Oklahoma State baseball: 4 big things for Cowboys in 2020

Baseball season is upon us.

Oklahoma State will start its season with a trip to Arizona for a weekend series with Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. With a new stadium opening for OSU, new players, and some exciting coaching staff changes, there’s quite a bit to get caught up on. Let’s get to it shall we?

1. Robin Ventura is back, Matt Holliday joins the staff:

Words can’t describe how exciting it’s going to be to see Ventura coaching in an orange and black uniform. He’s going to be a huge asset for the Cowboys as a student assistant. It’s not everyday you get someone who still holds NCAA records that played in the 80s on your staff. While he’s been away from coaching since 2016, the knowledge of someone of his caliber doesn’t just go away.

Add in Holliday as a volunteer assistant coach and these players are learning from guys that can hit a baseball. Holliday returning to Stillwater is huge for the Cowboys both on the field and the recruiting trail. He has MLB experience, and coaching with his older brother, Josh Holliday, will make for a cool locker room dynamic. The Cowboys have some fantastic players to learn the game from and I see it making a huge impact on their season.

2. O’Brate Stadium opening in March:

Get excited people! The Cowboys’ new home will open March 20 with a series against TCU. This stadium is going to be awesome as no detailed was left unchecked when it was built. It has the possibility to be one of the better baseball stadiums in the NCAA.

Check out the last look at the stadium we got from OSU Athletics:

She’s gorgeous.

3. Pitching will be important:

OSU’s pitching has the potential to be lethal. It’s a good mix of returners and newcomers. There are guys like Ben Leeper that have experience on the mound, and then there are exciting opportunities for guys like Parker Scott to step up and be a leader for the staff.

Here’s what Josh Holliday told 24/7 at media day.

“It starts with Parker Scott, healthy and very skilled left-hander who I think is going to have a really good year for us. Brett Standlee comes back, versatile pitcher, can start or pitch out of the bullpen. And then a lot of young arms that I think factor in to opportunities to be in the starting rotation. Ultimately coach (Rob) Walton will get those guys in the right spots, he always does. He does an incredible job. He’s totally locked into it right now. He’s very much intune with how the kids are feeling and getting them ready.

“Sometime within the next 20-some-odd days he’ll kind of know how we want to start the season out. As we’ve seen in years past you might go into a season with one particular look and overtime you adjust and then you figure out what that right formula is.”

4. Big 12 preseason honors:

Kaden Polcovich, who had 12 home runs last season at Northwest Florida State JC, was named to Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. He should bring some more power to the Cowboys’ lineup in 2020.

Bryce Osmond, a right hander that had a 1.64 ERA at Jenks last season, was named the Freshman of the Year. He has the potential to make an immediate impact in his first season for the Cowboys.