Oklahoma State took to the diamond this past weekend and, despite flashing a lot of potential, came away losing 3 of 4 games. While that’s not the “results” they were looking for, large parts of the process were promising and should leave Cowboy fans excited to watch this team grow.
First, and this comes from people who know better than I, OSU was the most talented team on the field in every game they played, maybe other than Texas. That was a direct quote from someone who knows and speaks to this team’s potential.
Avery Ortiz is off to a good start hitting .333 with 2 long balls at the top of the lineup. Ortiz has also had to play shortstop, so his load has been substantially increased for his Sophomore year at OSU.
Ortiz is a tough, gritty, and smart ball player, has a fairly compact swing, and has WAY more power than he gets credit for. Similar to Zach Ehrhard, he is a “little guy” but he’s NOT a “little guy”.
Ortiz will likely spend a great deal of time at the top of the lineup if not 100% of the time, so his ability to set the table for the middle of the lineup will be key. It’s always a plus to have a hitter who can get on base but also pop some long balls, and that is Ortiz.
Nolan Schubart is one of College Baseball’s premiere hitters and provides one of the biggest threats in the Country in the middle of the OSU lineup. Schubart had a great Sophomore year hitting .370 and slugging 23 home runs in just 173 at bats. That would be the equivalent of 60 or so long balls at the Major League level, which is elite.
He is surrounded by very talented hitters who also have a lot of College experience. Aidan Meola got off to a slow start, but is coming off of years where he has hit .329 last year, then .330 in 2023.
Meola has always been super talented but hasn’t been able to stay healthy, something we’re all hoping happens this year. When he is at the plate, he doesn’t get cheated, and he has been a good hitter since he stepped on campus. And, he is one of the most competitive athletes I’ve ever seen, he’s clutch and there is no reason to expect anything other than a great year from the Palm Beach Gardens native.
On the other side of Schubart has been Jayson Jones. Jones is originally from Savannah, Texas, but transferred this past off-season from Arkansas where he went out of High School. While he only hit .195 with the Hogs, there is no denying his talent, and the hopes are that a change of scenery is just what the Doctor ordered for him. So far, the early returns have been good as he is hitting .333, and hit one of the most impressive home runs OSU has seen since the days of Pete Incaviglia.
If he comes anywhere close to his potential, he’ll be a force in the middle of this OSU lineup.
Colin Brueggemann is a key piece to this lineup because if he hits, he provides protection for both Jones and Schubart. “Brueggy” as he’s known, had the grand slam to get the party started against Louisville.
Colin has some “feast or famine” to his offensive profile, and that should be okay because OSU should have enough “bat to ball” type hitters to compliment. One thing is for sure, when he hits, he does damage, and when that happens OSU usually wins. Brueggemann is also a Senior, so is another Cowboy who has a ton of experience, which is valuable as this club works with several very talented younger players.
Ian Daugherty has picked up this year where he left off in 2024. Daugherty had 8 multi-hit games in his last 22 games played and hit .278 during that stretch to finish last year. So far this year he is hitting .357 and has several very big RBIs.
Daugherty is a Senior from Kingfisher and is another player who has a ton of high-level experience. He’s done a great job of not just “lengthening” this lineup, but also being a force in terms of driving in runs. If he continues to hit the way he has started, this OSU lineup will lengthen substantially and go from being explosive to becoming explosive and consistent.
Beau Sylvester and Charlie Carter are both very talented young catchers who are entering their 2nd season on Campus and are both Sophomores. Sylvester started last year with the promise of being a mainstay behind the plate before injuring his knee in late February and not returning.
Beau stayed at school until the middle of June which got him to his 18-week mark from injury. At that point, the OSU Trainers told him he was all good to go home to lift and hit on his own at home for a few weeks.
He is from Hawaii, Kailua to be exact, which is on the island of O’ahu, and has a very upbeat and positive outlook on things.
Here’s what he said in terms of his outlook for the upcoming season “All I can say in terms of outlook is I haven’t felt sorry for myself a day since I went down so I’m not coming back any less than what I was before injury”.
Great perspective, and, in case you were wondering, Sylvester hurt his leg against Michigan in the 5th game of the year and never returned.
But, that’s in the past, and, as you can tell, Sylvester is all about looking forward to the future, and one that is very bright. Between what likely will be differing roles for returning pitchers, and then a whole slew of new arms, it’s absolutely awesome that OSU has all 3 catchers back to help with that transition.
Super excited to see Sylvester back in the fold, he’s a definite impact player on both sides of the ball. Super cool dude who fits right into the Cowboy baseball culture.
When Sylvester went down with the season-ending knee injury, that opened the door for Charlie Carter, a talented backstop from Little Rock, Arkansas. Carter struggled to get his offense going, but showed fantastic defensive abilities, especially in the area of blocking balls in the dirt. His ability to smother pitches allowed Brian Holiday, and some of the other pitchers the ability to bury their breaking pitches, knowing he’ll cover them up.
Make no mistake though, Carter is plenty capable with the bat in his hands, so looking forward to where 2025 takes him.
Donovan LaSalle has split time so far in the outfield. Of course, we all remember his huge home run last year to beat OU, which came in his first at-bat back since being injured during the early part of last year.
LaSalle missed from February 25th to April 5th and that put him behind the 8 ball with the talent on the Pokes roster last year. So, he struggled to find consistent at-bats and is looking to become more of a regular this year, his 2nd year on Campus.
LaSalle comes from Lake Charles and played for the Hall of Famer Glen Cecchini at Barbe High School. Cecchini is an extremely well-respected coach who has built a powerhouse at Barbe.
That said to say, Donovan knows what a winning culture is like, because he grew up in one. He knows what it means to uphold winning expectations, and he knows how to compete and earn everything he gets. And, he has a lot of talent, so there is a lot to be excited about with Donovan LaSalle.
Oklahoma State is very lucky they were able to get a handful of their younger players to campus, and Brock Thompson is at the top of that list. That’s not my opinion, that comes from folks who know a lot more about this than I do.
He has the potential to have great “bat-to-ball” skills while also hitting the ball fairly consistently above 100 mph. His approach has been centered on hitting the ball hard, and hitting line drives, which still is, and will always be THE MOST successful ball off of any bat.
Hard-hit Line Drives will always be the king, that will never change, and that’s Brock Thompson.
He has a treasure trove of tools in his bag that very few have, not an exaggeration. Again, that’s coming from people who know this stuff a lot better than I do!
Really like the short and compact swing of Brayden Smith, who came to OSU from Iowa Western, who is a fantastic Juco. For those who remember the early days of Josh’s Head career at OSU, you might remember Tanner Krietemeier, a really good left-handed hitter. TK was an Iowa Western product too.
Smith hit .402 in 111 games at Iowa Western, hit 22 home runs, had 115 RBIs, and stole 28 bases, so he’s another complete offensive player who plugs into the outfield for this club and brings experience.
Congrats Garrett Shull for getting his first Collegiate start, and also his first Collegiate hit against Louisville. He also had an RBI against Texas State that tied that game at 1 as well, before that game got away.
I’ve been watchin’ this dude play baseball for a long time, and I’m gonna go out on a limb and say he’s gonna be playin’ this game for a while.
Shull played for Brad Gore at Enid, who is in the OSU Baseball Hall of Fame and is a super-talented Freshman outfielder who hit .430 for his career in 6A baseball at Enid. He also nailed 27 Home Runs, 149 RBIs, 54 Doubles, and 77 Stolen bases. So, he is good, and he can beat a defense in every which way.
Super excited to get this young man on campus.
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