Cowboy Baseball Concludes Road Trip With Midweek Tilt At DBU

Oklahoma State (4-3) at #18 Dallas Baptist (7-0)

Tues., Feb. 27 • 6:30 p.m.
Horner Ballpark (3,492) • Dallas, Texas

Video/TV: ESPN+
Radio: KSPI 93.7 FM
The Varsity Network - okla.st/GetVarsity
(Rex Holt & Matt Davis)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
X In-Game Scoreboard/Updates: @OSUBaseball

About Oklahoma State

     • The Cowboys are 4-3 after winning three of their four games in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, last week. They conclude their road trip with a Tuesday night contest at 18th-ranked Dallas Baptist.
     • OSU is coming off a 41-20 season in 2023 in which the Cowboys earned their 10th consecutive NCAA Regional bid. It marked the second-straight 40-win season for the Pokes and the sixth under head coach Josh Holliday.
     • The Cowboys shared the Big 12 regular season championship with Texas and West Virginia after finishing 15-9 in conference play.
     • OSU returns six position starters, four of those All-Big 12 performers, from a year ago.
     • The 2024 season is OSU's 12th under head coach Josh Holliday, who is 407-222-2 at his alma mater. The Cowboys have earned an NCAA Regional berth each year under his watch.

About Dallas Baptist

     • Dallas Baptist is 7-0 on the season. The Patriots have played all their games at home and are averaging over 10 runs per game.
     • Dan Heefner is in his 17th season as DBU's head coach and owns a career 614-311-1 record.
     • OSU is 15-9 all time against DBU, including an 8-5 mark under Josh Holliday. The two teams last met in the 2023 NCAA Stillwater Regional, with the Patriots winning, 18-4.

Pokes vs. Ranked Foes

Under Josh Holliday, Oklahoma State owns a 92-85 record (.520) against ranked opponents. That breakdown includes a 35-34 mark at home, a 34-34 road record and a 23-17 showing in neutral site contests.

Clutch

Of the Cowboys' 39 RBIs this season, 21 of those have come with two outs.

Close Calls

OSU is 91-58 (.611) in one-run games with Josh Holliday at the helm, including a 1-1 mark this season.

Dynamic Duo

     Cowboy sophomores Carson Benge and Nolan Schubart had breakout seasons in 2023 and have been recognized among the nation's best talents entering 2024.
     Both Benge and Schubart are on USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, making up two of the 55 players on the list for baseball's top amateur player.
     The duo also collected Preseason All-America honors as Schubart was named to the first team by the NCBWA and collected second-team honors from D1Baseball.com while Benge made a pair of teams as a utility player, garnering third-team accolades from Baseball America and Perfect Game.
     Benge and Schubart were also voted to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team by the league's head coaches, with Schubart being a unanimous selection.

Happy Holiday

     After two years at the junior college level, Brian Holiday has adjusted well to life at the Division I level.
     OSU's Saturday starter in the first two weeks, the righty has worked six innings in each of his outings and allowed just one run while striking out 10, including a season-high six against No. 2 Arkansas.
     Opponents are hitting just .098 against Holiday, which ranks second in the Big 12, as he's allowed just four hits on the year.
    Random Fact: Holiday was named the 2023 NJCAA JUCO World Series Most Outstanding Pitcher after helping lead Central Florida to the NJCAA national championship as a sophomore.

Swinging A Hot Bat

     Injuries have limited Aidan Meola's playing time over his first two collegiate seasons, but the junior has been a constant in the lineup and the Cowboys' most consistent hitter through the first two weeks of the 2024 season.
     Meola has hit safely in all seven games this season, including recording four multi-hit efforts, and he leads the Pokes with a .444 batting average, three doubles and eight RBIs.
     He's also showcased a knack for the clutch hit as he's 6-for-7 with runners in scoring position and has produced four two-out RBIs. He drove in the tying run with a double in the bottom of the ninth inning against No. 2 Arkansas to send the game into extra innings in a contest OSU eventually won in 14.
     Primarily a third baseman his first two seasons, Meola has made the move to second base this season, where he has started all seven games.
    Random Fact: Meola's dad, Tony, played goalie for the U.S. Men's National Team in the 1990, 1994 and 2002 World Cups, and he was inducted into the United States Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.

Oklahoma State University Athletics