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

Jacob Unruh, Oklahoman
·4 min read
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STILLWATER — Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday made sure his players did not dwell on the struggles a week ago too long.

He wanted the issues of dropping a series at Texas Tech to become motivation.

“It was more empowering probably than it was anything,” Holliday said. “We’re trying to move forward every day and we’re trying to see what we can become rather than get caught up in where we’re at.”

The Cowboys did more than move forward last week.

They resoundingly dominated.

OSU overwhelmed Wichita State and Baylor in four games last week, jumping to a tie for second place in the Big 12 with huge series fast approaching.

The No. 17-ranked Cowboys (20-5, 4-2) host red-hot Texas in a series this weekend ahead of a series at TCU, the preseason favorite to win the conference.

Here is a look back at the Cowboys’ undefeated week:

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OSU's Roc Riggio throws to first base for an out Saturday against Baylor at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater.
OSU's Roc Riggio throws to first base for an out Saturday against Baylor at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater.

No. 20 Oklahoma State

Overall record: 20-5, 4-2 Big 12

Last week: 4-0 (Beat Wichita State 10-1, beat Baylor 11-9 (11), 15-8, 13-2 (7))

This week: at Wichita State, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; vs. Texas 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday

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Top Oklahoma State baseball player last week

Roc Riggio, 2B: The Cowboys’ electrifying sophomore provided several big moments at the plate. He homered twice in the rout at Wichita State. He homered in Saturday’s dominant win over Baylor in the first inning. For the week, Riggio was 8 for 18 with 11 RBIs, three walks and eight runs scored. Six of his hits were for extra bases, including the trio of homers, two doubles and a triple. His eight homers on the year are second in the Big 12, tied with teammates Nolan Schubart and David Mendham along with TCU star Brayden Taylor.

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Oklahoma State baseball player on the rise

Brennan Holt, OF: Entering the week, the LSU transfer had just 11 at-bats for the Cowboys. He equaled that in a week and found a larger role with the continued recovery of center fielder Zach Ehrhard from a shoulder injury. And Holt — a speedy redshirt freshman — made the most of his extended action. He started the final two games against Baylor, leading off. He was 3 for 9 with three runs scored. And he capped the week for himself and the Cowboys with a grand slam — his first-career homer — to walk off a 13-2 run-rule victory Sunday.

Stat to know

266: Strikeouts total by the OSU pitching staff, which leads the Big 12. Meanwhile, Texas has struck out the least among Big 12 teams, just 166 times. Ninety of OSU’s punchouts have come from the combination of starters Juaron Watts-Brown and Ben Abram. Watts-Brown leads the conference with 55. OSU reliever Isaac Stebens also has 32.

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Oklahoma State pitcher Ben Abram (55) pitches during a college baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Baylor Bears at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
Oklahoma State pitcher Ben Abram (55) pitches during a college baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Baylor Bears at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, March 25, 2023.

OSU’s pitching shines behind Watts-Brown, Abram

The Cowboys’ weekend rotation was shifted at Texas Tech, putting Watts-Brown from Friday to Sunday in an effort to preserve his health.

That left Baylor with a mess to deal with after the Cowboys rallied from a 7-0 deficit to win 11-9 in extra innings Friday.

Abram, an OU transfer, struck out a career-best 10 batters and allowed four runs as he pitched into the seventh on Saturday and fatigue hit.

“It was definitely good in some spots,” Abram said. “I think more innings were good than bad.

“I wouldn’t say it’s my best outing for sure, but I’d definitely take it any day of the week.

Then Watts-Brown followed with 13 strikeouts in Sunday’s dominance. He allowed two runs on four hits and three walks over six innings.

The two have become OSU’s dynamic weekend duo.

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Oklahoma State utility Carson Benge (3) makes contact with a pitch during a college baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Baylor Bears at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
Oklahoma State utility Carson Benge (3) makes contact with a pitch during a college baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Baylor Bears at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, March 25, 2023.

Carson Benge has big week

OSU has a budding star in two-way player Carson Benge.

The redshirt freshman threw five strong innings Tuesday at Wichita State, allowing a run on three hits and a walk while striking out five.

It was his longest outing of the season. In three starts, he has a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings.

But he also made an impact with his bat.

The former Yukon star was 10 for 19 with two homers — both Saturday — and seven RBIs on the week.

“He’s aggressive, he’s confident, he believes in himself and he likes what he’s doing,” Holliday said. “A lot of good things.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State baseball jolts Baylor, Wichita State in perfect week