Cowboys Arrive In Omaha

Oklahoma State is making its 20th overall appearance in the College World Series and first since 1999. The Cowboys open CWS play Saturday against UC Santa Barbara, with Miami and Arizona also in their bracket. OSU is 41-20 on the season and ranked as high as sixth nationally.

Led by Donnie Walton and J.R. Davis, the Cowboys are hitting a collective .268, while Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year Thomas Hatch highlights a pitching staff that has posted a 3.27 ERA. 

Cowboys At The NCAA Baseball Championship

Oklahoma State is making its 42nd appearance in the NCAA Baseball Championship, which ranks as the fourth most all time, and the Cowboys own a 145-89 (.620) record in the tourney, with the 145 wins seventh on the all-time list. The Cowboys have also made 20 College World Series appearances, which is tied for sixth all time.

OSU advanced to an NCAA Super Regional for the fourth time in program history in 2016 (previous trips in 1999, 2007 and 2014) after knocking off No. 7 national seed Clemson on its home field to claim the 14th Regional championship in Cowboy baseball history. The Super Regional appearance was OSU's second in four seasons under head coach Josh Holliday, who has led the Pokes to NCAA Regional play in each of his years at the helm. In Holliday's first season coaching his alma mater, OSU advanced to the finals of the 2013 NCAA Louisville Regional as the No. 3 seed, and in 2014, the top-seeded Pokes captured their first Regional championship since 2007. Last season, OSU hosted a Regional as a No. 1 seed for a second-straight year and went 1-2.

Cowboys At The College World Series

Oklahoma State owns an all-time record of 38-36 (.514) in its 19 previous College World Series appearances. The 74 games ranks fifth all time, while the Cowboys' 38 CWS wins is tied for sixth.

OSU's lone NCAA championship came in 1959, and the Cowboys have finished NCAA runners-up five times (1961, 1966, 1981, 1987 and 1990).

Watch, Listen, Follow

Each game of the 2016 College World Series will air live on ESPN.

All OSU baseball games are carried live by Stillwater Radio and air on KSPI 93.7 FM or 780 AM. Rex Holt, who is in his 34th season on the air with Cowboy baseball, will call the action, with Matt "Chief" Davis providing color commentary. Radio broadcasts are also available online at okstate.com/watch.

Live stats for all NCAA Baseball Championship games can be found at www.ncaa.com. Additionally, fans can follow the official OSU Baseball Twitter account, @OSUBaseball, for in-game updates.

In The Polls

OSU is ranked as high as No. 6 — by Collegiate Baseball — in the most recent national polls. The Cowboys are also ranked 12th by the NCBWA, 16th by Perfect Game, 20th in the USA Today coaches poll and 24th by Baseball America (most haven't released new rankings since start of NCAA tourney).

OSU has been ranked in at least one national poll for 69 consecutive weeks dating back to 2013, when the Cowboys were in the polls for the final 14 weeks of the season. During that time, they have spent 16 weeks in the Top 10 and been ranked as high as No. 3 (by the NCBWA in 2014). They finished the '14 season ranked 10th in each of the final polls, marking the 19th time in program history OSU ended the season in the top 10 in the national polls.

2,500 Club

Oklahoma State entered 2016 as one of only 18 programs in Division I history to reach 2,500 victories, beginning the year with 2,513 all-time wins. Of those achieving that feat, only one has played fewer seasons than OSU's 104 (Florida State with 68).

OSU entered the 2016 season ranked sixth all-time in NCAA history with a .665 winning percentage. 

Omaha

The Cowboys' coaching staff is no stranger to the College World Series, with Josh Holliday and Rob Walton combining for nine CWS appearances as either a player or coach. 

Holliday previously played on a pair of CWS teams at OSU (1996 & 1999) and coached in the CWS as an assistant at Georgia Tech (2006), Arizona State (2009) and Vanderbilt (2011).

Walton spent four seasons as a pitcher at OSU from 1983-86, and each of those teams appeared in the CWS.

