Oklahoma State Opens Season Ranked Top 10 According to D1Baseball
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State baseball is poised for a solid 2022 season after a decent run in 2021, and they’ll do so starting off ranked in the top 10.
D1Baseball released its preseason rankings for the 2022 season on Tuesday morning and the Pokes check in at No. 7.
D1Baseball 2022 Preseason Rankings
- Texas - 50-17 (3)
- Arkansas - 50-13 (5)
- Vanderbilt - 49-18 (2)
- Mississippi State 50-18 (1)
- Ole Miss - 45-22 (13)
- Stanford - 39-17 (8)
- Oklahoma State - 36-19 (NR)
- LSU - 38-25 (18)
- Florida - 38-22 (NR)
- NC State - 37-19 (4)
- Florida State - 31-24 (NR)
- East Carolina - 44-17 (12)
- Notre Dame - 34-13 (10)
- Texas Tech - 39-17 (11)
- Arizona - 45-18 (7)
- Georgia - 31-25 (NR)
- TCU - 41-19 (15)
- Oregon State - 37-24 (NR)
- Tennessee - 50-18 (6)
- UC Irvine - 43-18 (21)
- Georgia Tech - 31-25 (NR)
- Dallas Baptist - 41-18 (14)
- Duke - 33-22 (NR)
- Long Beach State - 28-15 (NR)
- Miami - 33-21 (NR)
Records indicated above are from the 2021 season.
The Cowboys are fresh off a 36-19 season which ended in the Tucson Regional of the NCAA Tournament after a 14-4 loss to UC Santa Barbara, a 5-3 win over Grand Canyon and a 13-3 loss to UCSB. However, the Cowboys return quite a bit of talent off last year’s roster, plus have brought in some talent, both in the transfer portal and in freshmen.
Hueston Morrill is back in the middle of the infield, where he started 34 games last season at shortstop. Finished the season with a .218 batting average with 27 hits, four homers and 20 RBIs. In the field, he finished with .974 fielding average with just three errors and 44 putouts.
Nolan McLean, the power hitter out of Willow Springs, NC, is back and Pokes Report has been told he looks really good. He started in 39 games last season, 17 at DH, 12 at second base, eight at first base and two in right field. He finished the year with a .263 average with 36 hits, eight home runs and 20 RBIs. In the field, he finished with a .953 average with 62 putouts and just four errors.
Honorable mention All-Big 12 Caeden Trenkle returns after playing in 52 games last season, 50 coming as a starter, 48 in center field and two in right field. He tied a team-high last year for reaching base in 30 consecutive games and second on the team with 16 multi-hit games. He finished the year with a .268 average from the plate with 55 hits and 34 RBIs. In the field, he finished with a .980 average with 97 putouts and just two errors.
The Cowboys added a big-time transfer in power-hitting first baseman, Griffin Doersching, from Northern Kentucky. He set a school record last season with 20 home runs and 50 walks, both of which ranked top 10 nationally, while also earning ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region First Team honors. He hit .316 in 48 games last season with 12 doubles and 48 RBIs.
The Pokes return a trio of talented pitchers as well, Justin Campbell, Kale Davis and Bryce Osmond.
Campbell led the way last year as he was tabbed a Second Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game/Rawlings. Baseball America all tabbed him third team and he was an ABCA/Rawlings All-Central Region Second Team performer. He became just the 15th pitcher in OSU history to record 100 strikeouts in a season, finishing the year with 102 to just 27 walks and a 2.57 ERA. On the other side of things, he hit .269 with 18 hits and 10 RBIs.
Freshman Roc Riggio comes into the season with a lot of hype surrounding him and he was ranked the No. 67 ranked player in the 2021 class by Baseball America. An infielder/outfielder out of Thousand Oaks HS in Simi Valley, CA, Riggio set school records his senior season with 12 home runs, 45 walks and 52 runs while leading Thousand Oaks to a CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship. He chose to come to Oklahoma State after being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round o the 2021 MLB Draft.