Cowboy Baseball Can Use 2025 Disappointment as Motivation for 2026

Oklahoma State was expected to be on top of the Big 12 this season, but early struggles kept the Cowboys from realizing their potential.

In 2024, OSU was one of the best baseball teams in the country, but its season ended as far too many have in recent history. After going through the Big 12 Tournament and taking out Oklahoma to win the conference championship, the Cowboys earned the right to host a Regional in Stillwater.

Things looked to be going the right way for Josh Holliday’s team, securing two wins to begin the Stillwater Regional. However, back-to-back losses to Florida soured the Cowboys’ successful season and led to many questions about Holliday and the program’s status in college baseball.

Despite the disappointing finish in 2024, the Cowboys looked to be one of the top teams in the country again in 2025. This time around, the Cowboys were picked to finish first in the Big 12 and had a slew of players on the All-Big 12 preseason teams.

With many key returners, Holliday looked to be in a position to lead his club to another Stillwater Regional and perhaps beyond. However, things took a turn for the Cowboys.

Early in the season, the Cowboys failed to live up to expectations, taking some disappointing nonconference losses and failing to secure many big nonconference wins. Still, OSU was expected to compete at a high level in Big 12 play.

Instead, OSU struggled once conference play began. With the losses piling up, OSU spent a fair amount of the season under .500 and staring at a losing season when it was supposed to be a national contender.

OSU managed to turn things around by winning nine of its final 10 regular season games to jump back over .500 and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Still, the loss in the Athens Regional was a far cry from where the Cowboys expected to be at the beginning of the season.

Going into 2026, the Cowboys know that expectations don’t mean much and what happens on the field is all that matters. Whether the Cowboys enter as a favorite next season or take on the underdog role, they have plenty of experience to guide them through the year.