There’s one way to describe OSU’s matchup with Texas: tradition, as Josh Holliday, OSU’s coach said.
Holliday is encouraged by Schubart’s early success
Nolan Schubart, in his first year as a Cowboy, leads the team in batting with a .402 average. He is second in hits with 33 and tied for first in home runs with eight. He also leads the team in OPS with 1.321 and RBIs with 31. Schubart has the makings of a freshman phenom for the Cowboys. He has become similar to Roc Riggio, a fan favorite in the lineup who made headlines in his first year with the Cowboys last season.
Is his early success a surprise to Holliday? Nah.
“He played really well in the fall,” Holliday said. “I saw things in the fall, you go, ‘This is a different breed of cat right here. This is not your classic freshman.’ This is a guy that stands in the batter's box and looks like a grown-up. He carries himself like a guy that was built to hit. The way he goes about school and training and everything else in his life, this is not a guy that’s just glad to be here. This guy’s got some real purpose about him.”
Holliday said strong hitting will be key in the Texas series
Last year, in the regular-season series with Texas, OSU scored 32 runs in three games and won the series. On Tuesday, the Cowboys dropped a mid-week matchup with Dallas Baptist University, 8-0. It was an atypical showing for one of the top-scoring teams in college baseball.
Against the Patriots, the Cowboys didn’t play their usual brand of baseball, which is one that features a bounty of runs. For a team that is No. 28 in scoring, averaging 8.5 runs a game, Holliday said playing that brand of Cowboy baseball is what it will take to get back on track.
“We’ve got some strong kids, so hitting the ball on the barrel and doing some damage when possible,” Holliday said. “That’s been something that’s been part of our success. Getting the ball from a quality start into some really good dependable bullpen guys has been a recipe for success for us.”
Holliday gave plenty of credit to a Texas team that had holes to fill after a talented, veteran group departed after last season.
“A lot of new players have stepped in and done a nice job for them,” Holliday said. “Looks like a couple of returners, Campbell in the right field playing well, Second baseman moved to shortstop. I’ve always thought highly of him, he’s a good ballplayer… They’ve got a nice mix of first-year transfers that are providing immediate help.”
Holliday reflects on the history between Texas and Oklahoma State
There is a lot of history between two of the Big 12’s top baseball programs. Holliday has experienced the history first-hand for quite some time, but not just from bright-orange sunglasses. Holliday has ties to Texas burnt orange, but not quite his own ties. Nonetheless, Holliday said he has an appreciation for the program and it gives him more reason to look forward to the rivalry.
“My dad coached there for, what, three years I guess, so I followed their program rather closely during those three years,” Holliday said. “I have an appreciation for what was going on inside of it. It’s tradition, two traditional programs. You got great amounts of history to take the field. Albeit, with today’s athletes. But those uniforms bring great tradition to college baseball.”