STILLWATER — The Oklahoma wind came sweeping down the plain Friday, and if there was wheat planted in O’Brate Stadium, it would’ve done more than waving.

The Oklahoma State baseball fell to Texas 5-3 in Game 1 of the teams’ three-game series. It’s a Top 15 matchup with the Cowboys coming in as the No. 13 team in the country hosting No. 15 UT. The Cowboys entered Friday 16-1 at home on the year, but that Oklahoma wind spent the early part of Friday evening playing for Texas.

UT had a runner on second with two outs in the third inning when Jack O’Dowd hit a ball that looked to be about 10 feet foul. Shortstop Marcus Brown ran toward the left-field line to secure the final out of the inning when a gust took the ball back over his head fair. With there being two outs, the runner on second took off at contact and unexpectedly scored.

Then in the fourth, Texas’ Jalin Flores sent a ball to right field. On a normal day, the might’ve hit off the wall or even been caught but with some wind assistance, it made it over the wall, scoring two more runs.

The wind softened seemingly by the inning, but it did give the Cowboys some help in the sixth when Tyler Wulfert narrowly got a ball over the fence in right-center, a solo shot and his fourth of the season.

So the wind probably gave Texas three runs and OSU one.

“Wind is just part of it,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said. “I’m not sure anyone would’ve enjoyed playing around 1 or 2 when the gusts were at 50, but it was a beautiful night to play. Really became more of a nonfactor, quite honestly. We always play with wind here. Some nights more than others.”

The Cowboys had a chance in the bottom ninth after Carson Benge led the frame with a double before Colin Brueggemann battled through a nine-pitch at-bat to walk. But from there Marcus Brown popped out on a bunt attempt, Chase Adkison struck out and Roc Riggio grounded out.

Wulfert had a chance to be a hero in the seventh. When he got to the dish, OSU had two on with two out, but he popped straight up to the catcher to end the inning.

It was a fairly even game. Texas had 10 hits to OSU’s eight, and both teams left seven on base. It was just a matter of Texas making more of its chances on the night than OSU.

“Their offense finished runs,” Holliday said. “Our offense created opportunities and didn’t finish runs.”

OSU pitcher Ben Abram was 4-0 in starts this season entering the day, but that streak ended on what was his first Friday start of the year. Abram threw five 1/3 innings where he gave up five runs on nine hits while walking two and striking out four. The wind wasn’t his friend, giving up the crazy foul-turned-fair run and the Flores home run in the fourth that just made it over the wall in right.

From there Drew Blake and Isaac Stebens came on and stabilized things. The two combined to pitch three 2/3 innings in which they allowed no runs off one hit while walking two and striking out four.

Juaron Watts-Brown is set to start Saturday’s game.

The Cowboys entered the weekend in a three-way tie for second in the Big 12 at 4-2 — behind 3-0 Texas. Needless to say, it might be early, but it would do the Cowboys wonders to find a way to take at least one game off Texas this weekend to keep the Longhorns close in the Big 12 race.

Schubart Continues On-Base Streak

True freshman Nolan Schubart has now reached base safely in 17 straight games. He was 1-for-3 Friday, doubling in the sixth inning. He also drew a walk. The young Schubart is hitting .398 on the season. Out of Durand, Michigan, Schubart was once committed to play for his home-state Wolverines before a coaching change led him to Stillwater.

Josh Holliday’s Postgame News Conference

Up Next

OSU vs. Texas at 6 p.m. Saturday
OSU vs. Texas at 1 p.m. Sunday

Oklahoma State and Mike Gundy won their first — and only — Big 12 championship in 2011 with a statue (with all due respect to the GOAT, Brandon Weeden) at quarterback. But in this era of football, not having someone who can move around may be a thing of the past.

Gundy this week in his media availability discussed incoming transfer Alan Bowman and the QB position generally, and seemed to signal a shift in his philosophy about quarterbacks, their abilities and what OSU is looking for and will need in the future to find success within its system.

