Cowboy Baseball Begins Postseason Play At Big 12 Championship

#2-seed Oklahoma State (37-16) at the

Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship

Wed., May 24-Sun., May 28
Globe Life Field (40,300) • Arlington, Texas

Video/TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ & ESPNU
(Victor Rojas, Clat Matvick, Keith Moreland, Greg Swindell, Mike Rooney)
Radio: 93.7 KSPI FM (Rex Holt & Matt Davis)
The Varsity Network - okla.st/GetVarsity
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Twitter In-Game Updates: @OSUBaseball

About Oklahoma State

     • OSU is 37-16 overall and shared the Big 12 regular season championship with Texas and West Virginia after finishing 15-9 in conference play. The Cowboys are the No. 2 seed at this week's Big 12 Baseball Championship in Arlington, Texas, and open tourney play Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Bedlam-rival and seventh-seeded Oklahoma.
     • The Cowboys are coming off a 42-22 season in 2022 in which they made their ninth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. OSU finished tied for second in the Big 12 standings with a 15-9 conference mark, one game out of first place.
     • OSU was the No. 7 national seed in last year's NCAA Championship, the program's highest ever tourney seeding, and advanced to the NCAA Regional finals for the sixth time under Josh Holliday.
     • Led by Nolan McLean and Roc Riggio, OSU returns six position starters and 13 letterwinners from '22.
     • The 2023 season is OSU's 11th under head coach Josh Holliday, who is 399-215-2 at his alma mater. The Cowboys have earned an NCAA Regional berth each year under his watch.

Cowboys At The Big 12 Baseball Championship

     • OSU is making its 24th appearance at the Big 12 Baseball Championship and owns a 35-41 all-time record in the tournament, including a 22-14 mark under Josh Holliday.
     • The Cowboys have advanced to the tourney final five times under Holliday — 2014, '15, '17, '19 & '21.
     • OSU has won three Big 12 Championship titles. In 2004, the Cowboys defeated Missouri 10-9 in 13 innings in Arlington, Texas; the 2017 tourney saw the Pokes knock off Texas in the title game in Oklahoma City as OSU became the first No. 8 seed in tourney history to claim the crown. In 2019, the Cowboys claimed another crown, defeating West Virginia, 5-2, in the final.
     • OSU is the No. 2 seed in this year's double-elimination Big 12 tourney field and is on the side of the bracket with third-seeded West Virginia, sixth-seeded Texas Tech and seventh-seeded Oklahoma.

Cowboys vs. Big 12 Tourney Field In 2023
     Oklahoma (3-1) - OSU 19, OU 8 (Stillwater); OSU 13, OU 2; OU 5, OSU 0; OSU 11, OU 1 (Norman)           All-time: OSU leads, 184-158
     W. Va. (1-2) - WVU 6, OSU 3; WVU 9, OSU 5; OSU 11, WVU 6 (Stillwater)       All-time: OSU leads, 23-15
     Texas Tech (1-2) - TTU 8, OSU 7; OSU 9, TTU 4; TTU 12, OSU 1 (Lubbock)      All-time: TTU leads, 48-45
     Texas (2-1) - UT 5, OSU 3; OSU 4, UT 1; OSU 4, UT 3 (Stillwater)                        All-time: Texas leads, 67-54
     TCU (1-2) - OSU 7, TCU 6; TCU 7, OSU 3; TCU 12, OSU 5 (Fort Worth)             All-time: TCU leads, 32-31
     K-State (2-1) - KSU 10, OSU 9; OSU 19, KSU 5; OSU 12, KSU 2 (Stillwater)       All-time: OSU leads, 175-53
     Kansas (3-0) - OSU 15, KU 10; OSU 14, KU 3; OSU 8, KU 3 (Lawrence)             All-time: OSU leads 152-57

