Starting Friday, the Red Raiders will open a three-game series against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The two teams head into the series ranked in the D1 Baseball top ten, and a series victory would be imperative for the Red Raiders to host a regional in the NCAA tournament.
As it stands, the Cowboys are atop the Big 12 standings, only two games ahead of the Red Raiders and are coming off a mid-week loss to Dallas Baptist on Tuesday that snapped a six-game winning streak that included a weekend sweep over Texas in Austin.
The Red Raiders sit at 32-16 on the season and are coming off a ten-day break, winning their last time out against Abilene Christian on May 3.
Manager Tim Tadlock said that the time off was necessary after the marathon against the Wildcats.
“That was a marathon,” Tadlock said. “We’ve been practicing about every single day, depending on the schedule. It allowed us to get some guys on the mound that haven’t been able to get on continuously, hopefully they’ll find some rhythm and timing there.”
Pitching:
The Cowboys’ starting rotation is led by Friday starter, Justin Campbell. The right-hander carries the fourth-best ERA in the conference with a mark of 2.91 and has generated the most strikeouts in the conference with 112 on the year.
“It will be a challenge, without a doubt,” Tadlock said. “On Friday, you’re facing one of the best starters in the league in Campbell.”
Oklahoma State will likely send Bryce Osmond to the mound during the series. The usual Saturday starter carries a 4.47 ERA and has struck out 70 of the 209 hitters he has faced this season.
The Red Raiders will counter with Andrew Morris and Brandon Birdsell for the first two games, but Tadlock said that Sunday’s game is still up in the air but will likely be Chase Hampton.
“Obviously we’re going Morris and Birdsell and likely go to Hampton on Sunday,” Tadlock said. “We’ve talked about it, but we haven’t solidified it.”
As the Red Raider bullpen remains shaky, the Cowboys send two of the most dominant relievers in the league in Ryan Bogusz and Roman Phansalkar. Bogusz carries a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings of work this year while Phansalkar holds a 1.91 ERA in a hefty 42.1 innings.
Hitting:
The Cowboys’ lineup is lead by a pair of infielders that carry OPS metrics over 1.000 in Griffin Doersching and Jake Thompson with marks of 1.051 and 1.018, respectively.
Oklahoma State also has a few more respectable regulars in its lineup in Nolan McLean and David Mendham who carry OPS’s over .900. McLean is the teams home run leader with 12 on the season despite his tendency to strikeout, carrying a strikeout rate of 42.2 percent.
The Red Raiders will need to keep the offensive production from before the break as the team scored more than seven runs in their last four games, including a 16 spot against Abilene Christian.
The pivotal weekend series will be televised on ESPN+.
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