SERIES PREVIEW: Oklahoma State vs. Grand Canyon

The Cowboys’ journey back to Omaha will start in Phoneix.

The Cowboys will start the 2017 season with a weekend series against Grand Canyon University. The first game begins tonight at 8:00, with the next game Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and finally a game on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (all times CST).

The Cowboys lost some of their heavy hitters last year, including Donnie Walton and Connor Costello, but the Pokes should be okay and can use this series to see where everyone is.

Look for senior first baseman Dustin Williams to continue his hitting success from last season, as well as senior outfielder Ryan Sluder to make some great catches and hit the ball.

Here’s the pitching rotation:

This should be a good rotation. Buffett, a preseason All-American, is a solid pitcher. He will be followed by a young, but promising, Elliott. Sophomore southpaw Teel is looking to have a good outing as he is lined up to start the final game of the series. Look for Rob Walton’s pitching staff to get some K’s this weekend. The Cowboys should come out hot on both sides of the ball despite losses took during the off season.

The Opponent

The Grand Canyon Lopes have a young lineup, but they’re comparable to the Pokes on a lot of statistics.

Last season, the Lopes averaged 5.8 runs a game, while the Cowboys averaged 5.6. And their team ERA is 4.73 while the Cowboys averaged 3.21. That advantage goes to the Pokes. However, the Cowboys lost Thomas Hatch, the top man of the rotation, to the MLB draft last year. It will be interesting to see if they can keep that impressive ERA that low.

The advantage goes to Grand Canyon for hits per game with 9.5 to Oklahoma State’s 8.7. The Cowboys will have to make some hits in order to beat the Lobes. They seem to have the advantage when it comes to offense.

This should be a good series, these team seem like they're really similar and are about equal skill wise.

The Cowboys lead the all-time series 11-0.

Here’s info on how you can catch the game:

And with that...it's the most wonderful time of the year!