Cowboys, Sooners are primed for success
OSU isn’t engaging in constant chatter about the road to Omaha, there’s no mistaking that it’s the team’s planned destination. Meanwhile, Alec Hansen is the anchor of OU’s rotation, as the 6-foot-7 flamethrower is a likely top-5 pick in June’s MLB Draft.
STILLWATER — Josh Holliday hasn’t sent out an order for T-shirts to theme the season, “Omaha or Bust.”
His Cowboys won’t find the distance to TD Ameritrade Park, home of the College World Series — 423 miles, FYI — posted on their own outfield wall at Reynolds Stadium, as has been done at some other programs.
That’s simply not their style.
Still, getting to Omaha used to be Oklahoma State’s style, with 19 College World Series appearances punctuating its great baseball history, although none since 1999.
And while the Cowboys aren’t engaging in constant chatter about the road to Omaha, there’s no mistaking that it is their planned destination.
That’s why seniors Donnie Walton and Conor Costello returned after being drafted in June. That’s the expectation for a club that returns seven everyday starters and claims to have a pitching staff loaded with “electric” arms. That’s been Holliday’s charge, restoring the program to prominence, ever since he returned to take over as coach almost four years ago.
“The ultimate destination, sure, that’s a known,” Holliday said. “But it’s not something that we sit around and talk about.
“We talk more about what it takes every single day to do this right. I feel real good about the kids and what they are all about.”
OSU opens the season Friday at the Clay Gould Classic on the campus of Texas-Arlington, where the Cowboys will play two games each against host UTA and Stephen F. Austin over the weekend.
They carry high expectations, backed up by five national rankings of No. 11 or higher. The Cowboys were picked for second in the Big 12 in the tightest vote in league history, finishing just two points behind favorite TCU. And in its initial national tournament projection, D1Baseball.com pegged OSU as one of eight national seeds and a Regional host, for the third straight year.
“There’s a lot of buzz around the field,” said Costello, who provides a big bat and a possible weekend rotation arm on the pitching side. “The team is definitely going to work hard for that point in the season where we really want to make this season special.”
And special can only be translated one way: Omaha.
The Cowboys have made runs the past two seasons, getting oh-soclose in 2014 before losing in a Super Regional, then getting upset early at home in a Regional last year, when they finished 38-20.
Costello has experienced the College World Series as a freshman at Arkansas, before transferring to OSU. Otherwise, this group of Cowboys has only heard the stories; from Holliday, who was a player on that 1999 OSU team that advanced, or pitching coach Rob Walton, Donnie’s dad, who went with four Cowboys clubs.
“We’ve all talked about it. It’s been our dream,” said Donnie Walton. Conor has been to Omaha his freshman year at Arkansas and told us a little bit about it. We grew up watching it. We hear about Josh and all the stories, my dad going there four times… it’s something we’re all striving for.
“But since I’ve been here there’s one thing I’ve learned, not to look ahead. Take it one day at a time. One pitch at a time. One inning at a time. That’s got to be our focus.”