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Oklahoma State baseball rewind: Cowboys sit atop Big 12 behind ace Juaron Watts-Brown

jacob unruh, oklahoman
·5 min read

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday does not worry too much about standings.

Growth is at the forefront of his mind.

At the moment, the Cowboys are excelling at both.

No. 16-ranked OSU is atop the Big 12 standings and building confidence after a huge week that included a series win over No. 21 Texas.

The Cowboys rallied for a walk-off 4-3 win Sunday over the Longhorns to take the series after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top half of the inning.

“From that standpoint — the ninth inning yesterday, getting out of that jam and then finding a way to win — was just a great statement by our kids to find that internal fortitude to compete and concentrate and execute in the 27th inning of a very competitive series,” Holliday said.

“I think what it does for us is helps us in our confidence and grows our belief in what’s possible.”

The Cowboys have won six of their past eight games entering this week against Wichita State and preseason Big 12 favorite TCU.

Here is a look back at last week.

More: How Oklahoma State pitcher Ben Abram rediscovered his confidence after transfer from OU

Oklahoma State's Juaron Watts-Brown throws a pitch during a game against Loyola Marymount at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater on Feb. 25.
Oklahoma State's Juaron Watts-Brown throws a pitch during a game against Loyola Marymount at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater on Feb. 25.

No. 16 Oklahoma State

Overall record: 22-7, 6-3 Big 12

Last week: 2-2 (lost to Dallas Baptist 8-0, lost to No. 21 Texas 5-3, beat No. 21 Texas 4-1, 4-3)

This week: vs. Wichita State, 6 p.m. Tuesday; at TCU, 6 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday

Top Oklahoma State player last week

Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP: The talented right-hander lived up to the title of ace pitcher. Watts-Brown had his most impressive outing of his career, throwing eight dominant innings and striking out 12 in Saturday’s win over Texas. He allowed just one run on three hits and three walks while throwing a career-high 128 pitches. He is now 4-1 with a 2.61 ERA and a Big 12-best 67 strikeouts.

More: Get to know the 2023 Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team and schedule

Oklahoma State's Isaac Stebens pitches against Texas Tech on March 17 at Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock, Texas.
Oklahoma State's Isaac Stebens pitches against Texas Tech on March 17 at Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock, Texas.

Oklahoma State player on the rise

Isaac Stebens, RHP: A Stillwater graduate and Cowley (Kansas) College product, Stebens is quickly becoming one of the top relievers in the conference. He leads the Big 12 with a 1.67 ERA. Batters are hitting just .162 against him, which is second in the conference. Last week, Stebens pitched in all four games, earning his first save and also escaping the jam in the ninth Sunday, getting a strikeout and double play. He earned his fourth win of the year.

Stat to know

8: Home runs this season by four different OSU players — Roc Riggio, Nolan McLean, David Mendham and Nolan Schubart — to sit in a tie for third in the Big 12. The Cowboys lead the conference with 53 home runs.

Cowboys extend Juaron Watts-Brown

Watts-Brown wanted the eighth inning.

He was sitting at 114 pitches on the night but in full command. The Longhorns had no answer.

So, Holliday and pitching coach Rob Walton put their ace back on the mound for the eighth inning.

Watts-Brown, the Big 12’s Pitcher of the Week, responded with a smooth 14-pitch inning.

“He feels the best he’s felt all year,” Holliday said. “He had stuff left in his body, he had stuff left in his arm, he was in a great competitive frame of mind, so he went out there and gave us the eighth.

“He’s done a great job of getting in a really good routine and built up to this point and feels real good about where he’s at physically.”

This came after his usual Friday start was pushed back to Sunday a few weeks ago at Texas Tech in an effort to let him fully recover for the outing.

Holliday said Watts-Brown was not hurt then. The Cowboys were just being cautious to make sure he was properly prepared.

“At that stage, we’re really trying to think about the long length of the season and make sure each guy got the work in between starts that he needed to feel ready for the next outing,” Holliday said. “And we’ve done that multiple times.

“Our thinking may be a little bit different than some. We’re trying to get each guy ready. We did the same thing this week with Brian Hendry to get him extra work and get him ready for his start. We felt like he needed that.

“Some years you just settle into a real consistent flow. Some years, you gotta work with the schedule and work with the kids and try to get them right.”

More: Oklahoma State baseball rewind: Cowboys overwhelm Wichita State, Baylor to regain footing

Oklahoma State outfielder Nolan Schubart (10) hits a home run during a game against Baylor at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater on March 25.
Oklahoma State outfielder Nolan Schubart (10) hits a home run during a game against Baylor at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater on March 25.

Nolan Schubart continues to show rare freshman poise

The moment never felt too big for OSU’s star freshman.

Schubart knew the clock was ticking down. He took the one timeout he was allowed to reset the clock and slow things down even more.

Soon after, he was celebrating his walk-off single.

“He swung at the right pitches, he didn’t overswing, he called timeout when he wasn’t quite ready,” Holliday said.

The 6-foot-5 true freshman leads OSU with a .400 average and 1.316 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He’s third in the Big 12 in average and slugging percentage (.778) and first in on-base percentage (.538).

It’s been a tremendous debut season for Schubart.

“I think it’s self confidence,” Holliday said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State baseball atop Big 12 standings after beating Texas