Cowboy Baseball Well Represented With All-Big 12 Selections

Oklahoma State had 12 players selected for 2022 All-Big 12 Baseball honors, including a conference-best five Cowboys earning first-team accolades.

Earning spots on the All-Big 12 First Team were starting pitcher Justin Campbell, designated hitter Griffin Doersching, utility player Nolan McLean, relief pitcher Roman Phansalkar and outfielder Jake Thompson.

The five All-Big 12 First Team selections are the second most in program history, trailing only the 2014 Cowboys, who had six first teamers.

McLean also joined exclusive company as he collected all-conference honors at three positions. Along with his utility recognition, he was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team as a relief pitcher and was an honorable mention selection as an infielder.

The Cowboys had six players named honorable mention All-Big 12. Joining McLean on that list are infielders Marcus Brown and David Mendham, pitchers Bryce Osmond and Trevor Martin and utility player Hueston Morrill.

A pair of Pokes also earned spots on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team, with Zach Ehrhard and Roc Riggio achieving that honor. Ehrhard was a unanimous selection to the team.

The All-Big 12 teams and awards were selected by the conference's head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players.

For Campbell, it marks the second consecutive season he has earned All-Big 12 First Team honors as a starting pitcher, and he was also a first-team selection as a utility player in 2021.

Campbell is 8-2 with a 3.71 ERA, and he leads the conference and ranks sixth nationally with 123 strikeouts, his second-straight season of topping the century mark. The right-hander ranks ninth on OSU's single-season strikeouts list with his 123, while his 247 career punchouts is also ninth on the program's all-time list.

In his first season in Stillwater, Doersching has proven to be one of the league's top sluggers. Despite missing 22 games with injury, the Cowboys' DH has smacked 11 home runs and collected 43 RBIs to go along with a .295 batting average. Seven of his round trippers came in conference play, and he also drove in 20 runs in league action.

McLean proved to be a valuable two-way threat as a sophomore. He is tied for the team lead with 13 homers, and he has also tallied 15 doubles and 38 RBIs while hitting .285. In conference play, he was second on the Cowboys with a .330 batting average while smashing seven homers and collecting 20 RBIs.

On the mound, McLean emerged as OSU's closer and is 1-1 with five saves and a 4.09 ERA in 20 appearances. Four of his saves came in league play, where he also posted a 3.27 ERA, and he has racked up 34 strikeouts in 22.0 innings of work.

Phansalkar emerged as OSU's most reliable arm out of the bullpen this season. In 25 appearances, he is 5-2 with a 2.51 ERA; his five wins rank second on the team.

In a team-high 14 appearances in conference play, Phansalkar was 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 22.0 innings.

Thompson, who was an honorable mention All-Big 12 choice last season, continued to be one of the Big 12's top offensive threats in 2022, and he leads the Cowboys in all three Triple Crown categories with a .359 batting average, 13 homers and 54 RBIs.

Holding down the left field spot for the Pokes this season, Thompson is the only player to start all 54 OSU games. He ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in eight offensive categories, and his 22 multi-hit performances lead the Cowboys.

Brown's sophomore season sees him hitting .314 with four homers and 25 RBIs, and he ranks second on the Cowboys with 64 hits.

Another sophomore, Martin has pitched in a variety of roles this season and is 3-3 with a team-leading nine saves to go along with 59 strikeouts in 39.0 innings. Martin's nine saves are the second most in the Big 12 on the year.

In his first season in Stillwater, Mendham has established himself as a productive hitter in the middle of the OSU lineup. Primarily the Cowboys' first baseman, the Canadian is hitting .285 with nine homers and 40 RBIs to go along with 14 doubles and a .514 slugging percentage.

Morrill is now a two-time honorable mention All-Big 12 pick as he also earned that distinction as a freshman in 2019. A two-way player, Morrill is hitting .242 with seven stolen bases in 25 games as a middle infielder, and in 10 relief appearances on the mound, he is 1-2 with 20 strikeouts in 16.0 innings.

Osmond bolstered the Cowboys' starting rotation this season, and he ranks second on the team with 77 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings.

A right-hander, Osmond owns a 4-2 record and 4.75 ERA in 12 starts. He was 4-1 in Big 12 play and ranked fifth in the conference with a 3.62 ERA in seven league starts.

Ehrhard and Riggio have both produced at the top of OSU's batting order in their first collegiate seasons.

An outfielder, Ehrhard ranks second on the team with a .332 batting average and 20 multi-hit games, and he leads the Cowboys with 17 stolen bases. He has also driven in 25 runs and owns a .421 on-base percentage.

Riggio has started 43 games at second base, where he has proven to be an outstanding defensive player, and he is hitting .247 with six homers, 28 RBIs and eight doubles.