Oklahoma State Opens Arizona State Series With Win

Things could be coming together for the Cowboys at the perfect time.

Oklahoma State earned a win in the series opener against Arizona State on Thursday night, beating the Sun Devils 6-2 at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater. After falling to Baylor in the series finale on Sunday, the Cowboys rebounded with a good win to begin their final series of the regular season.

While Arizona State was the first on the board with a run in the top of the first, OSU responded with one of its own in the bottom of the inning and created separation that would last the rest of the matchup with a four-run second inning.

While earning a couple of more wins over Arizona State could help the Cowboys move up in the Big 12 standings and potentially get a more favorable path in the Big 12 Tournament, these wins don’t necessarily help the Cowboys in their journey to get back to the NCAA Tournament. OSU seems to be firmly on the outside looking in as it caps off its regular season over the next few days, but there is still one way the Cowboys could get in to the big dance.

Much like other sports, college baseball hands out automatic NCAA Tournament bids to teams that win their conference tournament. Of course, getting wins over a solid Arizona State team could have some ramifications in the Big 12 standings and alter OSU’s matchups and path in the conference tournament.

Yet, above all else, getting some wins against a quality opponent to finish the regular season could mean much more because of the confidence it lends the Cowboys ahead of the postseason. Although confidence isn’t something quantifiable like conference standings and the win-loss record, it could be the biggest key to OSU’s hopes of playing longer than scheduled.

Last season, OSU won the Big 12 Tournament, and it brings back many of the key players who helped the team capture that title. With championship experience and a potentially momentum-carrying finish to the regular season, the Cowboys are down but not yet out.