Oklahoma State baseball rewind: Cowboys fire back-to-back combined no-hitters in big week
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State’s answer to a down opening weekend of pitching was to not give up hits in two straight games.
Easy as that, right?
For two games it kind of was.
The 12th-ranked Cowboys threw two combined no-hitters in consecutive games, starting off a dominant week in the best possible way.
OSU threw 18 straight hitless innings against Cal Baptist and Loyola Marymount, setting up a week in which the Cowboys won three games with the lone loss coming in extra innings to Loyola Marymount.
OSU enters Tuesday’s game at Missouri State — a rematch of last season’s wild regional tournament in O’Brate Stadium — with a 4-3 record.
Some momentum on the mound is important considering how that matchup went last time as both teams combined for 44 runs and nine home runs.
Here is a look at what we learned about the Cowboys last week:
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No. 12 Oklahoma State
Overall record: 4-3
Last week: 3-1 (Beat California Baptist 2-0, beat Loyola Marymount 1-0, 11-1 in 7 innings; lost to Loyola Marymount 10-8 in 10 innings)
This week: at Missouri State, 3 p.m. Tuesday; vs. Austin Peay 4 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
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Top Oklahoma State player last week
Janzen Keisel, RHP: The BYU transfer made his Cowboys debut and set the tone for a strong pitching week. He struck out 11, allowed no hits and pitched into the sixth inning of OSU’s win over Cal Baptist on Tuesday. His lone blemishes were a walk and he hit a batter. But he still brilliantly set up the first no-hitter.
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Oklahoma State player on the rise
Aidan Meola, 3B: The sophomore third baseman did a little bit of everything, but the best place to begin is his defense. He saved the first combined no-hitter twice with outstanding defensive plays, a diving stop in the third and then a tremendous play on a short roller in the ninth. On top of that, Meola was 7 for 19 with two RBIs, two doubles and a run scored in four games.
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Stat to know
11: Runs allowed by the Cowboys in four games last week, well below the 32 they allowed in the first three games of the season.
No-no after no-no
Six different pitchers combined for the two no-nos, including two saves from closer Nolan McLean and two appearances by Evan O’Toole.
Keisel started it out on Tuesday and was relieved by four different relievers, including Stillwater products Isaac Stebens and Drew Blake.
In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, ace Juaron Watts-Brown kept it going with six hitless innings and eight strikeouts before turning things over to O’Toole and McLean.
“It's just about finding different ways to win different styles of games,” OSU coach Josh Holliday told reporters. “It’s not realistic to think you’re going to pitch shutouts and no-hitters in every two and three-run game. It’s just not realistic.”
Loyola Marymount’s Jared Thomas ended OSU’s hitless run with a single off Brian Hendry in the first inning of Saturday’s second game. The Cowboys eventually lost 10-8 in extra innings.
OSU now has 13 no-hitters in program history, including four combined.
Tuesday was the first combined no-hitter since March 16, 1993, when Jason Bell, Brent Nichols, Rob Gaiko and Marcus Cuper no-hit Missouri Southern.
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Big freshman shows power
Nolan Schubart, a 6-foot-5 freshman outfielder, was the focus of preseason hype from his teammates due to his impressive power.
He proved them right.
He hammered a 467-foot homer in Saturday’s opener to left-center field. He hit another homer Sunday.
Schubart had a hit in all four games and homered twice while driving in three runs. He has an RBI in four of the seven games this season.
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Familiar faces
The Cowboys host Austin Peay over the weekend and will see plenty of familiar faces.
Former director of player development Roland Fanning, who is from Coalgate, is the new head coach.
And he brought in four former OSU players through the transfer portal and several other in-state recruits.
OSU transfers include John Bay, Lyle Miller-Green, Garrett Martin and Solomon Washington.
Grand Canyon transfer Ambren Voitik, who is from Enid, is joined by another Enid product Conner Gore, the son of OSU Hall of Famer Brad Gore.
Oklahoma Baptist transfer and former Heritage Hall standout Devin Crawford; former Tulsa NOAH standout and Missouri State transfer Dan Merrill; former Edmond North star and Louisiana Monroe transfer Jackie Robinson; and former Tulsa Victory Christian star and Lamar transfer Paul Rector are on the roster.
Former Northeastern State right-hander Davin Pollard also transferred to Austin Peay.
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Extra bases
Cowboys veteran David Mendham hit a two-run homer against Cal Baptist on Tuesday that sealed the victory. He also doubled twice Saturday and homered Sunday. … Freshman lefty Brennan Phillips shook off a tough debut and recovered with six dominant innings Sunday against Loyola Marymount, allowing a solo homer as he struck out five batters. He allowed just two hits.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball throws two combined no-hitters
