Baseball
Three Takeaways from Oklahoma State Baseball’s Opening Weekend
The Cowboys went 1-2 in Arlington.
The Cowboys started their season this past weekend against some high-level competition at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington.
Oklahoma State went 1-2 at the event. Here are three takeaways from it.
| Opponent | Result |
| Missouri | W, 5-3 |
| Vanderbilt | L, 11-9 |
| Arkansas | L, 18-1 |
1. Early Pitching Woes
It’s only February and there are a lot of new faces in Oklahoma State’s pitching staff, so it’s important to not overreact to one rough weekend against some stiff competition. But, giving up 32 runs in three games is not the ideal start.
Of the 11 pitchers who threw for OSU this weekend, only Nolan McLean and Bayden Root threw a pitch at OSU last season. Rob Walton used three true freshmen (Gabe Davis, Kade Shatwell and Brennan Phillips) and a redshirt freshman (Drew Blake), so there is still some maturing to do and experience to gain. But, again, 32 runs in three games is not ideal for a team with Omaha aspirations.
Here is a look at the three starters the Cowboys used this weekend and how they performed:
| Name | Opponent | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
| Juaron Watts-Brown | Missouri | 4.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6.75 |
| Brennan Phillips | Vanderbilt | 1.1 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 47.25 |
| Bayden Root | Arkansas | 1.2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 27.00 |
2. McLean Does Impressive Things
It wasn’t the greatest weekend Nolan McLean has ever had, but OSU’s do-it-all man did some things to give credence to his big league projections.
He was 1-for-6 at the plate on the weekend, with the one being a three-run home run against Vanderbilt, a hit that gave the Cowboys’ life in that game. The shot to right-center had a 112.7 mph exit velocity, according to Friday Starters.
He also showed some plate discipline, drawing a team-high six walks. He had a .583 on-base percentage.
On the mound, McLean got a save in the Cowboys’ Friday win against Missouri after throwing one scoreless inning where he gave up one hit and struck out two. In that inning, his fastball was clocked at 97.4 mph.
3. Riggio Off to Strong Start in Sophomore Season
After a terrific freshman year, Roc Riggio had a strong start to his sophomore campaign, hitting .364 on the weekend. That’s tops among Cowboys with at least three at-bats.
Riggio’s four hits were a team-best, and his three RBIs tied McLean for a team-high.
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