OSU Baseball: Cowboys Open Season with 5-3 Victory against Missouri

The Cowboys have high hopes for their 2023 season, and it started with a W.

Oklahoma State topped Missouri 5-3 on Friday afternoon at Globe Life Field in Arlington as part of the College Baseball Showdown event.

The Cowboys did all their scoring in the second inning. It started with a Nolan McLean walk before David Mendham singled up the middle. After a Tyler Wulfert strikeout, Marcus Brown had an infield single to load the bases.

Freshman Nolan Schubart chopped a ball just in front of home plate that bounced well over the pitcher’s head, allowing McLean to score. Sophomore catcher Ian Daugherty drew a bases loaded walk to make it 2-0 before Zach Ehrhard struck out.

Then the clutch Roc Riggio made his first big play of the 2023 season. Riggio, a sophomore, singled up the middle to score two more runs, and Carson Benge followed that up with a single to left to score the fifth run of the inning.

It was the Oklahoma State debut of Juaron Watts-Brown. The Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Watts-Brown threw four innings where he gave up three runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking one.

Stillwater High alum Drew Blake was the first player out of Rob Walton’s bullpen this season. Blake, a redshirt freshman left-hander, threw two no-hit innings where he struck out one and walked two.

OSU plays Vanderbilt at 11 a.m. Saturday in Arlington before closing out the College Baseball Showdown with a game against Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.