'We honestly expect to win it': Oklahoma State overpowers OU, wins Big 12 Championship 9-3
- Daniel Allen, Staff Reporter, @danielallen1738
- May 26, 2024 Updated 7 hrs ago
ARLINGTON – The moment Oklahoma State shortstop Lane Forsythe corralled a towering pop up from Oklahoma’s Jaxon Willits, head coach Josh Holliday knew what was coming.
Moments later, as his players and coaching staff circled around him, he was given stern instructions by his group: “Stand there, smile and take it like a champ.”
The instant the ice-cold feel of the purple Gatorade flooded Holliday’s back and a grin appeared on his face as chants erupted around him. Just then, the reality of the moment seeped in. The fireworks, the confetti, the highly-coveted Big 12 trophy and the euphoria of fans and all OSU faithful present bellowing around the podium in right field made it all the more sentimental.
Holliday’s Cowboys were Big 12 Champions. This one, however, meant a little more than conference champions that have come in years past.
Second-seeded Oklahoma State dominated rival and top-seeded Oklahoma, 9-3 in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship game at Globe Life Field, giving the Cowboys their fourth conference tournament title and third under Holliday.
“A lot of fun,” Holliday said. “It’s kind of cool to celebrate a little bit. You don’t get many moments where as a coach or a team, you feel like it’s OK to celebrate. Just because once the season starts, you’re constantly chasing growth and improvement. And when the regular season ends, you shift your focus to this.
“Kind of fun for 15 minutes to take it all in with the kids.”
And this one came to no surprise to Holliday.
Not after a 4-4 start to the regular season. Not after a plethora of injuries to notable pieces: left fielder Nolan Schubart, infielder Aidan Meola, third baseman Tyler Wulfert and starting catcher Beau Sylvester. Not after Holliday’s Cowboys dropped head-scratching series losses to Kansas State and Texas teams, only to turn around and display dominance one week later.
Despite such obstacles, there they were, hoisting the Big 12 Conference trophy in right field as golden confetti fell on them.
“We honestly expect to win it, around here,” Cowboys’ two-way star Carson Benge said. “Shouldn’t surprise anyone that we were able to do it.”
The Cowboys (40-17) made relatively easy work of the Sooners for most of the night.
OSU drew first blood in the top of the first following consecutive base hits from Forsythe and Benge to lead off the frame. A sacrifice fly out to center field from Zach Ehrhard made it 1-0 OSU.
OU threatened at times, but a stellar, 4 1/3-inning gem from right-hander Tommy Molsky – who made his first start on the mound this season – kept a potent Sooners’ (37-19) offense at bay, matching a season-high eight strikeouts while surrendering just four runs, one walk and two earned runs through 71 total pitches.
“I was ready,” Molsky said. “It kind of threw me off (getting the start). But I was ready. I was excited that I got the opportunity.”
And perhaps most importantly, Molsky’s productive outing allowed OSU’s offense to find its footing, amid a quality four innings from OU left-hander Carter Campbell.
Once the offense found its groove, the momentum of Saturday’s contest was drastically one-sided.
In the top of the fifth, OSU plated three more runs to make it 4-0 before the Sooners rallied for a two-spot of their own, making it 4-2 after the bottom half of the inning. But stellar relief pitching from OSU’s neutralized any threat OU’s offense posed over the game’s course.
Then, in the top of the seventh, Schubart eclipsed the 20-home run mark of his sophomore campaign with a towering three-run bomb off the batter’s eye in dead center field to put OSU up 7-2. And ultimately, it proved to be the dagger.
“This is not an easy ballpark for college players to hit homeruns in because it’s a real (professional) ballpark and it has real dimensions,” Holliday said. “It’s built for the best in the world. Some of the college parks that you get accustomed to playing to, you hit some balls you think are homers. In this park, you really have to earn them, and I think we earned every single one we hit. That’s a compliment to the players.”
Consecutive lead-off solo shots from designated hitter Kollin Ritchie and catcher Ian Daugherty in the top of the eighth made it 9-2, finalizing OSU’s scoring on the night.
When asked if beating the Sooners in what was the final Big 12 edition of Bedlam baseball — also marking OSU’s fourth win through five contests against OU on the year — meant anything, Holliday responded bluntly.
“It feels good that we played well,” Holliday said. “It feels good that we took an opportunity today to go win a championship. Who that’s against, I think it would be out of character and flawed to overdo that. Do we enjoy playing against them and all of the stuff that goes into OSU-OU? Of course. But as a competitor and as a coach, you learn lessons over your lifetime. And when your team is going out and playing well and they’re capturing the moment, I ask them to always treat the opponent as if they’re faceless, so that the game can stay simple for us.”
“So, for it to end there, yeah, we’ll take it. It ended on our terms.”
But rivalry antics aside, the focus shifts to the path ahead — the road to Omaha.
“Just a special group of kids,” he said. “They’ve been through a lot as a group and yet here they are. Pretty cool, huh?”
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