Cowboy Baseball Opens Postseason Play At Big 12 Championship

#2-seed Oklahoma State (36-16) at the
Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship

Tues., May 21-Sat., May 25
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: KSPI 93.7 FM (Rex Holt & Matt Davis)
               The Varsity Network - okla.st/GetVarsity
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
X In-Game Scoreboard/Updates: @OSUBaseball

About Oklahoma State

     • The Cowboys are 36-16 overall and finished second in the Big 12 standings at 19-9 in conference play.
     • OSU had nine players earn All-Big 12 honors, led by first-team outfielders Carson Benge and Zach Ehrhard and first-team starting pitcher Brian Holiday.
     • A total of 23 newcomers joined the OSU program for the 2024 season. The Cowboys brought in 15 players from the high school ranks, while adding six Division I transfers and a pair of JUCO products.
     • The 2024 season is OSU's 12th under head coach Josh Holliday, who is 439-235-2 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 25th appearance at the Big 12 Baseball Championship and owns a 39-43 all-time record in the tournament, including a 26-16 mark under Josh Holliday.
     • OSU is the No. 2 seed in this year's 10-team, double-elimination Big 12 tourney field and shares a side of the bracket with No. 3 seed Texas, No. 5 seed Cincinnati, No. 8 seed UCF and No. 10 seed Texas Tech.
     • The Cowboys have advanced to the tourney final six times under Holliday — 2014, '15, '17, '19, '21 & '23.
     • 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.

Home Away From Home

Over the last three seasons, OSU has played 23 games at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The Pokes are 13-10 all time at the home ballpark of the Texas Rangers, going 5-5 in 2022, posting a 5-4 mark in 2023 and owning a 3-1 record this season.

And We're Back

     OSU re-entered the national rankings on April 8 for the first time since the preseason and remains in the polls for an seventh-straight week. The Cowboys are as high as No. 17 in the USA Today poll and are ranked 19th by D1Baseball.com and Baseball America and 20th by Perfect Game and the NCBWA.
     The Pokes had a streak of being nationally ranked end after 55 consecutive weeks end on Feb. 19; they had appeared in the polls during a stretch dating back to the 2021 preseason rankings.
     Under Josh Holliday, the Cowboys have peaked at No. 2 in the polls, reaching that mark twice in 2022.
     OSU has finished in the top 10 in the final polls twice under Holliday — 10th in 2014 and fourth in 2016.

RPI Talk

Oklahoma State entered the week No. 17 in the official NCAA RPI.

Elite Company

OSU is one of only three teams who have finished in the top 25 of the NCAA RPI in each of the last four seasons and who are currently in the top 25 of the RPI. Also in the group are Arkansas and Tennessee.

Clutch

OSU is hitting .318 with runners in scoring position this season. Zach Ehrhard (20-for-53), Aidan Meola (19-for-57), Nolan Schubart (20-for-54), Ian Daugherty (11-for-31), Colin Brueggemann (21-for-56), Kollin Ritchie (12-for-32) and Tyler Wulfert (11-for-33) are among the top Cowboy hitters with RISP.

Strong Armed

OSU leads the Big 12 and is 16th nationally with a 4.23 team ERA; six Cowboys own an ERA of 3.61 or under, with Brian Holiday (3.32) and Sam Garcia (3.61) ranking in the top 10 in the conference.
The Cowboys' staff has tossed three shutouts and is fourth nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.35) and 12th in WHIP (1.28).

Rob Walton's Punchout

     The Cowboys' pitching staff under Rob Walton is again putting up big strikeout numbers in 2024.
     OSU has recorded 579 strikeouts in 463.1 innings through 52 games; the Cowboys' rank fourth in the NCAA in strikeouts and are fifth nationally with 11.2 Ks per nine innings. Brian Holiday (111) and Sam Garcia (102) rank second and third in the Big 12 in strikeouts; Holiday is 10th nationally.
     The Pokes have reached double digits in strikeouts in 33 games and 26 of the last 36 outings.

K Kounter

     In the first 110 seasons of Cowboy Baseball, no OSU pitching staff recorded 600 strikeouts in a season, but the Pokes reached that mark in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023.
     In '22, the Cowboys shattered the program record for strikeouts in a season with 679, besting the previous mark by 91. The total ranked fifth nationally, and OSU was seventh in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.7.
     Last season, the Cowboys led the Big 12 and ranked ninth in the NCAA with 607 strikeouts. OSU's 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings was tops in the Big 12 and seventh nationally.
     The eight pitchers returning to the staff in 2024 combined for 199 strikeouts a year ago. Janzen Keisel is OSU's returning strikeout leader; the right-hander had 40 punchouts in 25 innings as a sophomore.

Big 12's Best

     Robert Cranz was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on April 15 after making a pair of relief appearances to help lead the Cowboys to a series sweep of Cincinnati.
     In the series opener, Cranz picked up the win with a career effort as he worked four shutout innings and posted a career-best eight strikeouts, doubling his previous high. He also pitched in Sunday's series finale, entering in the eighth inning and retiring both batters he faced to help preserve OSU's lead.
     In a team-high 26 appearances this season, Cranz is 2-1 with two saves and a 1.74 ERA, and he has tallied 52 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings of work. He was named an All-Big 12 Secont Team relief pitcher.