Building A Winner

In the first four seasons as head coach at his alma mater (2013-15), Josh Holliday has built quite an impressive resume. Just a few of the highlights:

     • OSU's .690 winning percentage was the highest among Big 12 teams from 2013-15;

     • OSU finished first or second in the conference standings each year (1st in 2014; 2nd in 2013, 2015 and 2016);

     • The Cowboys finished in the top 10 in the national rankings in 2014 after ending the 2013 season ranked as high as No. 19. In 2015, they were ranked as high as 17th in the final polls;

     • In 2014, OSU advanced to the third Super Regional in program history and won its first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship;

     • OSU hosted NCAA Regionals in 2014 and 2015 and was the top-seeded team both times;

     • The Cowboys have earned four NCAA Regional berths and advanced to two Super Regionals and a CWS;

     • OSU won at least five of its eight Big 12 Conference series each season (5 in 2013, 7 in 2014, 6 in 2015, 5 in 2016). 

Big 12's Best

Oklahoma State's .690 winning percentage (127-57) from 2013-15 marked the highest in the Big 12 Conference during that span. TCU came in second at .677, with the Cowboys only trailing the Horned Frogs by one in the win column.

OSU has also finished first or second in the league standings each of the last four years, and the Cowboys are the only Big 12 team during that span to finish over .500 in conference play each year.

Comeback Cowboys

Come-from-behind victories have become a trend for the Cowboys under Josh Holliday. OSU has overcome deficits to win 70 games in Holliday's four seasons, notching 18 comeback wins in 2013, 28 in 2014, 15 in 2015 and nine in 2016.

Awards Show

Highlighted by Thomas Hatch and Donnie Walton, OSU had nine players earn All-Big 12 honors in 2016, including tying league champion Texas Tech with four first-team selections.

Hatch was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, while Walton became the first Cowboy in program history — and one of only 10 in Big 12 history — to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors three times in a career. Joining that duo on the first team was Tyler Buffett and J.R. Davis, while Garrett Benge picked up All-Big 12 Second Team honors. 

Earning All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades were Trey Cobb, Jensen Elliott, Corey Hassel and Dustin Williams, while Elliott was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Close Calls

OSU is 39-21 in one-run games since 2013, including a 13-8 mark this season. After losing their first five one-run games this season, including four via walk-off, the Cowboys won nine in a row before dropping two at West Virginia. Under head coach Josh Holliday (2013-pres.), 39 of the Cowboys' 77 losses have come by two runs or less, including 12 in 2016.

Small Ball

OSU has smashed program records for sacrifice bunts under Josh Holliday.

In 2014, the Cowboys were third nationally with 88 sacrifice bunts, which trumped the 2013 team's 74 sac bunts to set a program record. Donnie Walton ranked fourth in the NCAA in 2014 with 22 sac bunts and has racked up an OSU career-record 55 sacrifice bunts, a total which ranks seventh on the NCAA's all-time list.

Last season, OSU led the NCAA with 81 sacrifice bunts, and four different Cowboys had at least 10 sac bunts.

Swept Away

OSU made history with its sweep of Texas in Austin as it marked the first time OSU has swept three Big 12 road series in a single season. The Cowboys also swept Kansas State and Baylor on the road this year.

The Cowboys finished the season 10-2 in Big 12 road games, the lone losses coming at West Virginia. 

Strong-Armed

In four seasons under the direction of coach Rob Walton, OSU's pitching staff turned in impressive numbers. 

The Cowboys' success under Walton from 2013-15 includes 16 All-Big 12 pitchers, two consensus first-team All-Americans, two Big 12 Pitcher of the Year winners and a first-round Major League Baseball Draft pick.

Here's just a sampling of how the Cowboys have performed under Walton:

     • OSU's pitching staff led the Big 12 in ERA in conference-only games in 2014 (2.43) and 2015 (2.50).

     • The Cowboys' 2.84 ERA in 2015 ranked eighth nationally and was the lowest by an OSU pitching staff since 1973.

     • OSU recorded seven shutouts in 2013 and 2014 and has eight in 2016, marking three of only six times in program history the Cowboys have tallied seven or more. In the 26 seasons prior to 2013, OSU reached seven shutouts only once.

     • Jason Hursh was a first-round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, Brendan McCurry (2014) andMichael Freeman (2015) were first-team All-Americans and Freeman (2015) and Thomas Hatch (2016) were named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.

     • Freeman's 1.31 ERA ranked sixth in the NCAA in 2015 and was the fifth lowest in a single season in OSU history.

