Oklahoma State Dominates in Big 12 Baseball Championship

Bedlam, one last time. After 16 games over four days that included several upsets, the final game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship gave us the top two seeds facing off on Saturday night in Arlington.

No. 2 Oklahoma State (40-17) defeated No. 1 Oklahoma (37-19) 9-3 to capture their first tournament title in five years. The Cowboys have now won the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship four times, with previous wins coming in 2004, 2017, and 2019.

Oklahoma State got the scoring started early thanks to a sacrifice fly by Zach Ehrhard that scored Carson Benge in the top of the 1st inning.

The top three in the Pokes’ lineup went 7-for-14 in the championship game with four RBIs and five runs scored. Benge, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2024 All-Tournament Team, went 2-for-5 with two runs. Leadoff hitter Lane Forsythe recorded three hits, two runs, and an RBI.

Nolan Schubart, Kollin Ritchie, and Ian Daugherty all homered in the championship finale, with Ritchie and Daugherty going back-to-back in the top of the eighth.

“Quite a tournament. I don’t know if we could have asked for better pitching throughout,” said Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holliday after the game. “I liked the way that we played defense. I thought Avery [Ortiz] made some beautiful plays at second base over the course of the tournament. Lane [Forsythe] continues to be an exceptional, steady defender at shortstop, and we handled the ball in the air in this big ballpark well. Those were certainly important parts of a winning formula.”

With the win, OSU improved to 4-4 in the Big 12 Championship finals. They have more appearances in the final than any other team. They became the 5th No. 2 seed to win the championship game (Nebraska 2000, Texas A&M 2011, TCU 2014, and TCU 2021).

This marked the 13th straight season that the No. 1 seed did not win the Big 12 Championship.

OSU improved to 43-44 all-time in the Big 12 Championship. Oklahoma, playing their last game as a member of the Big 12, finished at 46-44 in the tournament.

Winning pitcher – Gabe Davis (2-4); Losing pitcher – Carter Campbell (4-1).

Oklahoma State receives the Big 12’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys now have an RPI of 11, the highest in the Big 12. They most likely will host a Regional. Oklahoma has an RPI of 14 and should also be in line to host a Regional. Many projections have the Sooners garnering a Top-8 national seed, which would mean they would also host a Super Regional if they win the Regional.

The 16 Regional Hosts will be announced later Sunday night. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, May 27, at 11 a.m. CT. At that time, all 64 teams will be announced. The Big 12 is projected to have at least seven teams in the tournament, possibly nine.

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