OSU Baseball's Tuscaloosa Regional Draw, Broken Down

Postseason baseball has arrived. The Field of 64 is locked and each team's road to Omaha is set, and Oklahoma State earned the 2-seed for the Tuscaloosa Regional — hosted by No. 7 national seed Alabama — and will open regional play against 3-seed USC Upstate on Friday at 1 p.m. at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

At first glance, the Cowboys' draw appears relatively favorable. At the same time, a handful of its elements shouldn't be overlooked.

Alabama presents one of the nation's most complete clubs and a hostile SEC venue, while USC Upstate enters postseason play scorching hot. Even Alabama State arrives with momentum and offensive firepower capable of making things uncomfortable in a hurry. But regional baseball rarely unfolds according to perception alone. Momentum shifts quickly. Bullpens get stretched thin. And ultimately, only the most complete ballclub comes out on top.

"We've worked hard and we've earned the position we're in," OSU head coach Josh Holliday said. "I am so proud of the work that we've put in to be here. Now we get a chance to go out and go for it. Plain and simple — just go for it."

Here is a breakdown of the Cowboys' (37-20) regional draw and what to look for come Friday.

Alabama (37-19, 1-seed, No. 7 national seed)

RPI: 6 | SOS: 3 | DSR: 15

The Crimson Tide carry a starting rotation that helped Alabama earn a top-eight national seed.

The trio of right-hander Zane Adams (4.36 ERA, 3.53 K-BB, 10.02 K/9), right-hander Tyler Fay (4.70 ERA, 5.71 K-BB, 10.42 K/9), and rising freshman Myles Upchurch (3.34 ERA, 1.80 K-BB, 9.46 K/9) carried the Crimson Tide to an 18-12 clip in SEC play. Meanwhile, veteran right-hander JT Blackwood (3.82 ERA, 2.13 K-BB, 4.45 K/9) made seven starts this season and would project to start a fourth game, if necessary.

Alabama also has three relief options led by Matthew Heiberger, who carries a 3.31 ERA and four saves through 35 1/3 innings of work. Senior right-hander Hagan Banks leads the team with six saves and has a 1.19 ERA in 19 1/3 innings, while southpaw Austin Crowther has tallied 31 innings with a 2.90 ERA and two saves.

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Offensively, the Crimson Tide aren't too lethal. Their .278 team batting average ranks in the bottom half of the SEC and is beneath the Cowboys' .280 clip. However, timely offense has carried them in high-leverage situations. They have enough star power to pose a threat to any team nationwide, led by junior shortstop Justin Lebron (.262/.382/.519, 14 HR, 40 RBI, 111 wRC+ — where wRC+ stands for weighted runs created plus, a stat where 100 is league average). His numbers this year aren't as thunderous as they were in years past. However, Lebron has played through injury for most of this season, and has tallied a hit in eight of his last 10 games.

OSU's offense enters Friday red hot, averaging just short of 10 runs per game over the past 17 games. And while Alabama's mound talent will test that lethality, if the Cowboys can garner enough efficiency from their pitching staff, they should have the upper edge.

USC Upstate (33-28, 3-seed)

RPI: 84 | SOS: 108 | DSR: 81

Like the Cowboys, USC Upstate played its best baseball in May, winning 14 of its last 16 en route to its second straight Big South Tournament championship, which came courtesy of an 8-1 win over Longwood.

The pitching staff has been subpar for the most part, carrying a 5.89 team ERA, to go with only 449 strikeouts and a cumulative 1.83 K-BB — for reference, anything above 3 is considered good. Projected starter Chris Torres enters regional play shortly after a strong outing Sunday.

The junior southpaw threw three innings in the championship finale, allowing one run and no hits while striking out four. However, his season ERA and underlying stats remain a concern.

Meanwhile, the Spartans have several premier offensive weapons. Right fielder Henry Zenor, shortstop Maloy Heaghney and catcher Tyler Lang have powered the offense throughout the season. Don't overlook infielder Johnny Sweeney or senior utility player Wylie Waters, whose raw power has driven the Spartans to several wins this season. Both lead the team with 12 home runs apiece.

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Defense has been the Spartans' crown jewel — namely with Lang, who was error-free through his first 52 appearances at catcher this season. Until Sunday, when he finally committed his first against Longwood. He has also thrown out 16 would-be base stealers.

For OSU, Lang shouldn't be a prominent threat defensively. The Cowboys have stolen only 47 bases on 60 attempts, which ranks third-to-last in the Big 12. So, if they can avoid weak contact and pinpoint hitting placement, their power lineup should be more than capable of propelling them to the winner's bracket come Saturday.

Alabama State (34-21, 4-seed)

RPI: 173 | SOS: 269 | DSR: 175

Alabama State also enters regional play red hot, going 14-2 over its last 16 contests. The Hornets cruised through the SWAC Tournament, besting Florida A&M 8-6 to clinch their first regional bid since 2022.

Offense has been the primary element of the team's success as of late. In conference tournament play, the Hornets batted .353, scoring 34 runs on 47 hits.

A couple of marquee offensive prospects for Alabama State are right fielder Miguel Oropeza (.366, 11 HR, 65 RBI, 149 wRC+), shortstop Breydon Divine (.308, 2 HR, 26 RBI, 85 wRC+), and catcher and junior Trey Callaway (.268/.372/.577, 16 HR, 46 RBI, 118 wRC+). Both Oropeza and Callaway are chasing school records.

Oropeza has logged 19 doubles, which is three shy of the program's single-season doubles record, all while setting new single-season records in RBI (65) and total bases (132) this season. Callaway has 16 home runs and needs two to break the single-season home run record of 17, which was set by Kameron Douglas last season.

The Hornets are a pesky group. But on paper, the Cowboys should handle them with relative ease, should the two cross paths in Tuscaloosa this weekend.