Oklahoma State Cowboys
Overall Rank: #12
Conference Rank: #3 Big 12
Oklahoma State Team Page
Oklahoma State had an outstanding 2014 season and won the Big 12. On the year, they won 48 games and made it to the Super Regionals for the third time in program history. Under the direction of head coach Josh Holliday and his staff, the Cowboys have had a quick rise back to prominence. Bottom line, Oklahoma State baseball should be a program that regularly to goes to the Super Regional round and the College World Series. Coach Holiday and his staff definitely have the program on the right track.
2014: 48-18, 18-6
2014 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Josh Holliday
Field Players:
Gage Green and Donnie Walton will lead a very balanced offensive attack that can beat teams with power and speed. Green hit .310, drove in 31 runs and stole 20 bases in 22 attempts last season for the Cowboys, which resulted in Green earning first team all-Big 12 honors as a catcher. Walton also hit .310 last season and does a very good job of working the count, as he drew 38 walks in comparison to striking out just 36 times. Walton also can get a clutch base hit and he drove in 36 runs and should be in the conversation again for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year award this season.
Pitchers:
Jon Perrin will be the key to the Oklahoma State rotation this season. Perrin has the ability to eat up innings, throwing 102 innings and two complete games in 2014. Perrin will be able to put similar numbers to his eight win season of a year ago as long as he attacks the zone and makes opposing hitters put the ball in play. Tyler Buffett will also be a key part of the weekend rotation after going 2-1 with a 2.95 earned run average over the course of ten starts in his 14 appearances. Buffett will need a little more balance between the amount of hits and walks in order for him to throw more than 55 innings this season.
Who to Watch:
Infielder/outfielder Tim Arakawa and outfielder Connor Costello will be key players to follow this season for the Cowboys as they will need to provide the power in the Oklahoma State lineup. This duo combined for 13 homeruns and 71 runs batted in. Consequently, a good goal for Arakawa and Costello is to combine for about 20 homeruns and drive in 100. The Cowboys will also need a closer to replace the lost production of Brendan McCurry, who was insanely productive as a closer last season with a 5-0 record and an 0.38 earned run average. Garrett Williams could get the first shot at closing as he did have two saves last season in limited duty.
Final Projection:
Oklahoma State is going to get to know the Pac-12 very well right out of the gate this season. The Cowboys open up on the road at Arizona State for a weekend series. The following weekend Oklahoma State will take on Oregon State, Washington State, Utah and Washington as part of the Pac-12/Big 12 Challenge. The schedule settles down after that for the Cowboys with a nearly month long homestand with a ton of winnable games. On March 20th, the Big 12 schedule begins with a huge series on the road in Fort Worth, Texas against TCU. This series could very well be the difference maker right away that decides who wins the Big 12 in 2015 as both are early season favorites. Texas is among the favorite as well and they visit Stillwater from April 3-5. The other potentially dangerous series for Oklahoma State in Big 12 play will be from April 24-26 against Texas Tech in Lubbock. If they can survive that, they should be safely in the top three of the Big 12 and end up as a regional host with a great shot to get to Omaha.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
Returning Leaders:
At Bats: Donnie Walton, IF, 252
Hits: Donnie Walton, IF, 78
Home Runs: Connor Costello, OF/P, 9
RBIs: Tim Arakawa, IF/OF, 44
Runs: Gage Green, OF/C, 45; Donnie Walton, IF, 45
Stolen Bases: Gage Green, OF/C, 20
Wins: Jon Perrin, P, 8
Innings Pitched: Jon Perrin, P, 102.0
Strikeouts: Jon Perrin, P, 81
Saves: Garrett Williams, P/IF, 2
Madness 2015 Baseball Recruit Rankings:
#12 Jon Littell
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