Oklahoma State Falls To Kansas In Big 12 Baseball Tournament Semifinals

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Oklahoma State Cowboys saw their run in the 2026 Big 12 Tournament come to an end Friday evening, dropping a 9-2 decision to the 13th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in the semifinals at Surprise Stadium.

The fifth-seeded Cowboys, ranked 19th nationally, finished the contest with a 37-20 overall record. Meanwhile, the top-seeded Jayhawks improved to 41-16 and advanced to the tournament championship round.

Despite the loss, Oklahoma State remains firmly in contention for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, with the 64-team field set to be revealed Monday at 11 a.m. CDT.

The Cowboys are widely projected to receive an at-large bid, which would mark their 13th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Regional round, a testament to the program’s sustained excellence under head coach Josh Holliday.

Offensively, the Cowboys were limited for much of the afternoon but showed flashes of life late. Avery Ortiz and Aidan Meola each recorded two hits to pace the OSU attack.

Ortiz also drove in a run with a crucial double, while Campbell Smithwick added an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

However, the Cowboys struggled to string together consistent rallies against Kansas starter Mason Cook, who was dominant through the first five innings.

On the mound, left-hander Ethan Lund was handed the loss, falling to 5-2 on the season. Lund delivered a solid six-inning outing, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out eight batters.

The performance pushed his season strikeout total to 127, tying him for ninth place on Oklahoma State’s single-season strikeout list. Despite the strong punch-out numbers, Lund ran into early trouble and couldn’t fully escape the damage.

Kansas jumped ahead quickly in the first inning. After issuing back-to-back walks to start the game, Lund recorded two outs but surrendered consecutive RBI hits that staked the Jayhawks to a 2-0 lead.

The Jayhawks added another run in the second inning when Tyson LeBlanc ripped an RBI double, extending the advantage to 3-0.From that point, the game settled into a tense pitcher’s duel between Lund and Cook.

Cook was particularly effective, keeping the Cowboys off the scoreboard and limiting them to just two hits over the first five innings. His command and ability to induce weak contact frustrated the OSU lineup and prevented any early momentum from developing.

Oklahoma State finally broke through in the sixth inning. Kollin Ritchie drew a leadoff walk, and after two outs, Ortiz delivered a loud RBI double off the wall in center field to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Cowboys showed more fight in the eighth, loading the bases with a leadoff walk to Brock Thompson and a one-out double by Meola. Smithwick then brought in a run with a sacrifice fly to center, narrowing the score to 3-2.

However, Kansas responded emphatically in the bottom of the eighth. The Jayhawks erupted for six runs on just four hits, putting the game out of reach. The decisive blow came on a two-out grand slam by LeBlanc, who capped off a strong performance with one of the biggest hits of the tournament.

UP NEXT: The loss ends Oklahoma State’s tournament run but does little to diminish what has been a competitive season for the Cowboys.

With several key contributors returning and a deep lineup that showed resilience throughout the year, OSU will now turn its attention to the NCAA selection show. A strong regional performance could still be on the horizon if the Cowboys are placed favorably.

The focus now shifts from Surprise, Arizona, to wherever the selection committee sends them next week.