     • McCurry set OSU records for single-season saves (19) and career saves (27).

Dealing

OSU ranks second in the Big 12 with a 3.27 team ERA, with four Cowboys ranking in the top 10 in the league in ERA — Thomas Hatch (1st at 2.04), Tyler Buffett (5th at 3.15), Jensen Elliott(6th at 3.27) and Trey Cobb (tied for 9th at 3.33).

OSU leads the conference with a .240 opponent batting average, 545 strikeouts, 20 saves and four complete games and ranks second with eight shutouts.

You Get Nothing

OSU's shutout of Nebraska in the opening game of the NCAA Clemson Regional marked its eighth shutout of 2016, which is tied for the second-highest single-season total in school history. The Cowboys also had eight shutouts in 1986, with the 1984 club owning the record with 13.

I Feel A Draft

Entering the season, OSU had nine players on its 2016 roster who had been Major League Baseball Draft picks, including a pair of two-time draftees in Conor Costello (2011, Cincinnati, 16th/2015, Pittsburgh 38th) and Donnie Walton (2012, NY Mets, 36th/2015, Milwaukee, 23rd). Other MLB Draft picks included: Garrett Benge (2015, Cleveland, 22nd); Thomas Hatch (2013, Colorado, 32nd); Jon Littell (2014, Washington, 39th); David Petrino (2014, Chicago Cubs, 39th); Andrew Rosa (2013, Boston, 30th); Collin Theroux (2015, Minnesota, 33rd); and Garrett Williams (2013, San Diego, 33rd).

That number grew earlier this month when OSU tied a program record with 11 MLB Draft picks. In 2007, the Cowboys also had 11 draftees.

OSU's 11 draft picks tied the Cowboys with Mississippi State for the third most of any Division I program in 2016 behind only Texas A&M (13) and Southern California (12). Seven of the OSU players drafted were pitchers.

Of the Cowboys drafted, five of those went in the first 10 rounds which marked the most top-10-round picks for OSU since five Pokes were taken in the top 10 rounds in 2008.

Thomas Hatch was the first OSU player drafted in 2016, going in the third round (104th) overall to the Chicago Cubs. Hatch is the Cowboys' highest-drafted player since 2013 when Jason Hursh was a first-round selection (31st overall) of Atlanta.

Others drafted were Donnie Walton (5th round, Seattle); Remey Reed (6th, Miami); Garrett Williams (7th, San Francisco); Tyler Buffett (7th, Houston); Trey Cobb (12th, Chicago Cubs);Michael Mertz (14th, Miami); J.R. Davis (15th, St. Louis); Collin Theroux (32nd, Oakland); Conor Costello (32nd, Los Angeles Dodgers); and Dustin Williams (36th, Pittsburgh).

Back In The Saddle

Donnie Walton spurned professional baseball last summer to return for his senior season with the Cowboys in 2016.

Walton has established himself as one of the Big 12's elite players since arriving on campus in 2013. In 221 career games, which ranks eighth on the OSU's all-time list, the switch hitter owns a .316 batting average to go along with 11 home runs, 136 RBIs, 44 doubles and an OSU-record 55 sacrifice bunts (which ranks seventh on the NCAA's all-time list).

Primarily a shortstop throughout his career, Walton is one of just 10 players in conference history to earn All-Big 12 First Team accolades three times (2014-16) and the first Cowboy to achieve the feat.

A 23rd-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers last June, Walton chose not to sign a pro contract and instead starred in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. He was named the CCBL All-Star Game MVP and then earned the Star of Stars Award as the most valuable player of the CCBL playoffs after leading the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to the league championship.

Walton was one of 50 players on USA Baseball's 2016 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List and was named to the Brooks Wallace Award (nation's top shortstop) Watch List by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Hometown Hero

Corey Hassel played in 86 games and hit just .208 in his first two seasons at OSU, but the Stillwater native had a breakout junior campaign for his hometown Cowboys in 2015.

Used mostly as a late-game defensive replacement and pinch runner in 2013 and 2014, Hassel became a regular starter in the outfield as a junior and led the Cowboys with a .312 batting average. He also topped OSU in multi-hit games (18) and multi-RBI efforts (11) en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors. In conference play, Hassel hit .344 with two home runs and 18 RBIs and led OSU in numerous offensive categories, including RBIs, hits (31) and doubles (6).

