How Aidan Meola is leading red-hot Oklahoma State baseball In climb of Big 12 standings

STILLWATER — As temperatures heated up at O’Brate Stadium, the Oklahoma State baseball team ’s bats did the same.

Shaking off their early-season inconsistencies, the 17th-ranked Cowboys finished the weekend with a five-game win streak and their first sweep of a Big 12 opponent this year. OSU capped the series against Cincinnati with a 10-6 victory Sunday at home.

In the 90-degree April heat, the Cowboys scorched a season-best five home runs to seal the win. Kollin Ritchie, Zach Ehrhard, Aidan Meola, Colin Brueggeman and Ian Daugherty joined the power-hitting party.

OSU opened the week with a 9-5 victory at Wichita State as right-handed senior Ryan Bogusz earned the win. Then the Cowboys returned to Stillwater, where Lane Forsythe set the tone for the Cincinnati series with a walk-off grand slam to take the Friday game, 8-4.

After winning four straight Big 12 series, the Cowboys have sole possession of third place in the conference standings. West Virginia and OU are tied for first.

In the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll , OSU jumped eight spots this week.

Here’s a closer look at OSU’s past week:

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No. 17 Oklahoma State

• Overall record: 25-11, 10-5 (third)
• Last week: 4-0 (beat Wichita State 9-5; beat Cincinnati 8-4, 12-5, 10-6)
• This week: vs. Dallas Baptist, 6 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN+); at Kansas State, 6 p.m. Friday (ESPN+), 4 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+), 3 p.m. Sunday (ESPNU)

Oklahoma State baseball player of the week

Aidan Meola, 3B: Meola has recovered from injuries to occupy key roles in the Cowboys’ lineup. The junior from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, buoyed OSU’s offense throughout the Cincinnati series, shifting between fourth and fifth in the batting order. On Saturday, he put OSU on the scoreboard with a first-inning grand slam. Then Sunday, Meola’s second-inning solo home run gave the Cowboys the reset they needed after giving up two runs. Through the past four games, Meola went 6 for 18 with a double, two home runs and a walk.

Oklahoma State baseball player on the rise

Robert Cranz, RHP: With a 1.50 ERA, Cranz (2-1) has emerged as a solid reliever, picking up Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors. He stabilized the Cowboys’ defense during Friday’s 10-inning game and made a brief Sunday appearance, facing two batters in the eighth inning. The junior Wichita State transfer earned the win Friday, striking out eight while giving up one hit and no runs through four innings.

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Oklahoma State baseball number to know

7: Pitchers OSU needed to secure the sweep on Sunday. If the Cowboys had to go through seven pitchers, the series finale was the time to do it. Gabe Davis started on the mound, but the sophomore from Choctaw gave up three early runs, trying to find his footing as a starter after serving as a reliever last year. Tommy Molsky took the mound in the third inning, throwing a fastball well above 90 mph while allowing one run and recording seven strikeouts. Stillwater native Drew Blake earned the win. Bogusz, Cranz and Ryan Ure also entered the game before trusty closer and Yukon native Carson Benge sent the Bearcats packing with two strikeouts in the ninth.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Aidan Meola is leading red-hot Oklahoma State baseball In climb of Big 12 standings