Judgement Week. The winner of #10 Texas v. #8 Oklahoma State stays in the Big 12 title hunt for another weekend. Will TCU slip up like they did last year? Unlikely against OU and at KU, but anything is possible, no one expected TCU to lose the final series of the conference season to Kansas State last year either. Texas has a much easier path to potentially catch the Frogs with a trip to WVU and then a conference finale against KU on the books, while Okie State has Texas Tech and Baylor left. Outside of hitting, there really is not much separation between these teams though. Both pitching staffs have excellent potential and have shown brightly in spots but have also had its fair share of duds. The Pokes kicked off the season relying upon their pitching as their hitters were striking out at a very prolific rate (sound a bit familiar?), but as the season has gone on, Coach Holliday and Coach Ventura have gotten the Pokes back in line and adjusted to the personnel they have which focuses less on running, creating action and hitting home runs and more so on line drives. Their pitching on the other hand has hit some bumps in the road as the season has gone along, including reverting outstanding closer Trevor Martin to spot relief and Tuesday night starts.
Overall, this should be a very hotly contested contest between two teams that have high aspirations for the post season and play fundamentally solid baseball.
Check out the latest episode of Around the HORNS in which @AaronLittleOB and I dive into the past weekend, preview Okie State, predictions, Big 12 Standings and more. Around the HORNS
Texas v. Okie State Stats:
BA: .320 v. .278
OBP: .416 v. .381
Slug %: .551 v. .443
HRs: 78 v. 46
Walks: 223 v. 200
SB: 40/53 v. 40/51
ERA: 3.90 v. 4.19
K/BB Ratio: 2.59 v. 3.00
Opp BA: .236 v. .229
Errors: 26 v. 26
Current Post Season Projections:
Texas: 11 overall seed (regional host)
Okie State: 16 overall seed (regional host)
RPI: 8 v. 28
SOS: 23 v. 29
THE MATCHUPS—Texas hosts Oklahoma State for a Top 10 showdown at UFCU Disch-Falk Field this weekend. Last season the Longhorns went 2-2 against the Cowboys, winning the series in Stillwater but dropping a game in the Big 12 Tournament. The last time the teams met in Austin was in 2018, with Texas winning the series.
#10 TEXAS (31-13, 9-6) vs. #8 OKLAHOMA STATE (28-13, 10-5)
April 29-May 1, 2022
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2:30 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
TV: Longhorn Network
Radio: 104.9 FM The Horn/1260 AM
All-time series: Texas leads, 64-48
Texas leads the series at Disch-Falk Field 32-15 all time.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY–Texas LHP Pete Hansen (7-1, 2.70) vs. OSU RHP Justin Campbell (6-1, 2.89)
SATURDAY–Texas RHP Tristan Stevens (5-4, 4.50) vs. OSU RHP Bryce Osmond (3-1, 4.40)
SUNDAY–Texas LHP Lucas Gordon (4-1, 3.00) vs. OSU RHP Victor Mederos (3-3, 6.55)
Pitching Matchups:
For Oklahoma State, it begins and ends with ace Justin Campbell. He is a 6'7" hard throwing righty is going to be a top pick in this years MLB Draft. He has an excellent four pitch mix and while he tops out around 94, with his massive frame, it feels A LOT faster and harder than that. Campbell also has excellent command as exhibited by his 15 BB against 95Ks.
Okie State did move their normal Saturday starter (Victor Mederos) to Sunday this week. I don't think that really changes anything but he has really been struggling for command, consistency and confidence so that will definitely be something to watch on Sunday. Okie State moving Mederos back to Sunday actually makes a lot of strategic sense from the standpoint of having belief that they can get a Friday night win and then take the series on Saturday. Mederos, a transfer from Miami, came in with high expectations and electric stuff but has not been able to really corral it and as a result has definitely led to some questions about whether he should be a weekend starter. Mederos does have a FB that sits around 95 and combines that with a hard breaking curve.
The Saturday starter Osmond has been up and down this season as well but not to the extend of Mederos. He is a hard throwing righty as well that has good stuff, but has also walked more guys than he should.
Out of the bullpen, there are four main guys to watch out for.
Hitting Matchups:
This Okie State team does not hit for a bunch of power as we have seen in the past, but make no mistake, two way player McClean and Northern Kentucky transfer Doersching (20 HRs in 2021) can hammer a baseball into orbit. Okie State not be able to overwhelm Texas but they will be able to put the ball in play, so the Texas pitchers will have to keep the ball down and ensure they are not hanging anything giving up extra bases. Okie State draws walks but not necessarily at a prolific rate and there can be some big swing and miss by their top guys (McClean and Doersching).
Here are the top hitters for Okie State this year:
Thompson .325; 8 HR
Brown .317 2 HR
Ehrhard .295 14-15 SB
McClean .267; 9 HR
Doersching .318; 4 HR
National Stat Comparison:
BA: Texas #4 v. Okie St #125
ERA: Texas #22 v. Okie St #40
Fielding %: Texas #3 v. Okie St #7
Hits: Texas #4 v. Okie St #73
HRs: Texas #5 v. Okie St # 71
Runs: Texas #11 v. Okie St #72
Scoring: Texas #23 v. Okie St #103
WHIP: Texas #15 v. Okie St #19
Media Availability Notes to be coming this afternoon.
