Oklahoma State baseball rewind: What do Cowboys need to do to make NCAA Tournament?
STILLWATER — With two Big 12 baseball series remaining, Oklahoma State remains in a strong position.
To win the conference’s regular season title.
To host a NCAA Tournament regional.
As the calendar flips to May, the Cowboys are far from a bad spot in the crucial stretch of the season.
A seven-game winning streak after sweeping Michigan in non-conference action last weekend has the Cowboys regaining momentum for the next month.
They trail only West Virginia in the standings with series against Kansas State and OU remaining. Win those and the Cowboys could sneak away with the conference title.
OSU is likely to make the NCAA Tournament. It’s RPI is No. 20, according to D1Baseball.com. At worst, that likely puts the Cowboys as a No. 2 seed on the road.
But keep winning and that gets a boost, perhaps even bringing a second straight regional to O’Brate Stadium.
Here is a look back at the past week:
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Oklahoma State
Overall record: 30-13, 11-7 Big 12 (second)
Last week: 2-0 (beat Michigan 5-3, 8-5)
This week: at Oral Roberts, 6 p.m. Tuesday; vs. East Tennessee State 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday
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Top Oklahoma State player last week
Zach Ehrhard, CF: The Cowboys’ speedy center fielder is rounding into form after an early-season injury kept him out of the lineup for more than a month. In the two wins at Michigan, Ehrhard scored five of OSU’s 13 runs. He doubled and homered. He drove in three runs. He also stole three bases. He was the menace at the top of the order that the Cowboys need.
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Oklahoma State player on the rise
Bayden Root, RHP: A former Ohio State pitcher, Root again got the best of the Buckeyes’ bitter rival, this time in a different OSU uniform. The veteran threw 2 ⅔ scoreless innings to earn the win Friday. He allowed just one hit and struck out four. It was his second straight scoreless outing. He also threw four innings at Kansas.
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Stat to know
4-12: OSU’s record against ORU since 2014. The two teams split the series last season and OSU won the lone matchup in 2021. The Golden Eagles have a leg up on the series this season after an 8-5 win earlier this spring.
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Cowboys sweep Michigan, overcome Mother Nature
The true winner of the week was nearly Mother Nature.
Storms canceled Tuesday’s game with Wichita State and weather wiped out Friday’s opener at Michigan.
But the Cowboys ultimately came away with two victories over the Wolverines.
In a tie game Saturday, Ehrhard doubled in Brennan Holt before scoring on a Marcus Brown single for a 5-3 lead. OSU’s bullpen then shut the door for the win.
On Sunday, the Cowboys jumped to an 8-1 lead behind a five-run fifth in which Ehrhard homered and later drove in another run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State baseball in strong position to make NCAA Tournament
