The Basics
Game 44
No. 24 Oral Roberts (32-11) vs No. 16 Oklahoma State (30-13)
Dates: May 2
Location: J.L. Johnson Stadium (Tulsa, Okla.)
Watch: ORU Sports Network | Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

TULSA, Okla. – The No. 24 Oral Roberts baseball team closes out its four-game homestand with a Top 25 midweek matchup against in-state foe No. 16 Oklahoma State Tuesday night from J.L. Johnson Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Tuesday's midweek will be streamed on the ORU Sports Network and fans can also follow along with the game on ORU's Twitter, @ORUBaseball. For tickets, fans can visit www.mabeecenter.com.

Important Links
ORU Game Notes
Summit League Notes

Inside the Series
• Tuesday's midweek marks the 78th meeting all-time between the two clubs.

• ORU leads the all-time series 40-37 and has won 11 of the last 14 meetings against OSU. Head coach Ryan Folmar is 12-5 all-time against his alma mater.

• In the first meeting between the two teams this season, the Golden Eagles used a six-run eighth inning to defeat No. 14 Oklahoma State, 8-5.

Quick Hits  
• The Golden Eagles are coming off their seventh straight series win after sweeping South Dakota State over the weekend. The seven consecutive series wins mark the longest streak for ORU since the 2017 season.

• The Golden Eagles, who have won 22 of their last 25 games, cracked the Top 25 in the Collegiate Baseball poll on Monday and have been ranked for three straight weeks. 

• First baseman Jake McMurray was named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week after hitting four homers on the weekend. On Friday, the senior recorded his first career multi-home run performance and then accomplished the feat again on Sunday. McMurray also registered a .538/.600/1.538 slash line in the three games, drove in seven RBI and stole a base. 

• Center fielder Jonah Cox pushed his hit streak to 27 games over the weekend and has now recorded a hit in 42 of the 43 contests this season. The junior was named to the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List on Wednesday.

• Shortstop Mac McCroskey was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, which honors the nation's top shortstop. The redshirt senior is hitting .289 with 12 homers, 41 RBI and 12 stolen bases. In addition to his offense, McCroskey anchors one of the top defenses in the nation.

• On the mound, midweek starter Joshua Caravalho was named to the College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Watch List, while closer Cade Denton was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.

• Out of the bullpen reliever Jacob Widener has been dominant over his last 15.2 innings of work as the redshirt sophomore has struck out 30 batters and allowed only three runs.

• The Golden Eagles will send Caravalho to the mound on Tuesday. The sophomore holds a 5-1 record on the season to go along with a 3.18 ERA. Against Oklahoma State earlier this season, Caravalho allowed two runs over 3.2 innings of work.

• Entering the midweek, the Golden Eagle offense leads the Summit League in batting average (.315), runs (346), hits (476), home runs (75), RBI (316), on-base percentage (.401), stolen bases (77), slugging percentage (.539), triples (13) and total bases (816). On the mound, ORU tops the conference in ERA (4.15), batting average against (.245), WHIP (1.29), saves (16), innings pitched (377.0), hits allowed per nine innings (8.1), strikeouts-to-walk ratio (2.7) and strikeouts (390). Defensively, the Golden Eagles top the League in putouts (1131), assists (396), double plays (37) and fielding percentage (.984).

• Nationally, ORU ranks third in fielding percentage (.984), 10th in WHIP, 13th in WL percentage (.744), 14 in hits, 14th in batting average, 19th in slugging percentage, 19th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 21st in walks allowed per nine innings (3.5), 23rd in ERA, 23rd in hits allowed per nine innings, 24th in home runs and 26th in double plays.

• Cox enters the midweek ranked second nationally in hits with 77. The junior also sits third nationally in hits per game (1.8), fourth in triples (6), eighth in batting average (.433) and 26th in stolen bases.

• Matt Hogan remains the League leader in RBI (51) and sac flies (6). At the national level, Hogan ranks 15th in sac flies and 38th in homers (15).

• On the mound, Harley Gollert and Jakob Hall lead the League in wins with six. Nationally, Hall ranks eighth in walks allowed per nine innings (1.13) and 18th in WHIP (1.01).

• The Golden Eagles are coming off their 20th Summit League Tournament Championship and 29th NCAA Regional appearance after finishing with a 38-20 record in 2022. ORU returned 15 players from last year's NCAA Regional squad and welcomed 17 newcomers in the offseason.

• After an electric 2022 season out of the bullpen, Denton received Preseason First Team All-American honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) and was tabbed the Preseason Summit League Pitcher of the Year by D1 Baseball and Perfect Game USA. Through 20 appearances this season, Denton has recorded a 1.35 ERA and 10 saves, which ranks sixth nationally.

• Among active players in Division I, Denton ranks second in career ERA with a 1.70 mark.

• In the 2023 Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll, ORU was selected as the unanimous favorite to claim the regular season crown. The Golden Eagles received 42 points and earned all six first-place votes they could. McCroskey and Denton were named the Preseason Player and Pitcher to Watch for ORU as voted on by the league's seven head coaches. McMurray and Denton garnered Preseason All-Summit League honors from Perfect Game USA.

• Entering the 2023 season, ORU ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history with a .652 winning percentage. 

• Since 2001, ORU has made 17 NCAA Regional appearances, which rank as the most among Oklahoma schools.

• Folmar is in his 11th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and has compiled a 351-221 (.614) overall record.  

Scouting the Opponent
• Oklahoma State enters the midweek riding a seven-game win streak after taking both contests on the road against Michigan over the weekend. 

• Roc Riggio paces the Cowboy offense as the sophomore holds a .340 average to go along with 12 homers and 41 RBI.  

For the latest information on ORU Baseball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.