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

     OSU was ranked as high as No. 8 in the preseason national polls, receiving that ranking from USA TODAY Sports. This week, the Cowboys are ranked No. 12 by Baseball America, 14th by Collegiate Baseball, 17th by the NCBWA, 18th by D1Baseball and USA TODAY Sports and 23rd by Perfect Game.
     OSU has been nationally ranked for 52 consecutive weeks dating back to the 2021 preseason polls. The Cowboys reached No. 2 twice in 2022, marking their highest-ever ranking under Josh Holliday.
     From March 4, 2013 to April 3, 2017, a streak of 77 consecutive weeks, OSU was ranked in at least one national poll. During that time, the Cowboys spent 18 weeks in the Top 10, climbing as high as No. 3. They have finished in the top 10 in the final polls twice under Josh Holliday — 10th in 2014 and fourth in 2016.

RPI Talk

Oklahoma State entered the week No. 20 in the official NCAA RPI.

Crown Them

     With a 15-9 record, OSU claimed a share of the 2023 Big 12 regular season championship along with Texas and West Virginia.
     The title marks the second regular-season Big 12 championship in program history, joining OSU's 2014 team, and its fifth Big 12 championship as the Cowboys won tourney titles in 2004, 2017 and 2019.
     OSU counts 34 conference championships in program history; it also has 24 Big Eight and five Missouri Valley titles.

Big 12's Best

     Ten OSU players were honored with All-Big 12 status for 2023. Highlighting the list were Nolan Schubart, who was named the Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year, and Tyler Wulfert, who was tabbed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
     OSU had nine combined first- and second-team selections, which tied a program record previously set in 2008.
   Three Pokes were named to the All-Big 12 First Team — Schubart, infielder Roc Riggio and utility player Carson Benge. OSU placed six on the All-Big 12 Second Team, tying a program record for second teamers previously set in 2008. Along with Wulfert, Cowboys on this year's team are catcher Chase Adkison, designated hitter Colin Brueggemann, utility player Nolan McLean, relief pitcher Isaac Stebens and Benge, who made the second team as an outfielder.
     Earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades were starting pitchers Ben Abram and Juaron Watts-Brown, as well as McLean as a relief pitcher, while Schubart and Benge were unanimous picks for the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

That's Offensive

• OSU owns a .307 team batting average. The last time the Cowboys hit .300 or better in a full season was in 2010 when they hit .307. (The 2020 Pokes hit .302 in 18 games in the COVID-shortened season).
• The Cowboys have smashed 99 home runs, their most in a season since the 1999 club had 132.

K Kounter

     The 2022 OSU pitching staff shattered the program record for strikeouts in a season with 679, besting the previous mark by 91.
     The Cowboys' 679 strikeouts ranked fifth nationally, and they ranked seventh in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.7.
     With an influx of new arms, this year's staff has continued to pile up Ks. The Cowboys lead the Big 12 and rank 13th in the NCAA with 548 strikeouts, and they have three pitchers — Juaron Watts-Brown, Isaac Stebens and Ben Abram — in the top 10 in the conference in punchouts.
     OSU's 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings this season is tops in the Big 12 and ranks eighth nationally.

Cowboys Who Rake

     OSU's offense is putting up some impressive numbers at the plate.
     • The Cowboys are second in the Big 12 and 24th nationally with a .307 team batting average.
     • Six regulars in the OSU starting lineup are hitting at least .300. Tyler Wulfert leads the way with a .355 average that ranks sixth in the Big 12, while Roc Riggio is right behind him in seventh at .354.
     • OSU's 137 doubles rank third nationally, 12 behind NCAA leader Virginia.
     • The Pokes have smashed a Big 12-best 99 home runs, which ranks 15th nationally. Fifteen players have homered, and Roc Riggio leads the team with 17 round trippers to rank third in the league.
     • The Cowboys' .557 slugging percentage leads the Big 12 and is seventh nationally.
     • OSU has scored 462 runs (15th nationally); their 8.7 runs per game ranks 10th in the NCAA.
     • The Pokes have posted seven run-rule wins.