2022 College Top 25 Preview: No. 19 Oklahoma State

The good news: This Oklahoma State team appears to be particularly well-rounded. It may not have the best pitching staff or the best lineup in the Big 12 when it’s all said and done, but it should have one of the better combinations of both. The lineup returns its top hitter in sixth-year senior left fielder Jake Thompson, sophomore third baseman Nolan McLean, who was on pace for a monster season from a power standpoint had injuries not limited him to 39 games, and fourth-year junior second baseman Hueston Morrill, whose ability is better than last year’s numbers suggest. Added to that unit is Northern Kentucky grad transfer first baseman Griffin Doersching, who slugged 20 homers a season ago, and top recruit Roc Riggio, who will get a late start to the season due to injury but should be ready to contribute right away once he returns. On the mound, third-year sophomore righthander Justin Campbell gives the Cowboys a steady ace at the front of the rotation and sophomore Miami transfer Victor Mederos has ace potential in his own right. Sophomore righthander Trevor Martin, who has a fastball that reaches the high 90s, also gives Oklahoma State a fireballer at the back end of the bullpen. 

The bad news: The Cowboys lost a lot of core veteran pieces after last season, and not only were players like Cade Cabbiness, Carson McCusker, Parker Scott, Brett Standlee and Max Hewitt productive for a long time, but they were around for a lot of winning baseball in Stillwater. Also gone is last season’s best power bat in third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand. There are veterans returning in some key places, like Campbell and Thompson, but Oklahoma State will be leaning on a lot of players who are older but don’t have any experience at this level like Doersching and junior college transfer DH Lyle Miller-Green, or players that are younger and will be looking to take big jumps, like McLean, Mederos and Martin. Oklahoma State has a ton of talent, but there are a lot of “ifs” in play for the team to reach its potential. 

Player to know: Justin Campbell, RHP

Extremely quietly, Campbell put up a monster season for Oklahoma State last season. He began the year as the midweek starter, but earned his spot in the weekend rotation in March and never looked back on the way to putting up a 2.57 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 84 innings. Over the summer, he pitched for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, where he gave up two runs and struck out seven over two appearances during the team’s 11-game scrimmage schedule. Campbell works with a low-90s fastball and two swing-and-miss pitches in a mid-70s curveball and a high-70s changeup that both had greater than 40% whiff rates last season. Don’t count him out as a contender for Big 12 pitcher of the year honors. 

Path to Omaha: Oklahoma State’s floor is that of a regional team, just as it has been every year under Josh Holliday, but its ability to take the next step and compete for a national title hinges on a few specific things. One is finding a quality rotation mate for Campbell to replace the departed Parker Scott, whether that’s Mederos, third-year sophomore righthander Bryce Osmond or someone else. Another is hitting on a power bat or two to replace Encarnacion-Strand and to support McLean in the middle of the order. The obvious name here is Doersching, but you can never be sure of a player’s productivity when they transfer up to a higher level of play. Oklahoma State can beat teams a lot of different ways, and that will get it to the postseason, but it will need a little extra on the mound, at the plate, or ideally both, to put itself in position to be more than that.

2022 Lineup