the mound for OSU on opening weekend, eight were newcomers, including five true freshmen and a sophomore who had never pitched at the college level.

Cowboy Baseball Opens Five-Game Homestand With UTRGV

Game Notes

UT Rio Grande Valley (2-2) vs. #24 Oklahoma State (2-2)

Fri., Feb. 21/4 p.m. • Sat., Feb. 22/1 p.m. • Sun., Feb. 23/1 p.m.
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000) • Stillwater, Okla.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cade Cabbiness

Justin Campbell

Alix Garcia

Ben Leeper

Brock Mathis

Carson McCusker

Hueston Morrill

Bryce Osmond

Kaden Polcovich

Parker Scott

Brett Standlee

Jake Thompson

Caeden Trenkle

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Cowboy Baseball Opens Five-Game Homestand With UTRGV

Game Notes

UT Rio Grande Valley (2-2) vs. #24 Oklahoma State (2-2)

Fri., Feb. 21/4 p.m. • Sat., Feb. 22/1 p.m. • Sun., Feb. 23/1 p.m. Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000) • Stillwater, Okla.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cade Cabbiness

Justin Campbell

Alix Garcia

Ben Leeper

Brock Mathis

Carson McCusker

Hueston Morrill

Bryce Osmond

Kaden Polcovich

Parker Scott

Brett Standlee

Jake Thompson

Caeden Trenkle

Related Videos

Fri., Feb. 21/4 p.m. • Sat., Feb. 22/1 p.m. • Sun., Feb. 23/1 p.m.
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium (4,000) • Stillwater, Okla.