The only Cowboy to start all 61 games this season, Hassel leads OSU with 18 doubles, 20 sacrifice bunts — which ranks third nationally — and 16 stolen bases.

The Candyman Can

Tyler Buffett was reliable on the mound in his first two seasons in Stillwater, but he has taken on a starring role in 2016.

In an OSU-record 35 appearances, 31 of those in relief, the junior right-hander is 8-2 with nine saves and a 3.15 ERA, with the eight wins and nine saves marking career highs. A unanimous All-Big 12 First Team pick, he leads the conference in appearances and ranks second in saves while he's also in the top 10 in opponent batting average (.241) and ERA.

In the month of March, Buffett appeared in 11 of OSU's 18 games and went 4-0 with four saves and a 1.54 ERA to go along with 27 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings. He was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week twice (March 7th and 28th).

Named to the National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame and the NCBWA's Stopper of the Year Watch List, Buffett was 2-0 with six saves in 13 relief outings in Big 12 play. He allowed only eight runs in 21.1 innings while racking up 21 strikeouts against league foes.

Deep Threat

Dustin Williams tied for the OSU lead with six home runs last season — and in 15 games this year, he'd already equaled his long ball total of a year ago.

The Cowboys' junior first baseman currently leads the Big 12 lead with 14 homers, the most by an OSU player since 2009 when Neil Medchill also had 14, and he was named an honorable mention all-conference performer.

The left-handed hitting Williams was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on March 14 following a three-game stretch that saw him go 5-for-11 (.455) at the plate with four home runs, seven RBIs, 17 total bases and a 1.545 slugging percentage. He homered in all three games — including twice in one of them — and also drove in multiple runs in each contest.

Hit Man

Garrett Benge put up video game numbers at the junior college level last season, and he's proving to be a valuable hitter in his first season in an OSU uniform.

As a freshman at Cowley County CC, Benge was the 2015 NJCAA Division I Player of the Year after hitting .502 with 19 home runs, 97 RBIs, 26 doubles and four triples. In 59 games, he collected 103 hits and a .946 slugging percentage.

Now manning the hot corner in Stillwater, Benge has swung a consistent bat for the Cowboys as he's hitting .296 with 38 RBIs and a .442 slugging percentage, and he earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors as an infielder.

Workhorse

Trey Cobb became the Cowboys' go-to pitcher out of the bullpen in 2015. His team-high 31 appearances marked the third most in a single season in OSU history, and the right-hander compiled a 5-2 record and two saves to go along with a 2.61 ERA. In 58.2 innings — all in relief — Cobb racked up 53 strikeouts, and opponents hit just .221 against him as he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades.

 An honorable mention All-Big 12 selection again in 2016, Cobb has made 22 appearances this season, 14 of those as a starter, and is 4-7 with five saves and a 3.33 ERA. He also ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 95 strikeouts in 75.2 innings, including a career-high 13 in six innings of work in a win against 18th-ranked Michigan and 12 in a victory vs. Baylor. 

The opening day starter for the Cowboys vs. UT Arlington, Cobb's next six appearances came in relief before he re-joined the weekend starting rotation March 14 against Abilene Christian.

Cobb was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week twice this season — April 4 and April 18.

Injuries Take A Toll

Several key Cowboys have missed signficant time this season due to injury. A shoulder issue kept Garrett Williams out of action until a relief appearance on March 25, while three starters have also been out extended periods — Conor Costello has missed 18 games due to a broken hamate and a sprained knee, Ryan Sluder (thumb) missed nine games and Colin Simpson (hamate) was out of action for 15.

After fouling a ball off his foot against Arkansas on March 29, Donnie Walton had to leave the game and was limited to pinch hitting and DH duties in the series at West Virginia.

The Cyclist

J.R. Davis made history in the series finale at West Virginia when he joined Josh Fields (2003) and Zach Johnson (2011) as the only OSU players to hit for the cycle during the Big 12 era (since 1997). The Cowboy second baseman is also one of just 18 Big 12 players to ever hit for the cycle.