“I think the future [of the QB position] is that you’ve got to be able to move around,” said Gundy when responding to a question from Berry Tramel about whether OSU would turn to Bowman — more of a pocket passer than, say, Spencer Sanders — despite relying primarily on a mobile quarterback the last half-decade. “I don’t think Bowman is a runner, but I think he did move around well enough, and the style of play he was in at Tech, those guys have to avoid a lot.

“I don’t know that the pure pocket passer is as relevant now as they used to be. You have to be able to move around and avoid the rush and make a play.”

Gundy didn’t so much say that he will recruit — either out of high school or the transfer portal — exclusively mobile quarterbacks. And this doesn’t appear to be a let’s find the next Lamar Jackson type shift where only dual-threat quarterbacks will get looks. But gone are the days, it seems, when OSU will turn to pro-style passers only. To find success at OSU, and within college football, Gundy argues, the ability to move — even if it’s just within the pocket and being a little slippery — is a critical skill.

“You know how like Brock Purdy operated, right?” Gundy went on to say. “You couldn’t really get your hands on him to get him down. He moved around and made a play. He wasn’t going to take off and run for 60 [yards]. But you couldn’t really grab him and get him down. I think that’s really what we’re looking for now. If a guy can take off and run and score, that’s great, but he’s got to be able to throw accurately and make good decisions.”

What this means for the future of the position may be fascinating as OSU feels out the shifts within the sport, but what it means for the here and now is equally as interesting. OSU has four quarterbacks on the roster who could realistically take snaps as QB1 next season — Bowman, Garret Rangel, Gunnar Gundy and Zane Flores — and none of them quite fit the mold of a runner the way Spencer Sanders was. All of them, though, seem to fit Gundy’s description of being able to be agile enough to move the pocket and be slippery.

Here’s 247Sports‘ eval of incoming freshman Flores, in part: “Does show mobility and ability to escape the rush and can run some when needed.”

Bowman and Rangel also showed mobility in their work — Bowman most recently at Texas Tech and Rangel most recently last season at OSU — but good luck extrapolating these comments beyond a general philosophy and onto what it means for next season. With the personnel in house, it’s clear OSU will not be trying to shove a square peg into a round hole.

“To take a pocket passer and make him run around like Lamar Jackson,” said Gundy, “that’s not going to happen.”

Thanks for stopping by – here’s your daily dose of Oklahoma State sports news.

OSU Bullets

• Learn about the six Cowboys and Cowgirls being inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Honor (PFB)

• OSU is in on a couple of former-top 100 guys as they entered the transfer portal and previously had the Pokes high on their list (PFB)

• While the Pac-12 tv negotiations drag on – in related news, Mike Gundy has reason to believe the Big 12 is expanding soon.

I asked Gundy on Monday about the Big 12 scheduling model going forward, and he doesn’t know much more than the rest of us. 

“I don’t know what they’re going to do, because I think they’re going to bring more schools in, and it could happen pretty fast, right?” Gundy said. “With Pac-12.”

[NewsOK]

• Josh Holliday previews this weekend’s series against Texas (PFB)

• For those so inclined, here are the results from the OSU pro day earlier this week (247)

• No shame in losing to the champs right? Texas Tech is hiring their coach, not a bad move to buy a proven coach.

Non-OSU Bullets

• An optimal bedtime routine for adults
• This on switching to kid’s Bible to finish annual plan is hilarious

STILLWATER — The Oklahoma State baseball team hosts Texas in a three-game series this weekend starting at 6 p.m. Friday. OSU coach Josh Holliday met with reporters Thursday at O’Brate Stadium to preview the matchup.

Among the names OSU has been linked to already during the transfer portal cycle — of which there are many! — there are two that pop off the page as players who could be great fits for the program and have some history with the coaching staff currently in place.

The first is transfer MJ Rice, who out of high school signed with Kansas but barely cracked the rotation, playing just 7.6 minutes per game in only 23 total appearances. Rice was a four-star, top-40 recruit in the 2022 cycle who chose the Jayhawks, you might remember, over Pitt, NC State and OSU. At the time of his commitment he was ranked as a five-star, top-20 player in the class.