Easy Choice

Carson Benge was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, the D1Baseball Player of the Week, the Perfect Game National Player of the Week and the NCBWA National Co-Hitter of the Week for his performance in leading OSU to a win at Oral Roberts and a Big 12 series sweep of BYU.
Benge shined at the plate, batting .471 and hitting safely in all four games, and on the mound, picking up a win in the series opener against the Cougars in his first start of the season. He homered in all four games and finished with five round trippers on the week to go along with a team-high 10 RBIs. He also had two doubles, 25 total bases, a 1.471 slugging percentage, scored 10 runs and walked four times.

Happy Holiday

     After two years at the junior college level, Brian Holiday has adjusted well to life in Division I baseball and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in his first season in Stillwater.
     OSU's Saturday starter, the righty is 5-3 and fifth in the Big 12 with a 3.32 ERA, and opponents are hitting just .207 against Holiday, which also ranks fifth in the league. He has a conference-high 95 innings pitched and has lasted at least six innings in 13 of his 14 starts.
     Nationally, he ranks 10th in strikeouts (111), 12th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.17) and 13th in WHIP (0.95).
     Holiday is also second in the Big 12 in strikeouts and has posted five games reaching double digits. He turned in a complete game, 14-strikeout performance in a win over No. 18 TCU in which he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. That came on the heels of an 11-strikeout effort in eight innings of work against UCF. He tied his career high with 14 punchouts in the regular season finale at Houston.
    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.

Change Of Scenery

     A move to Stillwater is paying off for Sam Garcia.
     After graduating from High Point in three years, Garcia transferred to OSU and has established himself as the Cowboys' Friday night starter. In 14 outings, the southpaw is 6-3 with a 3.61 ERA, and he ranks third in the Big 12 with 102 strikeouts; he is 17th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 5.67.
     Named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, Garcia has struck out six or more batters in 11 of his starts, including a season-high 11 in a win at West Virginia and 10 in a victory against Texas Tech.
     Garcia struggled to a 1-8 record and 7.57 ERA in 18 outings last season at HPU, but as a sophomore in 2022 he won five games and had a 1.64 ERA in 16 appearances to earn All-Big South First Team honors.
     Random Fact: Garcia graduated from E.A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, which is also the alma mater of NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Two-Way Talent

     As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Carson Benge earned Freshman All-America honors, was a semifinalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award and was an All-Big 12 First Team selection.
     After missing 2022 following Tommy John surgery, Benge posted a team-high .345 batting average to go along with seven home runs, 17 doubles and 43 RBIs. Spending most of his time in right field, he also recorded a .468 on-base percentage and drew 42 walks as opposed to striking out just 32 times in nearly 200 at-bats. On the mound, he made 10 starts and was 2-2 with 35 strikeouts in 35.0 innings.
     This season, Benge is hitting .327 and leads OSU in eight offensive categories, including doubles (22), RBIs (57), walks (45) and total bases (139). In 16 appearances, 14 of those in relief, he has posted a 2.45 ERA and is 2-1 with three saves and 30 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings.
     Benge was named an All-Big 12 First Team outfielder, and he is once again a semifinalist for the Olerud Award while also earning semifinalist status for the Dick Howser Trophy.
     Random Fact: Carson's older brother, Garrett, was a two-time All-Big 12 infielder for OSU in 2016-17; he was the starting third baseman on the Cowboys' 2016 College World Series team.

Hit The Ground Hitting

     In his first collegiate season, Nolan Schubart earned All-America and Freshman All-America honors and was also named the Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year and an All-Big 12 First Team performer.
     A starter in 59 games, Schubart hit .338 with 17 home runs, 20 doubles and 74 RBIs and turned in a .667 slugging percentage. His 74 RBIs was the most by a Cowboy since 2007.
     Among all NCAA Division I freshmen in 2023, Schubart ranked second in RBIs, third in doubles, sixth in total bases (144), walks (43) and slugging percentage and seventh in home runs.
     Schubart missed 12 games this season after suffering an injury against DBU on Feb. 27; since his return to the lineup vs. Missouri State, he is 44-for-114 (.386) with 15 homers and 45 RBIs in 32 games.
     An All-Big 12 Second Team outfielder, Schubart leads OSU in batting average (.355) and home runs (17), and he tops the conference in slugging percentage (.797) and on-base percentage (.505), good for a 1.303 OPS.
     Random Fact: Schubart originally committed to Michigan before a coaching change there led to him signing with the Cowboys.

March On

     Zach Ehrhard went on a tear at the plate in the month of March.
     In 20 games, the Cowboy outfielder hit .405 (32-for-79) with 10 doubles, and he posted 10 multi-hit performances. In doing so, he raised his batting average from .200 to .349.
     He's continued his hot hitting, owning a .325 batting average and leading the Cowboys with 64 runs, and he ranks second on OSU in hits (66), doubles (19) and walks (43). His 11 homers are more than his output from his first two seasons combined as he hit three as both a freshman and sophomore.
     Named an All-Big 12 First Team outfielder, Ehrhard hit .404 in conference play, ranking second, with eight homers, 13 doubles and 30 RBIs. He also led the Big 12 in league-only games with 40 runs and a .500 on-base percentage.
     Random Fact: At Wharton High School, Ehrhard was coached by MLB Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, who was a volunteer coach for the baseball team.

