Cowboys Phenom Bryce Osmond Named Texas Collegiate North Pitcher Of The Year
During the COVID-19 global pandemic, there was obviously a lack of sports for Oklahoma State fans to watch and pay attention though.
However, not all Cowboy athletes were without competitive sports, specifically the baseball players.
A number of Cowboys were able to compete this summer with the Tulsa Drillers as they played in the Texas Collegiate League. The TCL is a league "that exists to provide the best summer league experience for the best professional prospects from colleges throughout the country. The league will allow those players with college eligibility remaining to showcase and improve their skills in a wholesome, minor league-type atmosphere..."
One Cowboy that spent his summer competing in the TCL was rising second year pitcher Bryce Osmond. In fact he did the most with his summer competing against some of the best collegiate baseball players in the nation.
The Texas Collegiate League announced tonight that Osmond was named the TCL North Pitcher of the Year.
Your @TCLBaseball North Pitcher of the Year @BryceOsmond3 🏆was a stud! He struckout 36 batters in 23.2 innings pitched and allowed ONLY 9 hits all year!!😱 pic.twitter.com/x9m2i0gGlO
— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) August 21, 2020
This is not surprising by any means as Osmond struck out 36 batters in 23.2 innings. He also only allowed nine hits the entire summer, a truly absurd number, considering five of those hits came in one game.
Osmond is currently ranked as the No. 7 Major League Baseball prospect in the draft class of 2022, according to Perfect Game Baseball.
Coming out of high school, he was rated the No. 53 overall prospect in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft by MLB Pipeline. During his freshman season, which was shortened to due to the global pandemic, Osmond threw 16 innings with a 5.06 era.
During his short Oklahoma State career he faced some of the best offensive teams in the nation but it seems he has already made the next step to be one of the best in America in the college ranks.
I spoke with Osmond tonight about the award and what this means for him moving forward.
"I would say having the chance to play during a worldwide pandemic was definitely what all of us as baseball players needed.", Osmond said.
"The way the TCL was set up and the way we were hosted by the Drillers was a little taste of professional baseball and it was really exciting to see what it’s like to play at the next level. I would definitely say after having the season cut short and then being able to go compete like I did, it has made me more motivated than ever to get back out on the field with our squad at OSU."
There has been basically zero roster changes from last year, excluding the new freshman joining the team. This means that last years team that was already poised to make a run at Omaha now has even more experienced young stars such as Osmond.
I expect very big things from Osmond as well as rest of the team. I fully expect this team to win the Big 12 and make a deep run in the 2021 College World Series.
