Oklahoma State Baseball Named Top 20 Program of All-Time
Oklahoma State recently cracked the top 20 of a rather illustrious poll. The Cowboy baseball program was named the 19th best baseball program in NCAA baseball history. They joined a long list of great baseball teams but let’s dive deeper into what makes OSU Cowboy baseball special.
O’Brate Stadium is Legendary
O’Brate Stadium has been mentioned as one of the Taj Mahals of college baseball and for good reason. Deriving its name from OSU benefactor Cecil O’Brate, the stadium includes approximately 3,500 seats, 11 suits and 400 premium seats in dedicated club and suite areas. The stadium was dedicated in 2020 and opened in 2021.
It has become one of the premier NCAA stadiums in all of baseball and has hosted the likes of the Prep Baseball Oklahoma Top Prospect Underclass Games as well as hosting the 2024 NCAA Regional Tournament.
Distinguished Alumni
68 Oklahoma State Cowboys have played baseball in the majors. A massive number for an organization who calls Oklahoma home. Legendary head coach Gary Ward built the program from 1978-96. Ward is the all-time leader in wins and winning percentage at Oklahoma State. His overall record of 953-331-1 (.752). His 953 wins are more than 600 wins more than any other coach in school history.
Golden Spikes Winner Spotlight: ROBIN VENTURA!! He has an NCAA record of hitting safely in 58 straight games for @OSUBaseball and went on to earn 6 Gold Glove awards over his 16 year MLB career. #GoldenSpikes pic.twitter.com/eRvJ6lxbsW
— Dogpile SZN (@dogpileszn) October 10, 2024
Robin Ventura dominated college baseball from 1986-88. He holds program records when he hit .428, totaled 329 hits and scored 300 runs. He set an NCAA record 58-game hitting streak. Ventura is a member of the Oklahoma State Hall of Fame as well as the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. He went on to have a tremendous career in the majors.
The Royal family of Oklahoma State baseball rest in the blood line of the Holliday family. Tom Holliday was the head coach from 1997-2003 and made way for oldest son Josh to join the Oklahoma State coaching staff in 2013. Matt Holliday, following a long MLB career, made his way back to Oklahoma following retirement where he joined the Cowboy coaching staff.
Matt originally committed to OSU but was drafted directly out of high school. Matt’s son Jackson and Ethan Holliday are taking their father’s road to success. Jackson committed to Oklahoma State during his time with Stillwater High School, but he was drafted directly out of high school by the Baltimore Orioles. Ethan is in his final year of high school and could easily be the top pick in the 2025 draft despite his commitment to Oklahoma State.
The History is Rich
Oklahoma State has won 25 conference championships and 26 conference tournament championships. The Cowboys have earned 49 NCAA Tournament bids and punched their ticket to the College World Series 20 times. They made a record-breaking run from 1981 to 1987 in which they made the CWS seven straight times.
"𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭"
— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) October 10, 2024
🔗 https://t.co/Qsq8vPLM3l #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/n85lzpJUpC
O-State currently has four players in the College Baseball Hall of Fame: Gary Ward who won 16 consecutive conference titles from 1980-1996, Tom Borland who was the CWS MVP in 1955, Pete Incaviglia who holds the career college home run record with 100, and Robin Ventura with his 58-game hitting streak.
The Iron Duke of Defense, Henry Iba won over 800 career basketball games and two National Championships at Oklahoma State, but many may not know that Coach Iba coached baseball at O-State from 1934-1941.
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.