How Oklahoma State baseball's Tommy Molsky made a mental reset with Cowboys

STILLWATER — The biggest adjustment for Tommy Molsky has been the heat.

It hasn’t even gotten all that hot yet this baseball season, but the Oklahoma State relief pitcher was already noticing the difference by mid-March.

Originally from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, the junior right-hander joked about snow and freezing temperatures in his home state after helping OSU to a victory on a mild spring night in March.

By mid-April, he felt like he was cooking.

“The sun drains you,” Molsky said after an April 14 victory .

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After spending his first two years of college baseball at Penn State, Molsky has settled into his new home, and he’s even getting used to the weather, while playing a key role in the Oklahoma State bullpen.

He’s likely to see the mound at least once, if not more, when the 16th-ranked Cowboys travel to Texas for a three-game series that will have significant bearing on the Big 12 standings.

With nine conference games to go and riding a six-game winning streak, OSU (31-14, 14-7 Big 12) entered the weekend one game behind OU, tied with West Virginia for second, and a game ahead of third-place Texas (28-18, 13-8) in the tightly packed race for the top spot.

Though Molsky’s ERA has been on the uptick in recent games, he continues to be a key piece of the pitching staff, primarily because of his ability to induce the swing-and-miss. He has recorded 52 strikeouts in 31 ⅔ innings pitched this season, with 25 over 15 ⅓ innings since the start of April.

He’s been a reliable multi-inning arm, recording at least four outs in 13 of his 15 appearances. He’s gone at least two full innings in 10 appearances.

“Obviously, his stuff stands out quite a bit,” OSU catcher Ian Daugherty said of Molsky. “But I feel like it’s more about his attitude toward pitching. For me, my job is making sure he’s staying on the gas pedal. If we can keep him on the attack, I feel like there’s a lot of guys that aren’t gonna touch him.”

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That attitude was something that changed for Molsky when he arrived in Stillwater and began working with pitching coach Rob Walton.

“When I got to the college level, the hitters were a little bit better,” Molsky said. “I got humbled pretty quick, but I realized that the stuff I used to do didn’t play anymore. So I was just trying to grow within the game.

“I think my whole mentality within the game has changed, especially since coming here. I struggled a little bit with that at Penn State. But it’s been a big flip on mentality and aggression and how I’m working things.”

Molsky struggled with control at Penn State, and though his walk numbers are higher than he likes this year, it’s still been an improvement.

“Rob preaches positive thoughts,” Molsky said. “It’s a tough game, especially as a pitcher. One bad pitch and everyone’s on you and you can beat yourself up mentally.

“I think I’m my biggest critic, but I’ve learned how to back off on that a little bit through talking with Rob.”

Overall, the Cowboys have relied heavily on their bullpen this season, and as the postseason nears, it always helps to have extra arms you can count on.

“We’re very confident in ourselves,” Molsky said of the bullpen’s mindset. “We always pick each other up. You can’t always be perfect. You can’t always be great. But we’re brothers down there and we’ve always got each other’s backs.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Oklahoma State baseball's Tommy Molsky made a mental reset with Cowboys