Our Best Guess: Oklahoma State Baseball Season Opener Starting Line-Up

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State opens the 2024 baseball season on Friday in Huntsville, Texas was defending WAC Champion Sam Houston State. It’s opening day, so you know head coach Josh Holliday is excited. Everybody is excited. There is enough returning with this team in All-American and major award candidates Carson Benge and Nolan Schubart. 

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

I love that swing of Schubart’s/

Schubart is the number on offensive threat and the key will be who Holliday has in the line-up around him. Last year he was protected front and back by heavy bats like Roc Riggio, David Mendham, and Nolan McLean. Those guys are gone and some teams may just give Schubart first base.

“If they want to walk me, that’s fine, they got to deal with the guys behind me,” said Schubart with confidence in the guys that will need to protect him in the order. “Pitchers are going to have to pick their poison.”

I feel even more confident in projecting the baseball line-up. My question is will Lane Forsythe just be the answer at defending the middle at shortstop or will he help out in a major way with the offense. 

“He’s got good experience. He’s got the ability to play a very solid defensive shortstop, which is obviously important to the team,” head coach Josh Holliday said. “That’s a big part of what drew us to him and ultimately why he chose to come here in the transfer process was a chance to jump on the field at shortstop and have a great senior year.”

He was part of a national championship at Mississippi State.

The toughest pick to make for me was the starting pitcher. My pick is fresh off of a national championship, albeit in junior college. Brian Holiday doesn’t look imposing. He isn’t a guy that can throw 100-miles plus on the radar gun. The numbers say that hitters have a hard time just getting the bat on the ball.

NJCAA

Holiday was the JUCO MVP pitching Central Florida JC to the Championship.

“I’m a big guy that wants to win and it doesn’t matter what role I’m in,” Brian Holiday said at Media Day. “Whatever role I’m in closing, long relief or a weekend guy than I’m going to go out there and treat it like the seventh game of the World Series and pitch my heart out.”

I’m eager to see it, so I penciled him in as the opening day starting pitcher.

Opening Day - Oklahoma State at Sam Houston State - Cowboy Line-Up Card