OSU Baseball: Cowboys Drop Season Opener to No. 15 Clemson

BOX SCORE

The Cowboys started their season with a top 15 matchup down in Arlington, but they came up just short.

Oklahoma State fell to Clemson 6-5 at Globe Life Field to start the 2025 season. The Tigers came in ranked as highly as eighth nationally, while the Pokes checked in at No. 13.

The Cowboys took a 4-1 lead into the fifth inning when the tide started to turn. The Tigers scored a pair in the fifth, both off bases-loaded walks form freshman Ethan Lund, who was the first guy out of Rob Walton’s bullpen this season.

OSU responded in the sixth when Ian Daugherty doubled down the left-field line to bring in freshman second baseman Brock Thompson, who doubled down the left-field line in the at-bat prior. Thompson crossing the plate made it 5-3, Cowboys, but the Tigers answered swiftly by adding another run in the bottom of the sixth.

Clemson tied it then took the lead in the seventh. Dominic Listi scored from third on a groundout, the same play that put Josh Paino on third. Paino then scored on a wild pitch to give the Tigers their 6-5 lead. The Cowboys went three up, three down in the final two innings.

The game started as a bit of a pitchers’ duel between two preseason All-Americans.

Gabe Davis got the start on the bump for the Cowboys. He went 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on three hits while walking three, hitting one and striking out six. The first run he gave up was rather controversial, as it looked like he manufactured an inning-ending double-play. With the bases loaded, Jarren Purify grounded to Aidan Meola, who tried to get the force out at home. Daugherty, OSU’s catcher, then threw to first and got the out there. But the umpires said Daugherty’s foot wasn’t on home plate (many disagree with that statement), meaning the run scored.

Davis got in a little bit of trouble in the fifth, giving up a double and issuing a walk before Lund entered. Noah Welch, Drew Blake and Sean Youngerman also pitched for the Cowboys.

Aidan Knaak is the Tigers’ preseason All-American pitcher. The sophomore started the game with six consecutive strikeouts. Those first two innings saw Knaak throw just 22 pitches to get those six Ks.

The Cowboys got him in the third, though, starting with sophomore shortstop Avery Ortiz hitting a 394-foot home run to left for the Cowboys’ first run of the season.

Raise your hand if you had @averyortiz_7 blasting the Cowboys’ first HR of the season!

Watch the action now on @FloCollege ➡️ https://t.co/ge5XC6Rpme#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/vtObO8HpTB

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) February 14, 2025

Brayden Smith drew a nine-pitch walk in the next at-bat before Arkansas transfer Jayson Jones singled through the right side. With two runners on, Nolan Schubart (another preseason All-American) came to the plate. Schubart took an 0-2 pitch down the right-field line to score both.

Our All-American @NolanSchubart doing his thing to put us in the lead in Arlington

Watch the action now on @FloCollege ➡️ https://t.co/ge5XC6Rpme #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/OahYFcH5y9

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) February 14, 2025

Donovan LaSalle homered in the fourth in what ended up being Knaak’s final inning.

In his first college game, Thompson ended up being the only player with multiple hits. He went 2-for-4 in his debut with both of those hits being doubles.

The Cowboys are back in Globe Life on Saturday when they take on Louisville at 3 p.m. OSU closes the Shriners Children’s College Showdown with a game against Texas at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.