The second is transfer AJ Storr, who out of high school signed with St. John’s. Storr was a top-100 recruit coming out in the 2022 class before signing with the Red Storm. He played quite frequently with St. John’s last season — averaging 21.1 minutes per game and 8.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game — but the program has underwent a coaching change this offseason that likely precipitated the move. Storr committed in 2021 to St. John’s over OSU, among other finalists, and the Cowboys are reportedly among the many who have contacted him as he hits the open market again. (Along with, as you can see, pretty much every other major program across the country.)

OSU definitely needs to add some shooting to its 2023-24 roster and Storrs appears to check that box pretty convincingly. He took 5.4 3-pointers per game last seasno at St. John’s and made 40.4% of his 94 total attempts, which would have been a higher hit rate than anyone else on OSU’s team last season. Rice is more of a power wing who plays like a Lu Dort — strong, physical, gritty defender who can slash — but he was known for his shooting as a prospect in high school, even though it didn’t completely translate to success as a freshman at KU. Here’s what 247Sports’ Brandon Jenkins wrote of him when evaluating him in 2021:

Rice is a powerfully-built wing who is a true matchup nightmare in the high school game. He has the physical build of a Mack truck but combines his powerful frame with a great amount of athleticism and skill. He is simply a strong-bodied wing who can score at all three levels. His strength allows him to be extremely effective on the drive as he bullies and overpowers opposing defenders on his way to the rim where he is an elite finisher. Rice has a similar build to former Baylor undersized power forward Mark Vital but does not have the same level of bounce even though he is a threat to basket protectors in the rim. But what makes him all the more special is that he can knock down the perimeter jumper with regularity. He can drain in jumpers off the bounce with range to the three-point line and he has a knack for putting the ball in the basket as he is always a threat to go on exciting scoring runs. His effort however goes beyond scoring. He has a nose for the ball on the glass and after snatching boards he has the ball skills to lead the break to make something happen. Throughout this past year, Rice has been one of the more consistently productive prospects in the national 2022 class. He has the body and skill set to make an immediate impact in the college game if that is the route he decides to move forward with.

[247Sports]

At this point it’s probably too early to tell if OSU has a real shot at either Rice or Storrs — or both or neither — but with so many names already in the mix these two should be worth keeping a close eye on as Mike Boynton and his staff look to reboot the roster and reload entering next season.

Oklahoma State on Thursday unveiled its 2023 Hall of Honor induction class with six Cowboys — including Justin Blackmon and Rickie Fowler — among the half-dozen set to be enshrined this year.

The group also includes David “Buddy Arndt, Yolanda Odenyo, Ann Pitts and Shelby Wilson.

A ceremony will be held Sept. 15 in Stillwater to officially enshrine the six into the Hall of Honor, joining the 71 who have already been inducted into the Hall of Honor. They will join the likes of Bob Fenimore, Henry Iba, Bob Kurland, Barry Sanders and Eddie Sutton, among others, in earning the recognition, which is given to Cowboys and Cowgirls of distinction from the past and present.

The 2023 class is well-represented across the sports spectrum with Arndt (wrestling), Blackmon (football), Fowler (golf), Odenyo (soccer), Pitts (golf) and Wilson (wrestling) all set to be inducted.

Thanks for stopping by – here’s your daily dose of Oklahoma State sports news.

Scores

Softball: Cowgirls 3, Tulsa 1

OSU Bullets

• Recapping yesterday’s Pro Day in Stillwater plus video interviews from the Cowboys (PFB)

• Two articles (HCS and CBS Sports) looked at the “one question” facing Cowboy Football this fall – summary: how adequate are the fill-ins going to fill in?

• Bill Haisten nails it here – Mike Gundy’s best spot is being undersold and getting to overshoot expectations.

This is the type of challenge that drives Gundy, who in November would love to have a conference-contending squad and be in a position to say, “You guys didn’t think we would be any good. How do you like us now?”

