’Hog Happy
Cowboys headed for Fayetteville, familiar territory entering postseason play
STILLWATER — The Cowboys crowded together inside the Reynolds Stadium locker room Monday and cheered their destination for the NCAA Tournament: Arkansas and the Fayetteville Regional.
Of course, they might have cheered a postseason assignment to Ukraine, given all the challenges of this season, with their entry into the postseason only assured on Sunday, when Oklahoma State finished off a late-charging run to the Big 12 Tournament championship.
Even better, OSU relishes a short trip to a familiar locale where three teams they’ve played this season — Arkansas, Missouri State and Oral Roberts — all await.
“We’re familiar with the ballpark so that’s nice,” said senior pitcher Trey Cobb, one of several veterans who played a regular season game at Baum Stadium last year. “We’re familiar with all the teams in the regional, and we’re really excited that we get to stay close to home and give our fans a chance to come out and support us.”
The Cowboys, the No. 3 seed in Fayetteville, open play at the regional Friday at 2 p.m. against No. 2 Missouri State, which won the Missouri Valley regularseason title. The No. 1-seeded Razorbacks, an at-large pick out of the SEC, faces No. 4 ORU at 7.
OSU went 3-2 against the Fayetteville field during the regular season, claiming wins over all three. The Cowboys beat Arkansas and Missouri State in back-to-back games in early March and finished 1-2 against ORU, winning in Stillwater and dropping two games in Tulsa, including a May 16 setback that is credited as the pivot point in OSU’s season.
It was then, after falling 11-7, that Cowboys coach Josh Holliday challenged his club to keep pushing and keep believing in the ability to extend the season.
Clearly, something clicked, as OSU won six straight, claimed the Big 12 Tournament title and pushed their streak of reaching the postseason to five straight seasons.
We’re familiar with all the teams in the regional, and we’re really excited that we get to stay close to home and give our fans a chance to come out and support us.”
OSU senior Trey Cobb
“We’re savoring this,” Holliday said. “We’re thrilled that we get to play together. And we’re thrilled that we get to go to a regional that’s close enough to share with people that have been by our side and hopefully get some fans over there and cheer these kids on, because they deserve it.”
During the selection show on ESPN2, Holliday took offense to a commentator’s suggestion that some teams “stole” bids into the NCAA Tournament, teams like OSU that upset their way to league tournament wins for an only avenue into the bracket.
“That’s the wrong way to see it,” Holliday said. “There were teams that earned bids, and our team is one of those that earned their way into this position.”
During their six-game run, the Cowboys beat Oklahoma (twice), West Virginia (twice), Texas Tech and Texas — NCAA Tournament teams all.
“It’s special and it’s fun to see the turn we made after ORU,” said Cowboys left fielder Garrett McCain. “To be on this side of it, the other side of the coin, it’s awesome. It’s a great feeling.
“We’re thankful that we got to end it on a high for the regular season. And now that we’re in the postseason, I think we’re going to continue to ride out this wave of momentum.”