Game Notes (PDF)

Missouri State (6-8) at #13 Oklahoma State (12-5-1)

Tues., March 23 / 6 p.m.
O'Brate Stadium (2,700) • Stillwater, Okla.

Video/TV: ESPN+
Radio: KSPI 93.7 FM (Rex Holt & Matt Davis)
   stillwaterradio.net
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Twitter In-Game Updates: @OSUBaseball

About Oklahoma State
   • OSU returns to O'Brate Stadium to open a 12-game homestand Tuesday night against Missouri State. Following the midweek test, the Cowboys will host Kansas State for their Big 12 Conference home opening series this weekend. The Pokes are 12-5-1 on the season and 1-2 in Big 12 play, and they own a 7-2-1 mark at home.
   • The Cowboys are coming off a 13-5 showing in 2020, a season that was cut short in early March due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
   • OSU returns the majority of its 2020 roster in 2021, along with a talented group of newcomers in a recruiting class ranked in the top 25 nationally. Seven position players that started at least 13 games a year ago are back, and the Cowboys' entire starting weekend rotation also returns.
   • The 2021 season is OSU's ninth under head coach Josh Holliday, who is 296-163-2 at his alma mater.

About Missouri State
   • Missouri State is 6-8 on the season and coming off being swept in a three-game series at Southern Miss last weekend.
   • Led by Jack Duffy (.356, 3 HR, 12 RBIs), the Bears are hitting .248 on the season, while their pitching staff sports a 4.69 ERA.
   • Keith Guttin is in his 39th season as MSU's head coach and is the third among active Division I head coaches with 1,294 career wins.

Cowboys vs. Bears
   Oklahoma State is 17-8 all time against Missouri State, including an 11-2 mark under Josh Holliday. The Cowboys won the last meeting earlier this season, claiming a 7-0 victory in Springfield.

Streakers
   OSU's 9-0 start to the 2021 season was its best-ever start to a season under Josh Holliday, surpassing that of the 2014 Cowboys, who won their first seven games in Holliday's second season at the helm.
   Until posting a tie in the series finale vs. Grand Canyon, the Pokes had tallied 14 consecutive victories after winning their final five games of 2020 prior to the cancellation of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
   Prior to dropping the series opener to Vanderbilt, the Cowboys' last loss had come against Missouri State on March 3, 2020, in Stillwater.

In The Polls
   OSU has appeared in the national polls each of the first six weeks of the season and are ranked as high as No. 13 this week, earning that ranking from Collegiate Baseball. The Pokes are also ranked 17th in the USA Today coaches poll and 20th by D1Baseball.com.
   The Cowboys spent three weeks of the 2020 season in the national polls and peaked at No. 16 in the
Baseball America rankings.
   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.

Building A Winner
   In eight 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, seven 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.

Fear The Beard
   Brett Standlee has emerged as OSU's top arm out of the bullpen in 2021.
   In a team-high nine relief appearances, the bearded one is 1-0 with three saves and a 0.79 ERA. In 11 1/3 innings, the right-hander has posted 20 strikeouts and allowed just one run on four hits, and he's been part of three of the Cowboys' five shutouts.
   Forced to redshirt the 2018 season after being declared academically ineligible, Standlee made his collegiate debut in 2019 and served roles as both a starter and reliever en route to earning a spot on 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).
   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.
   Last season, Standlee was again used as a starter and reliever and went 1-0 with a save, a 1.83 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings over a team-high seven appearances. He earned a win in his start at No. 8 Arizona State, tying career highs in innings pitched (7.0) and strikeouts (8) in OSU's 2-1 victory.

Bombs Away
   In less than two full seasons at Yavapai JC, Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit 33 home runs in 81 games, and he's continued that power surge in his first season in Stillwater.
   Encarnacion-Strand, who has started all 18 games for the Cowboys at third base, has smacked a team-high six home runs and also leads the Pokes with 16 RBIs.
   With Encarnacion-Strand leading the way, the Cowboys have tallied 24 homers by nine different players on the year. Brock Mathis ranks second with five round trippers, while Nolan McLean has four.

Mound Menaces
   • OSU's five shutouts this season are tied for the most in the NCAA along with Mississippi State. The school record for shutouts in a season is 13, set in 1984; in 2016, the Pokes had 10.
   • The Cowboys lead the Big 12 and rank 14th nationally with 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings. OSU has racked up 206 strikeouts in 160 innings.
   • Justin Campbell leads the Big 12 and ranks 17th nationally with a 0.47 ERA. The righty has allowed just one earned run in his 19 innings of work.
   • Campbell posted a career-high 14 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings against Oral Roberts on March 9. The 14 strikeouts were just two shy of the OSU single-game record held by Derek Brandow.
   • In that game against the Golden Eagles, Campbell teamed with Mitchell Stone, Kale Davis and Brett Standlee to strike out 19 ORU batters. The 19 strikeouts are one shy of the OSU and Big 12 Conference record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game; the Cowboys punched out 20 against Alabama A&M on March 23, 2010. The program record for strikeouts in a game is 21, which came in a 15-inning contest against Texas in 2011.

Big 12's Best
   The Cowboys have collected weekly awards from the Big 12 Conference in four consecutive weeks.
   • Week 2 (3/1) - Brock Mathis, Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week
   • Week 3 (3/8) - Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week
   • Week 4 (3/15) - Justin Campbell, Big 12 Pitcher of the Week & Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week
   • Week 5 (3/22) - Parker Scott, Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

Cowboy Baseball Opens Long Homestand Tuesday Night

Game Notes (PDF)

Missouri State (6-8) at #13 Oklahoma State (12-5-1)

Tues., March 23 / 6 p.m.
O'Brate Stadium (2,700) • Stillwater, Okla.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Justin Campbell

Kale Davis

Christian Encarnacion-Strand

Brock Mathis

Nolan McLean

Parker Scott

Brett Standlee

Mitchell Stone

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Cowboy Baseball Opens Long Homestand Tuesday Night

Game Notes (PDF)

Missouri State (6-8) at #13 Oklahoma State (12-5-1)

Tues., March 23 / 6 p.m. O'Brate Stadium (2,700) • Stillwater, Okla.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Justin Campbell

Kale Davis

Christian Encarnacion-Strand

Brock Mathis

Nolan McLean

Parker Scott

Brett Standlee

Mitchell Stone

Related Videos

Tues., March 23 / 6 p.m.
O'Brate Stadium (2,700) • Stillwater, Okla.