Tommy Boy

     With a 6-2 record in 16 relief appearances, Tommy Molsky is tied for the Cowboys' team lead in wins. Four of those wins came in conference play as the right-hander picked up a victory in each of OSU's first three league series and against BYU.
     Following a career-high eight strikeouts against Oklahoma on March 12, Molsky was electric out of the bullpen over his next four outings. During that span, which included games against UCF, TCU, West Virginia and Oral Roberts, he tossed 9 2/3 shutout innings and struck out 15 while allowing just three hits, all singles, and he earned a win in each appearance.
     Molsky, who transferred to OSU after two seasons at Penn State, earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades.
     Random Fact: In 2022 and 2023, Molsky played for the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod League. The Anglers were managed by former OSU head coach and current ESPN+ analyst Tom Holliday.

Swinging A Hot Bat

     After splitting time early, Ian Daugherty has established himself as OSU's starting backstop and has been thriving in that role.
     Over his last 15 games, Daugherty is hitting .298 (17-for-57) with seven homers, three doubles and 18 RBIs. He has hit safely in 10 of those contests and raised his batting average 38 points from .226 to .264.
     The junior's nine homers and 28 RBIs are both career highs.
     Random Fact: Both Daugherty's parents, Derek and Micah, and his brother, Cole, are OSU graduates.

Hit Man

     Injuries limited Aidan Meola's playing time over his first two collegiate seasons, and he has battled them again in 2024. But the junior has played in a career-high 38 games this season and established himself as one of OSU's top hitters en route to being named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
     Meola has reached base safely in 32 games, collecting hits in 27 of those, and posted 15 multi-hit efforts. He owns a .322 batting average to go along with career highs in homers (9) and RBIs (41).
     He's also showcased a knack for the clutch hit as he's 19-for-57 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
     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.

Powering His Way Into The Record Books

     In a program known for slugging prowess, Nolan Schubart put his name at the top of a pair of lists with a historic performance against Wichita State on April 30.
     Schubart set OSU's single-game home run record and tied the Big 12 mark with four bombs against the Shockers, and he also set Big 12 and program records with 18 total bases. He was 5-for-5 with four homers, a double and seven RBIs in the contest.
     After a two-RBI double in his first at-bat in the first inning, Schubart smashed a solo homer later in the opening frame, delivered another solo shot in the third, then a two-run blast in the fifth. He set the record by going deep in the sixth with another solo bomb.
     Prior to Schubart's record-setting effort, OSU had 18 three-homer games in program history, with 14 different Cowboys achieving that feat. Schubart, who homered three times in a game last season against East Tennessee State, also became the fourth Poke to hit three or more homers in a game multiple times, joining Roy York, Adam Carr and Trevor Boone.
     Schubart became only the second Big 12 player to homer four times in a game, joining Missouri's Jacob Priday (2008).

Man On Fire

There are not many hotter hitters than Nolan Schubart, who is putting up video game numbers of late.
Over OSU's last 12 games, Schubart is 24-for-46 (.522) with 10 home runs, four doubles, a triple and 29 RBIs. He's racked up 60 total bases and posted a 1.938 OPS.

Century Mark

     OSU has smashed 103 home runs on the season, giving them back-to-back 100-homer seasons for the first time since 1996-97; the Cowboys tallied 108 round trippers last season, their first time in triple digits since 1999.
     The Cowboys rank 17th nationally in homers and have homered five or more times in a game five times, including a season-high nine against Wichita State. OSU has smashed 69 round trippers at O'Brate Stadium.
     It's the 12th time in program history the Cowboys have reached 100 home runs in a season and the fourth time they have hit 100 in consecutive seasons. The Pokes hit 100-plus homers each year from 1985-88, did it again in 1991-92 and then went three-straight years achieving the feat from 1995-97.
     In 1988, OSU set a program record with 154 round trippers.

100 K

     OSU has achieved a rare pitching feat this season, with a pair of Cowboy hurlers reaching triple digits in strikeouts.
     The latest Pokes to add their names to the 100 K list are Brian Holiday and Sam Garcia; Holiday has 111 punchouts on the season, while Garcia has posted 102.
     Eighteen different Cowboy pitchers have now recorded 100 strikeouts in a season, and that feat has been accomplished 22 times in program history.
     It marks the fifth time in school history and first time since 2016 that two Cowboys have achieved the feat in the same season.
     Seasons with two Cowboy pitchers recording 100+ strikeouts:

     1983 – Dennis Livingston (180) and Gary Kanwisher (127)
     1994 – Jason Bell (140) and Jake Benz (106)
     1996 – Sean McClellan (125) and Ryan Graves (104)
     2016 – Thomas Hatch (112) and Trey Cobb (100)
     2024 – Brian Holiday (111) and Sam Garcia (102)