[TulsaWorld]

• Mike Boynton’s Pokes are linked to a handful of potential additions via the transfer portal (PFB)

• A closer look at how Brandon Garrison played at the McDonald’s All-American game (PFB)

Non-OSU Bullets

• Finished a couple of fiction reads this week – the better one and the childish one that I couldn’t help but reading
• Why I love a church that talks about sin (faith-based)

This seems to be the model Mike Gundy will eventually grasp and succeed at – finding a way to have a really good team while not a title-contender:

Meanwhile, though roster management might be more trying for head coaches than it’s ever been, the rewards are also richer. TCU just made the national title game with a small handful of blue-chippers, a number of key junior college transfers and starters who began their respective careers at Colorado, Louisiana-Monroe, Navy, New Mexico and SMU. That’s a recipe a lot of coaches can and will attempt to emulate.

[ESPN $$$]

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State held its Pro Day on Wednesday, were 11 former Cowboys participated. PFB caught up with Jason Taylor, Tyler Lacy, Braydon Johnson, Brock Martin and Matt Hembrough after the festivities.

PHOTO GALLERY

STILLWATER — NFL scouts were in abundance on the strip of Hall of Fame Avenue between Washington and Knoblock streets for Oklahoma State’s Pro Day.

It’ll be the last Pro Day in Stillwater for a while, as the Big 12 is doing a combined Pro Day in Frisco, Texas moving forward. Here is a look at how the Cowboys performed and a few takeaways from the day.

Full Results

Johnson Flies

Braydon Johnson has always been known as a speed guy, and he showed why Wednesday.

Myself and most of the other media members I talked with clocked his 40-yard dash at 4.38, which would’ve tied for 13th among all NFL Combine participants and tied for fourth among wide receivers.

Johnson’s time in Stillwater has been tumultuous, dealing with injuries (like missing most of 2021) and bouncing between an outside receiver and the slot. But speed is the name of the modern game in many aspects. If Johnson can run like the wind, he has a real shot at not only getting an NFL opportunity, but maybe getting drafted.

Johnson’s hands have been a question in the past, but in the on-field work Wednesday, he looked as smooth as ever catching passes from walk-on QB Peyton Thompson. Johnson finished his college career with 79 catches for 1,314 yards and eight touchdowns.

It was a good, good day for Johnson to not only prove his speed but also show scouts his hands.

“I’ve been training for 12 weeks, so there’s not any pressure,” Johnson said. “I don’t believe in luck. I put in all the work just for this day, so there wasn’t much pressure. Take a deep breath and get it done.”

Taylor, Lacy Pick Their Spots

After already participating in the NFL Combine, Jason Taylor II and Tyler Lacy got to pick their spots Wednesday.

Taylor was good with his 43-inch vertical in Indianapolis, which ranked second among Combine safeties. He also didn’t do the broad jump, the bench or run a 40 Wednesday after broad jumping 10-9 (third among safeties), getting 14 reps on the bench and running a 4.50 (sixth among safeties) at the combine.

“[The Combine] is a little weird,” Taylor said. “I won’t lie. It’s a little weird. Everybody quiet and looking at you, but it’s a great experience. I’ve been dreaming about the Combine since I was a little kid, so to be one of those guys that I was looking at on the TV, it’s amazing.”

Lacy had a vertical jump of 28.5 inches at the Combine, which tied for last among defensive ends, but he improved that to 31 inches in Boone Pickens Stadium despite weighing in heavier Wednesday (283 pounds) than he did in Indianapolis (279 pounds).

“That shocked me today,” Lacy said. “I guess I was motivated today. I was ready to jump, so I guess that’s what happened. I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.”

Evers Leaps

After being listed at 295 pounds on OSU’s 2022 roster, Brendon Evers weighed in at a trimmed 277 on Wednesday morning and took to the skies with that weight off.

Evers had a 32-inch vertical, which would have ranked third among defensive tackles at the Combine. His 4.97 (unofficial) 40-yard dash would’ve also ranked seventh among Combine DTs.

So, it was a good day for Evers, who missed the last portion of the 2022 season with an injury.

Long Snappers Are Athletes, Too

There was one long snapper invited to the NFL Combine — UCF’s Alex Ward. There should’ve been two.

Matt Hembrough was one of the biggest surprises of the day to the uninitiated. Here is a look at his drills compared to where Ward stacked up in Indy:

Advantage = Hembrough.