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Oklahoma State won its second Big 12 series this season by taking the second and third games of a three-game set against TCU this past weekend in Fort Worth, Texas.
Here are the three big takeaways:
1. Cowboys move back into Top 25
OSU leaped back into D1Baseball’s Top 25 rankings at No. 24, while the Horned Frogs jumped down six spots to No. 25. Being back in the rankings is important as it could put a little confidence in the Cowboys moving forward. More importantly, OSU is now first in the Big 12 standings.
It was a great weekend in Ft. Worth w/a series win to move into 1st in the Big 12 ⚾️ standings. Check out some pics from the weekend & special thanks to @gbullard7, @greggellman & @rtcarlinphoto for sharing some of their outstanding photography work w/us! #GoPokes #okstate pic.twitter.com/ZDdoq9Hsy5
— Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) April 1, 2019
2. Cowboys’ bats
The Cowboys’ heavy hitting prowess was on display with four home runs Saturday, and Andrew Navigato added two of his own o Sunday. While it’s great to have players that can hit it hard and go far, the Cowboys also played some small ball in their victories, with 13 RBIs between the two games.
OSU can have a lethal combination when spraying the ball across the field and over the fence.
The Cowboys moved into first place in the Big 12 with a dramatic series-clinching win at TCU today. Recap, stats, highlights & reaction from @joshhollidayosu: https://t.co/SgTHjeF5cs #GoPokes #okstate pic.twitter.com/pgciAp4E6S
— Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) April 1, 2019
3. Pitching struggles
OSU’s pitching staff didn’t have a fantastic weekend. Every time the Cowboys drove runs in, the pitching staff couldn’t capitalize and walked batters and gave up runs.
On Sunday, starter Brett Standlee went three innings before giving up seven hits and only striking out one. The Cowboys need t to have deeper outings from their starters to have sustained success this season.
TCU knocked at the door in both of the Cowboys’ wins. Now don’t get me wrong, the closers did what they had to do for the victories, but OSU can’t always rely on them to do so. When the Cowboys’ offense is able to rally to take the lead, pitchers have to do their part, too. The coaching staff will need to adjust pitching and make decisions on when to pull pitchers and when to leave them in as the season goes on.
Up next
The Cowboys host four games this week, starting with Central Arkansas on Tuesday before a Big 12 weekend series against West Virginia.
OSU will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its 1959 national championship team during the series against the Mountaineers. Replica uniform T-shirts and championship rings will be available for fans Friday and Saturday, respectively, before the ‘59 team signs autographs Sunday.