D1 Baseball Top 25 Preseason Poll Out and Oklahoma State Not on It
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State has been consistent in making the preseason college baseball top 25 and there will be more opportunities to get the brand into one of the preseason polls, but D1 Baseball released their poll and the Cowboys weren’t in it.
Josh Holliday returns as head coach for his 12th season and brings a record of 445-238-2 (.650). Holliday has put the Cowboys in 11 NCAA Regionals including 2025 where they eliminated the home team Georgia before losing in the Athens Regional Championship to Duke.
Holliday’s team last year finished 30-25 and had a 15-12 record in the rugged Big 12. He has led OSU to three Super Regional berths, the 2016 College World Series, five-time Big 12 Conference champions – 2014, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024. Holliday led teams have finished in top two of Big 12 standings eight times and have two top-10 finishes in final national polls.
Oklahoma State has a new pitching coach this season in former Oregon pitching coach and big league pitcher Blake Hawksworth. The team returns a number of good players in pitchers Hunter Watkins, Drew Blake, and Mario Pesca. Talent on the diamond includes Aiden Meola, Avery Ortiz, Kollin Ritchie, and Colin Brueggemann.
What doesn’t bode well for the Pokes with this preseason poll is limited opportunities to play teams that are in the preseason rankings.
Oklahoma State will open the season in Arlington at Globe Life Field with No. 7 Arkansas on Friday, Feb. 13. They will also play No. 23 Vanderbilt on Sunday, Feb. 15 in a 10:30 a.m. contest.
The other opportunities to play ranked opponents out of the D1 poll will be in conference with No. 10 TCU on May 1-3 and then No. 24 Arizona on May 14-16.
Things can change and will, but right now that is just eight games with preseason Top 25 opponents.
Here is the preseason poll:
| 1. | UCLA | 48-18 (2025 record) | 5 (2025 final ranking) |
| 2. | LSU | 53-15 | 1 |
| 3. | Texas | 44-14 | 17 |
| 4. | Mississippi St. | 36-23 | NR |
| 5. | Georgia Tech | 41-19 | 24 |
| 6. | Coastal Carolina | 56-13 | 2 |
| 7. | Arkansas | 50-15 | 6 |
| 8. | Louisville | 42-24 | 6 |
| 9. | Auburn | 41-20 | 11 |
| 10. | TCU | 39-20 | NR |
| 11. | North Carolina | 46-15 | 9 |
| 12. | Oregon State | 48-16-1 | 4 |
| 13. | Florida | 39-22 | NR |
| 14. | Tennessee | 46-19 | 12 |
| 15. | Georgia | 43-17 | 19 |
| 16. | Florida State | 42-16 | 10 |
| 17. | N.C. State | 35-21 | NR |
| 18. | Kentucky | 31-26 | NR |
| 19. | Clemson | 45-18 | 23 |
| 20. | Southern Miss | 47-16 | 22 |
| 21. | Wake Forest | 39-22 | NR |
| 22. | Miami, Fla. | 35-27 | 16 |
| 23. | Vanderbilt | 43-18 | 18 |
| 24. | Arizona | 44-21 | 7 |
| 25. | Texas A&M | 30-26 | NR |