Oklahoma State follows slow start with a run at Big 12 title
No one would have argued in late March with prognosticators who picked Oklahoma State to finish in the bottom tier of the Big 12 again.
Just how far the Cowboys (27-14-1, 15-3) have come since then was apparent in their dominating weekend sweep of arch-rival Oklahoma. They outscored the Sooners 27-3 over three games, won their fifth straight Big 12 series and stretched their conference lead to three games over Texas.
They’ve won seven straight games and 16 of 20 since a series loss to the Longhorns dropped them to 11-10-1. OSU is as high as No. 12 in the major polls this week and No. 21 in the RPI.
“The results early on don’t indicate what you believe you can become over the course of the season,” sixthyear coach Josh Holliday said. “We put our heads down and worked really hard to get better.”
The Cowboys, coming off a 2016 College World Series appearance, were second to last in the Big 12 last year before becoming the first No. 8 seed to win the conference tournament and the league’s automatic NCAA bid.
This year they were picked sixth in the Big 12 coaches’ poll, and a March funk saw them lost two of three to Eastern Michigan, lose to Dallas Baptist and lose and tie against Seton Hall—all at home.
Over the last 20 games, the Cowboys’ batting average has gone up 24 points to .265, they’re averaging 7.4 runs per game and they’ve homered 30 times after going deep just 16 times the first 22 games.
OSU has won seven straight in the Bedlam series. The Cowboys homered seven times in the three weekend games.
“It was a blast. That’s the experience you dream of for Bedlam,” outfielder Jon Littell said. “That’s why we come to Oklahoma State: to ball out like that and play at a high level and beat our instate rival.”
OSU plays a nonconference series at Iowa this weekend and finishes Big 12 play with three road games against Baylor and three at home against conference favorite Texas Tech.
IN THE POLLS
Florida (36-10), which bounced back from a mid-week loss to Mercer to win two of three at home against Auburn, continues to hold the No. 1 spot in the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America polls and is No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Stanford (33-6), which took two of three at home against California and a winner in 10 of its last 11, is No. 1 for the second straight week by Collegiate Baseball and is No. 2 in the other two polls.
The No. 3 teams are Oregon State (32-7) by D1Baseball.com, Mississippi (34-11) by Baseball America and UCLA (29-10) by Collegiate Baseball.
MARTIN’S NEXT CHANCE
Florida State coach Mike Martin’s next chance to become the all-time wins leader in college baseball comes this Saturday when the Seminoles (31-14) open a three-game series at Clemson. Martin tied Augie Garrido’s record of 1,975 with a 10-1 win over Miami on Saturday. The Seminoles lost 11-5 to the Hurricanes on Sunday.
STREAKS END
Tennessee Tech’s nation-leading win streak ended at 28 with Sunday’s 10-6 home loss to Southeast Missouri State. The Golden Eagles (37-6) hadn’t lost in seven weeks and owned the longest streak since Utah Valley rattled off 32 straight wins in 2012. Michigan (25-13) had its 20-game win streak end Friday with a 4-2 loss at Iowa. Baylor (26-17), at 10 games, has the nation’s longest active streak.
18 Ks IN A GAME
Memphis’ Jonathan Bowlan set a national season high with a schooland American Athletic Conferencerecord 18 strikeouts in an 8-2 win over South Florida on Saturday. He struck out five of the first six batters and retired 18 straight before allowing a single in the ninth. He struck out the side three times, and all 18 strikeouts were swinging. He joins his father in the Memphis record book. Mark Bowlan pitched a perfect game against Louisville in 1987.
HOLDERBACH HOMERS
Eastern Kentucky’s Alex Holderbach hit a school-record four home runs and drove in eight in a 12-8 win at Xavier last week. The junior catcher went deep in the first, fifth, seventh and ninth innings and walked in the fourth. He homered in his first at-bat against Jacksonville State on Friday, and he hit his sixth of the week on Sunday against JSU. Holderbach is tied for eighth in the nation with 15 homers, and he’s first with 65 RBIs.