Donnie Walton (Oklahoma State Athletics)

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Top 25 Breakdown: No. 12 Oklahoma State

2014 Record: 48-18. RPI: 19.

Coach (Record at school): Josh Holliday (89-37, 2 years).

Postseason History: 40 regionals (active streak: 2), 19 CWS trips (last in 1999), 1 national title (1959).

Oklahoma State's Projected Lineup

Pos. Name, Yr. AVG/OBP/SLG HR RBI SB C Gage Green, Sr. .310/.392/.423 3 30 20 1B Dustin Williams, So. .216/.367/.392 3 21 2 2B Tim Arakawa, Sr. .265/.399/.352 4 44 15 3B David Petrino, Jr. Tr.—Central Arizona JC SS Donnie Walton, Jr. .310/.407/.405 3 36 7 LF Ryan Sluder, So. .284/.360/.299 0 7 1 CF Corey Hassel, Jr. .172/.342/.207 0 5 2 RF Jon Littell, Fr. HS—Stillwater (Okla.) HS DH Conor Costello, Jr. .240/.349/.432 9 27 4

Pos. Name, Yr. W-L ERA IP SO BB SV RHP Jon Perrin, Sr. 8-5 2.38 102 81 29 0 LHP Tyler Nurdin, Sr. 4-3 6.54 52 31 39 0 RHP Tyler Buffett, So. 2-1 2.95 55 36 24 0 RP Trey Cobb, So. 4-0 1.69 53 38 20 0

SEE ALSO: Five Questions With Oklahoma State’s Josh Holliday

Hitting: 55. Oklahoma State returns its top two hitters, and four of its top six, from a team that ranked 13th in the nation in runs, second in walks and third in sacrifice bunts. Walton and Arakawa set the tone for an offense that prides itself on discipline: They combined for 85 walks and 76 strikeouts last year. The switch-hitting Walton (son of OSU pitching coach Rob Walton) is an accomplished contact hitter from both sides of the plate, and he already owns the school record for sacrifice bunts. The athletic, versatile Green is a tough out with plenty of strength to the gaps in his lefthanded swing. Williams has a very pretty lefthanded stroke and good strike-zone awareness—he’s a prime breakout candidate. Sluder, Petrino, Littell and Costello form a talented quartet of righthanded hitters, giving the lineup enviable balance. The OSU offense has serious upside, but Sluder, Hassel, Littell, Williams and Petrino still need to prove themselves.

Power: 60. Costello, Littell and Sluder all feature plus raw power from the right side, though only Costello has tapped into his power at the Division I level to this point. Williams brings intriguing lefthanded power, while Green and Petrino should also bring occasional pop.

Speed: 65. Hassel has excellent speed in center field, and the tooled-up Sluder is one of the fastest players in the Big 12. Walton and Arakawa also bring good speed and baserunning savvy, and Green gives Oklahoma State the rare luxury of a catcher with legitimate speed and basestealing instincts.

Defense: 60. The backbone of Oklahoma State’s defense is the middle infield tandem of Walton and Arakawa, a pair of playmakers with good instincts, range and arm strength. Green handles the staff well, and Hassel covers plenty of ground and boasts a plus outfield arm, making OSU strong up the middle. Sluder and Littell both offer plus arms at the outfield corners, and Petrino has another strong arm at third base.

Jon Perrin

Starting Pitching: 55. The Cowboys lack a dominant ace, but they have plenty of pitching depth, and Perrin is a proven winner atop the rotation. Perrin locates his 88-91 fastball, 80-84 slider and tumbling changeup very well. Nurdin offers similar fastball velocity from the left side and good depth on his power slider, but he needs to improve the movement on his changeup and his strike-throwing ability. Buffett has added a 12-to-6 curveball to his arsenal, joining an 87-91 fastball, slider and changeup. So. LHP Garrett Williams has the most upside of this group, with a quick arm that produces 90-94 heat, a wipeout curveball at 76-78 and a developing changeup, but his command remains inconsistent. Costello, who showed premium velocity in a relief role last summer in the Cape Cod League, also has a chance to start thanks to his ability to hold his 89-93 mph velocity and his surprising feel for a changeup.

Bullpen: 60. Oklahoma’s biggest challenge might be replacing bullpen dynamos Vince Wheeland and Brendan McCurry, but Cobb looks ready to assume the closer role. He was good as a freshman, but his velocity has jumped into the 90-94 range and his command of it has improved, and his slider is a good second pitch. So. RHP Blake Battenfield throws downhill with an 87-91 fastball and has an out pitch in his slider along with a solid curveball. Junior-college transfer Remey Reed, another big-framed righty, attacks hitters with a 92-94 fastball and a swing-and-miss changeup, but his breaking ball remains a work in progress. Fellow juco transfer Koda Glover has shown 92-95 heat, but his control has been erratic in the past. The same is true of So. RHP Thomas Hatch, a live-armed power pitcher who is still refining his craft. Strike-throwing junior Alex Hackerott could be the key option from the left side.

Experience/Intangibles: 60. The Cowboys have a good veteran core with super regional experience, but they also are relying on a large group of talented but unproven underclassmen. Still, OSU’s all-star coaching staff takes pride in developing players over the course of the season, and last year’s Cowboys were much better in the second half than they were early on. This team figures to mature similarly, and it has Omaha upside.