After leading off Sunday's game vs. WVU with a walk, Davis delivered an RBI triple in the third and a leadoff single in the sixth. In the eighth, he hit his first-career home run, a two-run shot, and then in the ninth he recorded an RBI double to complete the cycle. He finished the historic day 4-for-4 with a career-high four RBIs and three runs scored.

Davis, a JUCO transfer who had not played since 2014 prior to joining OSU this season, appeared in just one of the Cowboys' first nine games this season but was inserted in the starting lineup at second base March 1 vs. Indiana State and has not left since while flourishing as an All-Big 12 First Team infielder. He leads the Pokes with a .353 batting average in 53 games, and the Cowboys are 33-11 with Davis batting in the leadoff spot.

Friday Night Filth

Thomas Hatch missed the 2015 season with a sprained UCL, but he returned to the OSU rotation as the Cowboys' Friday night starter this year and captured Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and All-American honors.

Hatch has made 17 starts as a redshirt sophomore and is 8-2 with a 2.04 ERA that leads the Big 12. The right-hander also  leads the conference with 119.1 innings pitched, and he has worked six or more innings in 14 of his 17 starts, including three complete games.

Hatch's three complete games also leads the Big 12, and he's been dominant in those performances (vs. TCU, Texas and Prairie View), tossing shutouts in all three to become just the 10th pitcher in Big 12 history to record three shutouts in a season. Against No. 4 TCU, he racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts and did not allow a runner past first base until the ninth inning; he followed that with six-strikeout effort in blanking Texas as he became the first Cowboy pitcher since All-American Andrew Heaney in 2012 to record consecutive shutouts. Against PVAMU, he took a perfect game into the seventh and struck out a career-high 11 while allowing just two hits and facing only one hitter over the minimum.

In Big 12 play, Hatch was 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA and tossed two shutouts in eight starts.

Of the 98 hits Hatch has allowed this season, only nine have gone for extra bases. 

Hatch Went Streaking

Thomas Hatch did not allow an earned run in 38 2/3 consecutive innings over a stretch from the seventh inning of his start against Texas Tech on April 8 until the fourth inning vs. Oklahoma on May 13. The only runs he gave up during the streak were two of the unearned variety against Baylor on April 15.

Hatch also recorded a streak of 33 consecutive scoreless frames from the seventh inning vs. Baylor until the fourth inning against Oklahoma.

100 Klub

Thomas Hatch had 10 strikeouts against Nebraska to bring his 2016 season total to 102, becoming only the 13th pitcher in OSU history to record 100 strikeouts in a season and the first since Andrew Heaney had 140 in 2012. The Cowboys have now had a pitcher reach 100 strikeouts in a season 16 times (three players have done it twice).

Hatch enters the CWS with 105 strikeouts in 2016, nine shy of cracking the top 10 on OSU's single-season list.

Fantastic Freshman

OSU's pitching staff is arguably the best in the Big 12, and Jensen Elliott is a big reason why. The freshman right-hander has been in the Cowboys' weekend starting rotation throughout the year, making 16 starts and compiling a 9-2 record and 3.27 ERA. He led OSU with five wins in Big 12 play, where he was 5-1 in eight starts.

Elliott won his first-career start on Feb. 20 at UT Arlington with five shutout innings, and in the series finale at West Virginia he became the first OSU freshman since Matt Smith in 1998 to throw a complete game. In that game, he threw 133 pitches and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out four in a performance that earned him Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors. He was also named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on April 18 following his win over Baylor.

All-American Cowboys

Thomas Hatch has picked up All-America Third Team honors from both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, while Donnie Walton was also named to the Baseball America All-America Third Team. OSU Cowboys have now earned All-America honors 118 times in program history.

Jensen Elliott also earned elite status nationally as he was tabbed a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Award Tour 

OSU finished 2016 with 12 conference weekly award winners, the most by a team in a single season in Big 12 history (previous record was 11 by Baylor in 2012). The Cowboys also set a record with seven pitcher of the week honorees.

Tyler Buffett (March 7 and March 28), Trey Cobb (April 4 and April 18) and Thomas Hatch(April 25 and May 9) were each named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week twice, while Jensen Elliottearned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (April 4) and Newcomer of the Week (April 18) honors. Other winners were Dustin Williams (Player of the Week on March 14), J.R. Davis (Newcomer of the Week on April 4 and May 23) and Corey Hassel (Player of the Week on May 23).

