PREVIEW: Arkansas Regional

After what can only be described as a miracle at Bricktown where the Cowboys swept Bedlam and plowed through the Big 12 tournament, OSU is in the NCAA tournament. The Cowboys were awarded the 3-seed in the Fayetteville Regional where they will join Missiouri State (2), Oral Roberts (4), and the host, Arkansas (1). Here are the Quick hits for the regional:

Where: Baum Stadium | Fayetteville, Arkansas

When: June 2 - June 5 2017 (Times will vary we’ll keep you updated)

Game 1 - Missouri State, Friday, June 2nd at 2 p.m.

TV: ESPN3.

Listen: Cowboy Radio Network

You can find a full bracket here.

Some good information if you’re going out to Fayetteville can be found here.

THE COWBOYS:

Oklahoma State heads into the regional 30-25 (8-13 Big 12) with a team batting average of .265. Garrett McCain leads the team hitting .394. Ryan Cash looked really good in the Big 12 Tournament so look for that to continue. Colin Simpson and Garrett Benge will be key players for the Cowboys as well.

Here are the probable starters for the Cowboys:

Friday: Tyler Buffett will likely be on the mound for the game against Missouri State. He has a 4.83 ERA and a 6-5 record.

Saturday: Expect to see Joe Lienhard on the bump coming into the game against either ORU or Arkansas. He has a 4.24 ERA and a 3-2 record.

Sunday: If the Cowboys make it this far, Blake Battenfield will be your likely starter. He has a 4.7 ERA and a 5-4 record.

THE OPPONENTS:

Missouri State (No.2 seed)

The Bears are 40-17 this season and went 18-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference where they were regular season champions. The Bears have a .280 batting average led by Jake Burger with his .341 batting average.

The Bears’ pitching staff comes into the regional with a 3.58 ERA. Jake Fromson owns the lowest ERA of 1.86 in 67 ²⁄₃ innings pitched.

The Cowboys took on the Bears back in March in Stillwater, in a game OSU won 7-3.

Oral Roberts (No.4 seed)

Oral Roberts has had an impressive season. Most recently winning the Summit League Tournament. The Golden Eagles have a record of 42-14 (25-4 Summit League.) and a team batting average of .294 batting average. Dylan Snypes has the best average on the team at .329.

The Golden Eagles pitching staff has an ERA of 3.00 with Miguel Ausua leading the way with a 1.67 ERA in 86 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched.

The Cowboys and Golden Eagles faced off three times this season with OSU going 1-2 against the in-state rival.

Arkansas (No.1 seed):

The Razorbacks went 42-17 (18-11 SEC) this season and finished as runner up in the SEC Tournament. They have a .287 batting average with Jax Biggers leading the team with his .352 batting average.

The pitching staff has a 3.6 ERA with Blaine Knight owning the lowest ERA at 3.08 in 84 ²⁄₃ innings pitched.

The Cowboys faced the Razorbacks in the Frisco Classic early in the season in a game where the Pokes won 8-3.

This will be a tough regional. Missouri State is a solid first round opponent. Win or lose, OSU will then either face a fourth-seeded ORU team that (has no business being a 4-seed) has already beaten them twice or a Hogs teams that shut out Florida and Auburn to reach the SEC Championship title game last week.

These teams are very close and honestly it’s anyone’s tournament to go out and win.