Breaking Down the Cowboys' Opening Weekend Pitching Plans — Mailbag examines rotation, lineup and freshman impact ahead of challenging slate
From pitching depth to projected lineups, examining key questions as Cowboys open 2026 season in Arlington
Opening Day is upon us.
With that, comes The Stillwegian’s inaugural Oklahoma State baseball mailbag of the college baseball season. And you all, our readers, gave me plenty of content to delve into.
It feels like yesterday D1Baseball unveiled its preseason rankings. Now, we’re headed to the Lone Star State to cover OSU’s Opening Weekend slate in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field, which is a gauntlet. First up is No. 7 Arkansas on Friday at 7 p.m. Next up is Bedlam rival Oklahoma on Saturday at 3 p.m. Then comes No. 23 Vanderbilt on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to finalize the weekend.
It’s the type of nonconference tournament that will expose the flaws within a roster rather quickly. On the bright side, however, that often pays dividends down the road. And if we know anything about a Josh Holliday-led team, the product in May is always light years ahead of that on display in February.
Not to mention, a plethora of teams have gotten their teeth kicked in during this same tournament in years past and made it to Omaha months later. Texas did it quite a bit when David Pierce was at the helm in Austin. TCU under Kirk Sarloos is another product of that trend.
Can the Cowboys follow suit and return to the College World Series for the first time since 2016? That remains to be seen. And more questions will need to be answered before that is even determined. Especially for a team coming off a 30-25 finish and fifth-straight regional exit a year ago and one that welcomed in 16 freshmen and four transfer portal additions.
Until then, let’s dive into your questions.
From Cwby Enthusiast: “Hudson Barrett and Mario Pesca are likely 2/3 of our weekend starters. But who would you guess is the third?”
All signs point to sophomore lefty Ethan Lund is likely to get the nod as OSU’s Day 3 starter.
Statistically, his 2025 numbers weren’t flashy. At the same time, it’s worth noting Lund battled through injuries throughout his freshman campaign. Thus, his 5.79 ERA, .333 opponent batting average and miniscule 13-strikeout total shouldn’t be treated as gospel.
Lund is a lanky, 6-foot-6 prospect, whom Holliday praised immensely heading into last season. When he was healthy, you saw why.
Of course, most freshmen endure first-year growing pains, but over the season’s course, the pitch ability and stuff was apparent. He sits between 96-97 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball, has noticeable movement on his changeup and flashed a potent wipeout curveball at times last season. Oh, and not to mention, there’s whispers that he added an unspecified pitch to his arsenal over the offseason.
Simply put, Lund has first-round stuff. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s a southpaw.
Hudson Barrett will start on Opening Day when the Cowboys face Arkansas. And rightfully so. He’s a proven commodity when healthy and has the tools of a Power Four ace. But if Hawksworth can unleash Lund’s full potential, don’t be surprised if Lund is slotted into Barrett’s role by the end of the season.
Another option Holliday referenced during the team’s media day was sophomore righty Noah Wech. He’s an intriguing option, especially after his six-inning shutout outing against Georgia in the 2025 Athens Regional.
As a freshman, Wech logged 3.41 ERA, 32 strikeouts and a .264 opponent batting average through 31 2/3 innings pitched and 19 appearances. He’s heavy on his four-seam fastball, but has a sneaky-good slider and curveball.
My pick would be Lund, but don’t be surprised if Wech is in the mix for that Day 3 slot as well.
From Timothy Hope: “Can Drew Blake go more than 2 innings?”
Blake did struggle to extend his outings for the majority of last season. Simultaneously, it’s important to note he’s a reliever, not a starter. And it isn’t abnormal for relievers to seldom pitch beyond 2 innings.
His 6.66 ERA and .288 opponent batting average might not be ideal. But he was exceptional, if not, stellar in lefty-lefty matchups.
Holliday noted during OSU’s team media day that Blake had a “great” fall camp, even adding that he was pitching the best he had since his arrival as a freshman. While that might merely be coachspeak, it’s something fans can find solace in. Perhaps a fresh start with a new pitching coach was all he needed to unlock his potential after all.
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From Zacmanosu06: “Which freshman pitchers have the best chances of contributing in year one?”
The tandem of freshman right-handers in Parker Jenkins and Zane Burns are the two most-likely options in my opinion.
Jenkins was rated as Perfect Game's No. 224 overall recruit in his class. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound freshman boasts a three-pitch mix, featuring a 92-93 mph four-seam fastball, a curveball and a changeup with sneaky-good movement.
As a senior with IMG Academy in Florida, Jennings posted a 1.21 ERA to go with 37 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched.
Burns was ranked as the No. 484 overall recruit in his class according to Perfect Game. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound righty showcases a high-80s four-seam fastball and a wicked power slider that should make him a viable relief pitching option for OSU, even as a freshman.
As a senior with Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona, Burns posted a 1.06 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings pitched.
At first glance, the Cowboys have more pitching depth heading into 2026 than in years past. Nonetheless, with OSU having so many newcomers and first-year prospects, I’m adamant that Jenkins and Burns might get their shot as early as Opening Weekend.
From Dave Williams: “What is your projected lineup/starting rotation?”
And not to mention, season-ending injuries to key arms such as projected starter Hunter Watkins and sophomore reliever Matthew Brown might help expedite that.
I’ve thought about this for some time, and OSU’s influx of newcomers didn’t make it any easier for me to finalize something. Fast-forward, here’s what I have…
- 1 Alex Conover (LF)
- 2 Avery Ortiz (2B)
- 3 TP Wentworth (RF)
> Clemson transfer - 4 Kollin Ritchie (CF)
- 5 Colin Brueggemann (1B)
- 6 Campbell Smithwick (C)
> Ole Miss transfer - 7 Aidan Meola (DH)
- 8 Brock Thompson (SS)
- 9 Garrett Shull (3B)
As for the pitching rotation?
- Fri: Hudson Barrett
> UC-Santa Barbara transfer - Sat: Mario Pesca
- Sun: Ethan Lund
- MW: Noah Wech
- Closer: Kai Fyke
> Junior College transfer
From Geoff Eaton: "Who will be in the booth with Rex Holt?"
Good question, and I've wondered this myself.
I'd imagine Tom Holliday might be willing to slot himself in on occasions, albeit, exclusively for road games given he still commentates TV broadcasts during OSU's home games. Still, that might be an option.
Seeing various Cowboy baseball alums fill that void would also be cool. Nonetheless, I'm intrigued as to how that vacancy will pan out over the course of the season.
From mrParker2020: “Pitching, pitching, pitching…..”
Yes.
From TheCGATour: “Preseason MVP?”
I hate to go with the obvious answer, but I’m doing it — Kollin Ritchie.
After a stellar outing in the Athens Regional where he batted .538 with five home runs in a four-game span, immense draft buzz has latched itself to OSU’s center fielder heading into his junior season. From what I’ve heard, scouts love his 6-foot-2, 220-pound stature and the potential within his swing. Not to mention, he’s a left-handed bat.
But his offense isn’t the lone catalyst in his preseason hype.
Remember when Ritchie robbed Duke’s Tyler Albright of a home run to dead center field in OSU’s regional final game against the Blue Devils? There was plenty of that throughout the latter stretch of the season.
If Ritchie is at his best and OSU’s starting pitching rotation gels quickly enough, the Cowboys have a chance to piece together a special 2026 season.
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