Oklahoma
Can Oklahoma State baseball make run in Big 12, NCAA tournaments? Examining Cowboys resume
A month ago, it was fair to turn and look away from Oklahoma State baseball.
The Cowboys looked nothing like themselves. Losses piled up. The offense struggled. The pitching was worse.
Sitting below .500, the belief was that OSU would miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time under coach Josh Holliday.
My, how things can change.
There are few teams hotter than the Pokes entering conference tournament week. They’re coming off a three-game sweep of Arizona State. They’ve won 9 of 10 games.
OSU is suddenly back in the NCAA Tournament picture, too.
The Cowboys enter the Big 12 Tournament at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday as the No. 7 seed. They’ll face Baylor at 4 p.m. on ESPNU.
Here is what to know about OSU entering the postseason:
Oklahoma State baseball resume
- Record: 27-22 (15-12 Big 12, 7th)
- RPI: 45th (through May 18 games)
- Projected seed: USA TODAY: No. 3 seed in Chapel Hill Regional (last four in); D1Baseball: No. 3 seed in Corvallis Regional
- Notable: The Cowboys’ mid-season struggles and cancellation of several Big 12 games can be overlooked in part to a tough schedule. OSU’s strength of schedule ranks No. 11 in the country, according to D1Baseball.com’s RPI.
OSU baseball Big 12 Tournament preview
Never count out the Cowboys in this tournament.
The format is different — an increase to 12 teams and a change to single elimination — but the talent is just the same under Holliday.
The Cowboys get a boost by opening with Baylor, a team they took two of three from and nearly swept on the road less than two weeks ago.
But this is no easy field. Eight teams are ranked in the top 50 RPI and all 12 are in the top 90.
Should the Cowboys win, they face No. 2-seeded Kansas. The Jayhawks swept OSU in late March, signaling the downturn of OSU’s season. Another win could mean a date with No. 3 TCU.
Though that appears daunting, the Cowboys have won this tournament four times, including last season.
Why Oklahoma State baseball can make a run in NCAA Tournament
First, the Cowboys have to get in.
Though projections are favorable — Baseball America and D1Baseball.com both have OSU in as of Tuesday — a win or two in Arlington will go a long way to make them feel safe.
But get in and the Cowboys face significantly less pressure than the past three seasons. There will be no home regional, which OSU has lost each year at O’Brate Stadium since 2022.
Getting away from Stillwater could be a positive.
Plus, it helps that OSU has a bona fide ace in left-hander Harrison Bodendorf, who leads the league with 10 wins and is tied for second with a 2.43 ERA.
Mario Pesca and Hunter Watkins have also become reliable starters in the rotation.
And don’t forget about the Cowboys’ offense that can overwhelm opponents.
Slugger Nolan Schubart is third in the conference with 17 home runs after a slow start. Colin Brueggemann is not far behind with 14. And Brayden Smith has become a lightning bolt for the Cowboys’ lineup.
OSU has outscored its opponents 80-27 over the last 10 games.
Why OSU baseball can’t make a run in NCAA Tournament
Even though getting away from O’Brate Stadium might make some OSU fans who remember the past all too well feel a little better, it shouldn’t.
OSU is 18-12 at home and 5-12 in true road games.
That’s far from ideal.
So, which bullpen will show up? The one that has been rock solid in the final month or the one that was a total disaster in March?
Legendary pitching coach Rob Walton has worked his magic turning the staff around before he enters retirement. But things can turn in an instant for any college pitcher.
And though the Cowboys can slug, there are issues with the lineup. Schubart and Brueggemann are prone to strikeouts. And facing a team with strong lefties can neutralize the duo.
The Oklahoma Sooners are readying themselves for the most crucial game of the season, and perhaps the Brent Venables era, when they host the Alabama Crimson Tide next Friday in the first round of the College Football Playoff. After a 10-2 season, which included a 6-2 mark in SEC play, six Sooners were named to the AP All-SEC teams.
That comes after 10 Sooners earned 11 All-SEC Honors as voted on by the coaches, and kicker Tate Sandell was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Year.
Selected to the first team were Sandell, punter Grayson Miller, and wide receiver Isaiah Sategna.
Sandell has the highest field goal percentage in the conference and has made all seven field goal attempts of 50 yards or more.
Miller is fourth in the nation, and first in the SEC, in punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Like Sandell, he’s been a special teams weapon for Brent Venables, helping Oklahoma win the field position battle in a number of their wins this season.
Sategna is tied for second in the SEC receptions with 65, yards with 948, and tied for fourth in the conference touchdowns. He’s been a big-play threat for the Sooners, especially in recent weeks. Sategna closed the season with back-to-back 100-yard days, giving him four on the season. He had more than 60 yards receiving in nine of Oklahoma’s last 10 games.
Earning second team honors for the Sooners were linebacker Owen Heinecke, defensive end R Mason Thomas, and defensive tackle Gracen Halton.
Thomas leads the Sooners with 6.5 sacks despite missing the final three games of the regular season, three and a half quarters vs. Tennessee (injury), and a half vs. Auburn (targeting suspension). He’s been a force each of the last two seasons, earning All-SEC second-team honors in 2024, and was a first-team selection as voted on by the league’s coaches this season.
Halton, like Thomas, was a member of Brent Venables first recruiting class in the 2022 cycle. He’s been awesome again this year, recording 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 31 total tackles. He’s been a force in the middle, making life difficult in the running game and providing an interior pass rush for the Sooners.
Heinecke has been one of a number of breakout stars for Oklahoma as part of a great linebacker rotation. Heinecke is second on the team in total tackles and tackle for loss, behind only Kip Lewis, and has two sacks to his ledger as well. He’s come up big in key moments for Oklahoma, including the sack and forced fumble against Tennessee, which led to R Mason Thomas’ long touchdown return that changed the momentum of the game, and perhaps the season.
The Oklahoma Sooners have a talented roster and a number of players like Peyton Bowen, Kip Lewis, Eli Bowen, Courtland Guillory, Jaren Kanak, Febechi Nwaiwu, Taylor Wein, and David Stone who deserved inclusion on the All-SEC teams. Even still, six players and a host of players worthy of mention is a great thing for the Sooners as they get set to take on an Alabama Crimson Tide team that earned just three selections to the AP All-SEC teams.
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The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) says a person died Tuesday after jumping from a bridge near the I-40 and I-35 interchange in Oklahoma City, prompting an ongoing law enforcement investigation.
Troopers say the response created traffic delays in the area as law enforcement worked the scene.
Drivers should expect delays and consider alternate routes until the scene is cleared, officials said.
OHP says more information will be released as the investigation continues.
Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center is inviting families, children and community members to participate in its monthly Second Saturday program.
Organizers say Second Saturday is a free afternoon of hands-on art-making and gallery exploration held on the second Saturday of each month.
Families can enjoy guided activities, family-friendly gallery chats and take-home art experiences designed for all ages. Materials are provided at no cost, and no advance registration is required.
Periodically, the center expands the event into Second Saturday XL, which is a larger celebration featuring multiple art stations, performances and seasonal programming across the Oklahoma Contemporary campus.
The upcoming Second Saturday XL: Polar Party is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, from 1 p.m. 5 p.m.
Guests can take part in winter-themed projects, including wreath making, cookie decorating and snow-globe crafting, along with music, treats and additional family activities throughout the center.
See the full lineup of activities here.
All programming is free and open to the public.
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