Also, in case you missed it, the win against UT-RGV gives Coach Pierce career number 400.
Overall, this should be a very hotly contested contest between two teams that have high aspirations for the post season and play fundamentally solid baseball.
Check out the latest episode of Around the HORNS in which @AaronLittleOB and I dive into the past weekend, preview Okie State, predictions, Big 12 Standings and more. Around the HORNS
Texas v. Okie State Stats:
BA: .320 v. .278
OBP: .416 v. .381
Slug %: .551 v. .443
HRs: 78 v. 46
Walks: 223 v. 200
SB: 40/53 v. 40/51
ERA: 3.90 v. 4.19
K/BB Ratio: 2.59 v. 3.00
Opp BA: .236 v. .229
Errors: 26 v. 26
Current Post Season Projections:
Texas: 11 overall seed (regional host)
Okie State: 16 overall seed (regional host)
RPI: 8 v. 28
SOS: 23 v. 29
THE MATCHUPS—Texas hosts Oklahoma State for a Top 10 showdown at UFCU Disch-Falk Field this weekend. Last season the Longhorns went 2-2 against the Cowboys, winning the series in Stillwater but dropping a game in the Big 12 Tournament. The last time the teams met in Austin was in 2018, with Texas winning the series.
#10 TEXAS (31-13, 9-6) vs. #8 OKLAHOMA STATE (28-13, 10-5)
April 29-May 1, 2022
Where: UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Time: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2:30 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
TV: Longhorn Network
Radio: 104.9 FM The Horn/1260 AM
All-time series: Texas leads, 64-48
Texas leads the series at Disch-Falk Field 32-15 all time.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY–Texas LHP Pete Hansen (7-1, 2.70) vs. OSU RHP Justin Campbell (6-1, 2.89)
SATURDAY–Texas RHP Tristan Stevens (5-4, 4.50) vs. OSU RHP Bryce Osmond (3-1, 4.40)
SUNDAY–Texas LHP Lucas Gordon (4-1, 3.00) vs. OSU RHP Victor Mederos (3-3, 6.55)
Pitching Matchups:
For Oklahoma State, it begins and ends with ace Justin Campbell. He is a 6'7" hard throwing righty is going to be a top pick in this years MLB Draft. He has an excellent four pitch mix and while he tops out around 94, with his massive frame, it feels A LOT faster and harder than that. Campbell also has excellent command as exhibited by his 15 BB against 95Ks.
Okie State did move their normal Saturday starter (Victor Mederos) to Sunday this week. I don't think that really changes anything but he has really been struggling for command, consistency and confidence so that will definitely be something to watch on Sunday. Okie State moving Mederos back to Sunday actually makes a lot of strategic sense from the standpoint of having belief that they can get a Friday night win and then take the series on Saturday. Mederos, a transfer from Miami, came in with high expectations and electric stuff but has not been able to really corral it and as a result has definitely led to some questions about whether he should be a weekend starter. Mederos does have a FB that sits around 95 and combines that with a hard breaking curve.
The Saturday starter Osmond has been up and down this season as well but not to the extend of Mederos. He is a hard throwing righty as well that has good stuff, but has also walked more guys than he should.
Out of the bullpen, there are four main guys to watch out for.
- Long Relief - Roman Phansalkar (2.36, 3-2) has been very good this season as he has really worked on his command. He has a mid 90's fastball with a plus slider.
- Short/Mid Relief - Trevor Martin (3.46, 9 saves) was moved from the closer role after having some command issues. He does have a fastball that sits around 98, so Pokes are hoping he is back on track after a couple of decent outings mid-week and in short relief.
- Mid-Relief - Kale Davis (3.81) - has been solid on the mound for the Pokes in eating up innings which has been a saving grace for a staff that has had some struggles recently
- Closer - Nolan McClean (4.50) - a two way play, McClean is a hard throwing righty with a fastball that can hit 100, along with a 92 cutter. He has stepped into that closer role to solidify the back end and has done well.
Hitting Matchups:
This Okie State team does not hit for a bunch of power as we have seen in the past, but make no mistake, two way player McClean and Northern Kentucky transfer Doersching (20 HRs in 2021) can hammer a baseball into orbit. Okie State not be able to overwhelm Texas but they will be able to put the ball in play, so the Texas pitchers will have to keep the ball down and ensure they are not hanging anything giving up extra bases. Okie State draws walks but not necessarily at a prolific rate and there can be some big swing and miss by their top guys (McClean and Doersching).
Here are the top hitters for Okie State this year:
Thompson .325; 8 HR
Brown .317 2 HR
Ehrhard .295 14-15 SB
McClean .267; 9 HR
Doersching .318; 4 HR
National Stat Comparison:
BA: Texas #4 v. Okie St #125
ERA: Texas #22 v. Okie St #40
Fielding %: Texas #3 v. Okie St #7
Hits: Texas #4 v. Okie St #73
HRs: Texas #5 v. Okie St # 71
Runs: Texas #11 v. Okie St #72
Scoring: Texas #23 v. Okie St #103
WHIP: Texas #15 v. Okie St #19
Media Availability Notes to be coming this afternoon.
Also, in case you missed it, the win against UT-RGV gives Coach Pierce career number 400.
