Cowboy Duo Sweeps Big 12 Awards Again

A pair of Oklahoma State Cowboys picked up weekly honors from the Big 12 Conference today as Ryan Sluder was named the Big 12 Player of the Week and Michael Freeman captured Big 12 Pitcher of the Week accolades for games played April 20-26.

The Cowboys have now racked up eight Big 12 weekly awards this season, which ties for the third most in a single season in conference history.

Freeman's award ties a conference record as he becomes only the third player in history to garner Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors four times in a single season, joining West Virginia's Harrison Musgrave (2013) and Texas A&M's Ryan Rupe (1998).

Freeman continued his dominance against Big 12 lineups in a pair of starts last week and went 1-1 with a 0.64 ERA while recording 17 strikeouts and allowing only one earned run in 14 innings of work.

A senior southpaw, Freeman worked six innings in the middle game of the Baylor series. The game was postponed in the bottom of the sixth inning due to rain and resumed Monday. Despite taking the loss, Freeman allowed just one earned run on four hits and struck out seven.

Freeman was even more impressive in a win over 18th-ranked Texas Tech in Lubbock. In the middle game of that series, he worked eight innings and racked up 10 strikeouts, tying a career high, and the lone run he allowed was unearned. The lefty held a no-hitter through the first 5 1/3 innings, at one point retiring 12-straight Red Raiders.

In the two games last week, opponents hit just .192 against Freeman, and he lowered his season ERA from 1.29 to 1.17, the second lowest in the Big 12. He is now 7-2 on the season.

Sluder collects his second Big 12 Player of the Week recognition, having also earned that distinction on March 30 when he and Freeman also swept the Player/Pitcher of the Week honors.

A native of Amarillo, Texas, Sluder helped carry No. 9 OSU to a 4-2 week that included three wins over ranked teams and series wins against 18th-ranked Texas Tech and Baylor. The sophomore outfielder hit .400 (8-for-20) in six games and led the Big 12 with three home runs and eight runs scored to go along with five RBIs, 17 total bases and an .850 slugging percentage.

Sluder hit safely in five-straight games while also recording five walks, a .500 on-base percentage, three sacrifice bunts and a pair of stolen bases. He also played outstanding defense in both center field and left field, turning in several highlight-reel catches among his 12 putouts.

Sluder's clutch hitting was on display throughout the week to help OSU move to the top of the Big 12 standings.

In the Baylor series finale, Sluder helped the Cowboys clinch a series win with hits in his final three at-bats, including a homer in the sixth inning of OSU's 7-1 victory.

Sluder's heroics at the plate and in the field carried the Cowboys to a 10-inning midweek win over 15th-ranked Dallas Baptist. In the top of the 10th inning, he made a spectacular diving catch in center field to save the go-ahead run in a 7-7 game, and in the bottom of the inning, he smashed a three-run, walk-off home run with two outs to lift OSU to a 10-7 win.

In the series at Texas Tech, Sluder went 4-for-9 (.444) at the plate with a homer, three walks and five runs. His home run, a solo shot, came in the series finale and snapped a 2-2 tie in a game OSU went on to win 6-3; he also scored a career-high three runs in the game.

Sluder's hot week saw him raise his season batting average 20 points from .286 to .306.