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Three Thoughts on Oklahoma State Baseball’s 2-1 Run in Houston

On Brueggemann’s hot start, two big plays against the Bulldogs and two freshmen.

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1 year ago

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[Devin Wilber/{PFB]

The Cowboys were down in H Town this past weekend and played three SEC teams in three days, going 2-1.

Oklahoma State started the Astros Foundation College Classic with a 5-2 loss against Tennessee before closing strong with a 4-0 win against No. 1 Texas A&M and a 9-7 win against No. 15 Mississippi State. Playing a super tough schedule to this point, the Cowboys are 6-4. Seven of those games have been played in big league ballparks and just two have been in Stillwater.

Here are three takeaways from the Cowboys’ time in Houston.

1. Colin Brueggemann Continues Heater to Start Senior Season

The Cowboys’ 6-foot-6, 229-pound first baseman went 6-for-12 at the dish this weekend with two RBIs and two runs scored. Five of his six hits this weekend came with two strikes.

Brueggemann is hitting .395 through 10 games in an ultracompetitive schedule to start the season. It’s obviously early, but that’s a career-best. His .674 slugging percentage is also a career-high. He’s leading OSU in at-bats (43), hits (17), home runs (three) and RBIs (15).

Brueggemann’s weekend started with a 3-for-4 performance against Tennessee in what was an otherwise tough outing for the OSU offense. He finished a triple shy of the cycle. He doubled in his first at-bat of the game, doing so on a 2-2 count. He got on base with an infield single in the fifth, doing so on a full count. Brueggemann homered in the seventh, scoring OSU’s first run of the game.

After going 1-for-4 in the Texas A&M game, Brueggemann went 2-for-4 against the Bulldogs. He singled in the third before working his way around the bases and scoring on a passed ball. His second hit came in the fifth, another single.

2. Two Big Plays That Proved Crucial in Mississippi State Win

Already a multiple-time All-American as a junior, Nolan Schubart is the poster boy for this baseball team, and a clutch at-bat on Sunday was just another reason why.

The Cowboys were defending a 6-2 lead when Schubart got to the plate in the sixth inning. He went opposite field, sending a ball over the left-field wall. It was a three-run shot that pushed the Cowboys’ lead to 9-2 and provided some needed insurance in a game that ended 9-7. It was his first home run of the season.

Schubart has been walked 10 times this season (the most on the team), but he was walked just once in Houston. He’s hitting .361 on the year with 12 RBIs (second on the team only to Brueggemann).

The other big play of that game happened in the half-inning before Schubart’s blast.

The Bulldogs had runners on second and third with one out when Aaron Downs ripped a ball down the left-field line, but Arkansas transfer Jayson Jones was ready, catching the liner and keeping the two runners at bay.

Jones has primarily been the Cowboys’ designated hitter this season but came up big with that defensive gem. He was a top five prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, according to Perfect Game. He played in 43 games across two seasons with the Razorbacks, hitting .195. The change of scenery appears to be doing Jones wonders, as he is hitting .263 with a team-high 14 runs scored. He has two doubles, a triple, two home runs and nine RBIs in his first 10 games as a Cowboy.

3. Freshmen Shull, Thompson Making Plays

Josh Holliday has never been shy about using and developing freshmen, and it looks like he has at least a pair of good ones in Garrett Shull and Brock Thompson.

After going 3-for-7 at the plate in Houston, Shull is hitting a team-best .458 this season and has a team-best .567 on-base percentage, as he’s walked five times and been hit by a pitch.

He got the scoring started against the No. 1 Aggies, hitting his first career home run off the left-field foul pole.

Thompson is hitting .226 and has drawn nine walks, second on the team only to the aforementioned Schubart. He’s one of six Cowboys win an on-base percentage of at least .400. These two freshmen have combined to walk 15 times. That’s even more valuable with guys like Schubart and Brueggemann ready to change games with one swing.

Thompson had just one hit this weekend, but it was another big play in that Mississippi State game. He doubled to left in the bottom of the third, scoring Ian Daugherty and Aidan Meola.

Up Next

Opponent: Winthrop
Times: 4 p.m. Tuesday and 4 p.m. Wednesday
Location: O’Brate Stadium
Watch: ESPN+

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