Two-Way Threat

Conor Costello is another Cowboy who could have begun his professional career in 2015 but instead chose to return to Stillwater for his senior season in 2016 after being drafted in the 38th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates last June.

Costello's role is a big one as he's been counted on to contribute on the mound and at the plate. In his first two seasons in an OSU uniform, he smashed 15 home runs and collected 62 RBIs in 108 games, while also going 2-1 with a save in nine pitching appearances.

Named to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Watch List a year ago, Costello is expected to take on an increased pitching role in '16 after a season in which he went 2-0 with a save and a 1.67 ERA in seven outings. 

Costello appeared in 10 of the Cowboys' first 12 games this season as the DH before a broken hamate bone suffered on March 6 caused him to miss OSU's next 14 contests. He returned to action and made his first pitching appearance of the season with an inning of relief in the Saturday game at West Virginia. 

When he's been healthy this season, Costello has produced at a high level, especially of late. He is hitting .367 with five homers and 30 RBIs in 30 games on the year, and over his last 10 games, he is 20-for-40 at the plate with five doubles, three homers, 15 RBIs and an .850 slugging percentage. He has hit safely in all 10 of those games and has multiple hits in seven of them.

Costello holds the distinction of being the lone player on the OSU roster to have played in a College World Series. Costello spent his freshman season at Arkansas and was used as a pinch runner for the Razorbacks during their 2012 CWS game against Kent State. 

Glove Work

OSU ranks 11th in the NCAA this season with a .978 fielding percentage, and the Cowboys have turned 70 double plays, which ranks fourth nationally.

Short Hops

OSU entered the NCAA tournament 32nd in the official NCAA RPI ... The Cowboys are 11-9 against ranked teams in 2016.

Cowboys vs. The CWS Field

     • OSU is 1-0 all time against UC Santa Barbara. The lone meeting came at the 1990 NCAA West Regional in Tempe, Ariz., with the Cowboys a 7-2 winner.

     • OSU owns a 4-5 all-time mark vs. Miami. Three of those meetings came at the CWS, with the Cowboys winning a matchup in 1981 and losing games to the Hurricanes in 1985 and 1986. The two teams last met on the diamond at the 2013 NCAA Louisville Regional, withJosh Holliday's first OSU club dropping the tourney opener, 7-1, before bouncing back and knocking off Miami 7-0 to advance to the Regional finals.

     • OSU has faced Arizona 17 times on the diamond and owns a 13-4 record. The last meetings came in 2008, with the Cowboys winning twice in Tucson. The two have met at the CWS five times (1954, 1955, 1959 and 1960) with OSU 3-2 in those games. In 1959, Oklahoma State bounced back from an earlier CWS loss to Arizona to knock off the Wildcats in the NCAA title game for their lone NCAA baseball championship. 

     • The Cowboys are 5-1 against Florida. The last meeting came in 1996 at the Louisville Slugger Tourney in Gainesville, Fla., with OSU dropping a 5-4 contest.

     • Against its two Big 12 Conference foes in Omaha, OSU owns a 39-31 record against Texas Tech and was swept by the Red Raiders in Stillwater this season, while the Cowboys are 21-19 vs. TCU, winning two of the three games during the regular season in Stillwater and losing a matchup at the Big 12 Championship.

     • OSU is 3-0 all time against Coastal Carolina. The lone meeting was a three-game series in Stillwater in 1983.

Cowboys Crowned In Clemson & Columbia

Oklahoma State's road to Omaha took the Cowboys on a 13-day road trip to South Carolina where the Cowboys captured NCAA Clemson Regional and NCAA Columbia Super Regional championships. 

The Cowboys were impressive during their stints in The Palmetto State as OSU is one of only two teams — along with first-round CWS opponent UC Santa Barbara — with a perfect 5-0 NCAA tourney record.

In capturing the NCAA Clemson Regional title, the second-seeded Pokes went 3-0, defeating Nebraska in the opener by a 6-0 count before beating the top-seeded —and No. 7 national seed — Tigers 12-2 and 9-2 to advance to the fourth NCAA Super Regional in school history.

Against South Carolina, the Cowboys faced a team that entered the Super Regional with a 34-5 record at home and knocked them off by scores of 5-1 and 3-1.

