2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 21 Oklahoma State
Image credit: Carson Benge (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
Last season: 41-20 (15-9 Big 12), lost in Stillwater Regional
Final ranking: No. 23
Coach (record at school): Josh Holliday (403-217-2, 11 seasons)
The good news: Oklahoma State boasts perhaps the best lineup in the conference, led by potential first-round pick Carson Benge (.345/.468/.538, 2-2, 6.69 ERA) and 2023 Big 12 freshman of the year Nolan Schubart (.338/.451/.667). Benge is a baseball rat who last year led the Cowboys in hitting. He has a violent lefthanded swing that is tailored toward doing damage and getting the ball up in the air. Benge also has a plus arm in right field and will be a contributor on the mound. A 6-foot-5 adonis, Schubart has thunderous raw power. He led the team in both doubles (20) and RBIs (74), and his 17 home runs ranked second behind fourth-round pick Roc Riggio. Second baseman Aidan Meola (.330/.368/.568) will look to build off a strong sophomore season, while third baseman Tyler Wulfert (.328/.372/.620) returns to Stillwater after a productive 2023 campaign in which he notched 29 extra-base hits. Junior spark plug Zach Ehrhard is in line for a bounceback junior season after hitting .239/.379/.348 last spring. This summer was hopefully a harbinger for the spring, as he hit .297/.396/.364 in the Cape League. Ehrhard is a plus runner with an advanced feel for the game, which translates well in the outfield. Speaking of breakout seasons, righthanded pitcher Janzen Keisel is a name to circle. Keisel last year had a 7.85 ERA and walked over a hitter an inning, but like Ehrhard, hit his stride in the Cape League. Keisel has a mid-90s fastball that is one of the most unique of its kind thanks to his low release height combined with the pitch’s carrying life. He is expected to pitch in the weekend rotation alongside Central College of Florida transfer Brian Holiday (10-0, 3.07 ERA) and High Point transfer Sam Garcia (1-8, 7.57 ERA). Oklahoma State’s 6-foot-9 sophomore righthander Gabe Davis will also log meaningful innings, whether it be as the team’s midweek starter or in the bullpen.
The bad news: Three stalwarts from last year’s lineup in Roc Riggio (.335/.461/.679), Marcus Brown (.273/.360/.469) and Nolan McLean (.250/.379/.532, 1-2, 3.30 ERA) were all drafted, which leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the field. Brown and Riggio were an outstanding up-the-middle duo, and Brown especially was a great defender. Riggio also led the team in both home runs (18) and extra-base hits (38). McLean was not as productive with the bat as he had been in years past, but he did hit his stride on the mound as the team’s closer. Lefthanded slugger David Mendham (.312/.370/.555) graduated, and last year he was third on the team with 14 home runs and his 64 RBIs were the second-highest total. The team must also replace veteran backstop Chase Adkison, who hit .314/.414/.482 while providing sound defense. Coach Holliday will be tasked with replacing two-thirds of his weekend rotation as Juaron Watts-Brown (6-5, 5.03 ERA) was drafted in the third round and Ben Abram (8-3, 6.21 ERA) graduated. The loss of Watts-Brown particularly stings, as he had the best stuff on the staff and his 124 strikeouts were tops in the Big 12. Sidewinder Isaac Stebens (4-1, 2.24 ERA) was far and away the team’s best reliever and led the pitching staff with 28 appearances. He signed with the Boston Red Sox after being drafted in the 16th round, and a number of arms will need to step up to try and create some stability.
Player to know: Colin Brueggemann, 1B. Brueggeman had a highly productive 2023 season in which he hit .330/.448/.596 with 11 doubles, six home runs and 36 RBIs across 42 games. He is an advanced hitter with a knack for finding the barrel and will anchor the right side of the infield. Playing in the hitter-friendly confines of O’Brate Stadium will further enhance his power prowess, so expect the 6-foot-6 Brueggemann to have another strong season.
Path to Omaha: Oklahoma State last year won its first regular-season Big 12 championship since 2023—the second in Coach Holliday’s 11-year tenure—and hosted a regional for the second year in a row. However, the Cowboys went 0-fer on their own turf, losing to Oral Roberts—who eventually made the College World Series—6-4 before getting thrashed by Dallas Baptist. The biggest gray area with this year’s team is its pitching. There are so many question marks up and down the staff, and a plethora of arms will need to take their game to the next level. Oklahoma State’s relentless offense will keep them in most games this year, but in order for the Pokes to make it to Omaha for the first time since 2016, multiple arms will need to emerge and establish themselves as reliable options.
| Pos. | Name | Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | HR | RBI |
| C | Ian Daugherty | Jr. | .235 | .381 | .353 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 1B | Colin Brueggemann | Jr. | .330 | .448 | .596 | 109 | 6 | 36 |
| 2B | Aidan Meola | Jr. | .330 | .368 | .568 | 88 | 4 | 18 |
| 3B | Tyler Wulfert | Sr. | .327 | .372 | .620 | 171 | 9 | 34 |
| SS | Lane Forsythe | Sr. | Transfer—Mississippi State | |||||
| OF | Nolan Schubart | So. | .338 | .451 | .667 | 216 | 17 | 74 |
| OF | Zach Ehrhard | Jr. | .239 | .379 | .348 | 138 | 3 | 13 |
| OF | Carson Benge | So. | .345 | .468 | .538 | 197 | 7 | 43 |
| DH | Kollin Ritchie | Fr. | HS—Atoka, Okla. | |||||
| Pos. | Name | Class | W | L | ERA | IP | SO | SV |
| SP | Brian Holiday | Jr. | Transfer—Central Florida JC | |||||
| SP | Janzen Keisel | Jr. | 0 | 0 | 7.85 | 18 | 34 | 0 |
| SP | Sam Garcia | Sr. | Transfer—High Point | |||||
| RP | Evan O’Toole | Sr. | 6 | 1 | 4.99 | 40 | 28 | 0 |
| RP | Drew Blake | So. | 1 | 0 | 5.46 | 28 | 27 | 0 |
| RP | Robert Cranz | Jr. | Transfer—Wichita State |
