OSU Baseball: Hudson Barrett Efficiently Dominant as Cowboys Secure Series-Opening Win Against Sam Houston

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STILLWATER — Despite throwing single-digit innings across the past two seasons because of Tommy John surgery, Hudson Barrett has hit the ground running in his first season as a Cowboy.

A 6-foot-5 lefty, Barrett led Oklahoma State to a 5-1 win on Friday evening against Sam Houston, where the UC-Santa Barbara transfer completed seven innings. He allowed one run off two hits while striking out 10 and walking one.

He was efficient in that time, finishing his outing at 95 pitches — one more than he threw against Grand Canyon last week in six innings. Barrett’s season ERA is down to 1.57 after Friday’s outing.

Barrett was a freshman All-American at Santa Barbara in 2023, a year in which he had a 1.92 ERA in 61 innings pitched. He missed most of his final two seasons with the Gauchos because of that Tommy John surgery. He threw 2 1/3 innings in 2024 and 4 2/3 innings late in 2025.

“Definitely our medical staff,” said Barrett as to why he was able to hit the ground running this season. “I mean, shoutout to (athletic trainer) Chris McKenzie. We call him Yoda for a reason — he knows what he’s doing. …

“It was awesome. That was the first time, I think, I pitched an eighth inning in my entire career. So, it was awesome to come out and compete, try to help the team win, for sure. Being out two-plus years and being able to do that, just extremely thankful, extremely blessed.”

OSU coach Josh Holliday said this was all part of the plan for Barrett in his transition to Stillwater.

“We had a plan when we got him,” Holliday said. “The plan was to be very patient and very thorough in the fall to take care of him. That’s why he chose to come here. He felt great with our people, he felt great with Coach (Blake) Hawksworth, Coach McKenzie, our physical therapist. Garrett Bayliff, our strength coach, he loved. The team we have here to take care of our athletes, he felt he really needed that. He knew that fall would be committed to that, getting him back on the mound by November-ish. Then he knew he would throw basically from November on.

“When we saw the bullpens before he left (for Christmas break), we knew we had a skilled pitcher and we had an elite competitor.”

The Cowboys were, at one point, on track to win a game without a hit.

They got on the board in the third with Evan Saunders and Terrance Bowen each earning walks before Brady Francisco laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the two runners to second and third. That brought up Alex Conover who chopped a ball to short, allowing Saunders to score on a groundout.

OSU finally broke the seal in the hit department in the fifth inning, and it was the same suspects providing the juice. With one out, Saunders, Bowen and Francisco got consecutive hits to load the bases. Those three are filling in as the flu is running rampant through the OSU locker room.

That brought up the top of OSU’s lineup in Alex Conover. The junior left fielder got in a lengthy battle with Sam Houston starter Ryan Peterson. The count was at 3-1 before Conover fouled off six straight pitches before watching strike three fly by, a pitch Holliday praised postgame. Brock Thompson was up next with two outs, and he struck out in four pitches.

Thompson would avenge himself in the seventh with a three-run home run to right-center that scored Brady and Conover, who each singled earlier in the inning. After hitting six home runs as a freshman last season, this was Thompson’s first of the year.

GET. OUT. BALL.@BrockThompson21 launches his first homer of the season, 5-0 Cowboys#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/wjy4CDbWni

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) February 28, 2026

It marked OSU’s second round-tripper of the day, as freshman Sebastian Norman hit a solo shot in the six that was more of a line drive that sneaked over the fence in left-center.

This ball got out in a hurry 💣@14sebastiann with his second home run of the year#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/iZD8ko1L6H

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) February 28, 2026

Barrett’s day finally came to an end in the eighth. The leadoff batter reached on a throwing error from Saunders at third. Barrett then forced a groundball back to himself, but when he turned around and fired to second to try to turn a double play, neither Thompson (shortstop) nor Bowen (second base) were on the bag.

New pitching coach Blake Hawksworth then came out and got Barrett, as he walked to the dugout through a line of high fives and a cheering O’Brate crowd.

Noah Wech replaced him. Wech forced a flyout before issuing a walk. The runner from third scored on a wild pitch, with that run counting on Barrett’s total.

Wech, though, then struck out the next two batters, stranding a pair. He would pitch the ninth, as well, where he secured two more strikeouts.

So in total, the Cowboy hurlers struck out 14, walked two and allowed just two hits.

“We pitched at a pretty championship, high level today,” Holliday said.

As an offense, OSU had seven hits and drew a pair of walks while striking out 14 times. Brady was the lone Cowboy with multiple hits with singles in the fifth and seventh.

The Cowboys and Bearkats will go again at 1 p.m. Saturday and close their series at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Josh Holliday’s Postgame News Conference