Cowboys Preparing For Big 12 Tournament Despite Tragedy

This may look like a normal baseball practice, but it's not. When an EF-5 tornado tears through your home state, there is no normal.

"It was terrible," Oklahoma State outfielder Saulyer Saxon said. "I was just shocked. We were speechless. We didn't talk for like an hour when we were watching it. We just couldn't believe it."

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are preparing for Thursday's Big 12 Tournament opener with the devastation from this week's tornadoes on their minds.

"I know it hits our players," OSU coach Josh Holliday said. "Our players are mature enough to realize when something's serious. They're very much in tune with that, and I think they know it was a really eye opening experience for them as well. They know life is precious."

Baseball is a basically a job for most players, but the importance of it pales in comparison to what the people of Moore have just gone through.

"When people go through that stuff, you realize that you get to play a game every day," Saxon said. "It's fun, but it's not life or death, it just puts things in perspective."

The team spent Wednesday morning sorting through donations at Goodwill in Oklahoma City; a small step, but a start.

"It's just awesome to be able to do something," Saxon said. "I felt hopeless at home. When we were at practice and stuff, I was just wanting anything to do. Oklahoma came together, I mean, they had to tell people to stop coming down there. That was just awesome."

The sooners canceled their workout at Bricktown this morning. They spent the day volunteering at Lowe's and Habitat for Humanity in Norman before working out on campus.