Highlights

     • The Cowboys made their second Super Regional appearance in the last three years and their second in four seasons under head coach Josh Holliday. OSU hosted UC Irvine in the Stillwater Super Regional in 2014.

     • Six Cowboys were named to the NCAA Clemson Regional All-Tournament Team. Outfielder Corey Hassel was named the tourney's most valuable player, and he was joined on the all-tournament team by J.R. Davis, Jon Littell, Conor Costello, Jensen Elliott and Thomas Hatch.

    • The OSU pitching staff ranks first in this year's tourney with a 1.00 ERA, while the Cowboys' .339 team batting average is second (and the highest of any CWS team).

    • The Cowboys have committed only one error and turned four double plays in five games.

Pitching Excellence

     • OSU has recorded a 1.00 ERA in five games, allowing only five earned runs (six total) in 45 innings. The Cowboys have also racked up 44 strikeouts and issued only 16 walks, and the opposition has hit just .215 against them.

     • The Cowboys' starting rotation of Thomas Hatch, Tyler Buffett and Jensen Elliott has been dominant. That trio has combined for 34 innings of work and allowed only three earned runs (0.79 ERA) while striking out 31.

     • Both Buffett and Hatch has picked up two wins and each has eight on the season. Elliott was the winner in his lone appearance (vs. Clemson) and now leads the Cowboys with nine wins on the year.

     • Hatch opened the tourney with seven shutout innings against Nebraska in which he struck out 10 and scattered six hits. It marked the third time this season the right-hander reached double digit strikeouts in a game. He then tossed seven more scoreless frames in the Super Regional opener.

     • Buffett made just his third start of the season in the Saturday game against Clemson, but he tied a career-long with seven innings and allowed only one run against a Tigers' club that had scored 42 runs in its previous two games and was on a 10-game winning streak. He followed that with another seven-inning effort in the Super Regional-clinching game.

     • Buffett's appearance vs. South Carolina was his 35th of the season, tying him with Brendan McCurry for the school record, which McCurry set in 2014.

     • Elliott silenced Clemson's bats in the Regional final as the freshman righty tied a career high with eight strikeouts and allowed just one run in six innings against the Tigers.

     • After being a starter in his last 11 outings, Trey Cobb has been used out of the bullpen in the NCAA tourney and shined in that role. In four appearances, he's recorded three saves, working eight innings and striking out 10 while allowing only one run on three hits.

     • Cobb earned a save with three scoreless innings in the Regional final against Clemson, which included him pitching out of a seventh-inning jam that saw the Tigers bring the tying run to the plate in a 5-2 game. In the Super Regional final, the Gamecocks brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth before Cobb sealed the win.

Aluminum Awakening

     • OSU has outscored its opposition by a 35-6 margin in the NCAA tourney. Along with a .339 batting average, the Cowboys have slugged eight doubles and five home runs for a .474 slugging percentage.

    • The Cowboys' hot hitting has seen them raise their season batting average seven points, from .261 to .268. 

    • OSU recorded a .385 batting average in Clemson, the best among all 64 NCAA Regional teams.

    • Conor Costello is OSU's top hitter in the NCAA tourney with a .550 batting average to go along with a 1.000 slugging percentage. He's 11-for-20 at the plate with three doubles, two homers and seven RBIs. The 11 hits are the fourth most by any player in the tourney.

    • Costello was the Clemson Regional's leading hitter. The Cowboys' DH hit .667, going 8-for-12 at the plate and recording two homers, two doubles and seven RBIs to go along with a 1.333 slugging percentage.

     • Along with a .529 batting average, Jon Littell owns a .600 on-base percentage in the tourney and has scored six runs.

     • Littell was 8-for-13 (.615) in the three Clemson Regional games with a double and three RBIs, while leadoff batter J.R. Davis hit .467 with two RBIs and a stolen base and scored a team-high five runs.

     • Costello and Littell ranked second and third, respectively, in batting average in NCAA Regional play. Costello also ranked third with a .714 on-base percentage.

     • Corey Hassel was named the Clemson Regional Most Valuable Player after hitting .455 with two doubles, a homer and six RBIs. He delivered three hits and four RBIs, all coming on a key fifth inning grand slam, to lead OSU in Sunday's championship game.