It's Almost First Pitch and Oklahoma State is Jacked Up to Start Season
STILLWATER -- The preseason is just about over and whil;e freezing drizzle and sleet are likely to fall within hours of me typing this story, in a couple of days Oklahoma State baseball will be heading down to Arlington, Texas and Globe Life Stadium where they won the Big 12 Tournament late last season against Texas among others. They will see the Longhorns this weekend to close out their trio of games at the home of the Texas Rangers, but these Longhorns will have patches with “SEC” on their jerseys. It is a new season and while the Cowboys are picked to win the Big 12 and are preseason ranked No. 17 that isn’t good enough.
“We aren’t in this to be No. 17,” head coach Josh Holliday said. “We are aiming to be the best. That is what we’re working for.”
The work has been put in but a baseball season is a marathon compared to other college sports. Lots of game and lots of adjustments. Unfortunately, there is often some adversity with injuries to the best arms and some ailments that take out the best hitters and cause some major disruption to the batting order.
This season’s Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and an All-American selection is leftfielder Nolan Schubart. Schubart can hit the ball literally out of sight. He hits for average and power. Last season he got hit by a pitch at Dallas Baptist and spent about three weeks trying to get back in the batter’s box. Holliday says Schubart is an even better version of himself.
“Those awards, those projections are a celebration of what he's done to this point, expectations it's all good stuff, right,” Holliday said. “Those are great things to be for you and those things keep getting better. This preseason, that it's a compliment to what you've done in the past, but he's not caught up and that he wants to keep getting better.”
Holliday talked of the work Schubart has put in to sharpen his skills, he hits better, runs better, has increased his abilities on defense and is playing some in right field and at first base.
Holliday spoke highly of the pitching and is excited to have over a half-dozen pitchers that are 6-4 or better. Gabe Davis is 6-9, Hunter Watkins is 6-9, Mario Pesca is 6-8, Ryan Ure is 6-8, Blake Julius is 6-6, and both Matthew Brown and Aaron Weber are 6-5.
Then Holliday said he has talented freshman and for that look no further than a social media post earlier this week and the picture of Enid, Okla. freshman switch hitting outfielder Garrett Shull in the indoor complex hitting. Those biceps don’t grow on their own and I’m not ready to say that bat seemingly bent is an optical illusion.
“Garrett Shull of Enid, Oklahoma, I think the world of him, a switch hitting outfielder, very talented kid and the kid that has been committed here since eighth grade,” Holliday said.
It’s true, he's been coming to camps here that long and both sides wanted each other. Shull to the Cowboys and the Cowboys to Shull.
“He's fantastic. I've got high hopes for him,” Holliday added.
We can see why. First pitch on Friday at 11 a.m.