Happy Thursday Cowboys and Cowgirls. 100 years (+51).

While we’re sure not many of you have thought about Five For Fighting for over a decade, that’s exactly what will be happening this weekend as former Cowboys tackle a truly historic event at a historic venue.

More insight from Big 12 Media Days, a brand new edition of the Old Pokes Show, and a BIG way to launch a career, we’ve got it all.

What else is stirring in today’s edition of the Brew? Check it out!

⛳️ Pokes Across The Pond
⚾️ Now, THAT’S a first impression
🏈 Oliver: The Old Switcharoo
🤠 And so much more!

🎧 OSU MAX PODCASTS

The fellas are talking golf again, but thankfully, not about their golf game, we’re talking about this week’s Open Championship for five OSU alums.

Deion Imade and Clint Chelf break down the final major of the season, take a look at Big 12 Media Days and give their perspective on what summer workouts are like and how important they are to the team.

The boys talk all of that and more in this week’s brand new edition of the Old Pokes Show.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Five For Fighting. Earlier this year, Wyndham Clark picked up his first major win at the 2023 US Open.

This weekend, Clark and four other former Cowboys will look to be the first OSU alum to win the historic Open Championship. The Open and the Masters are the only two majors that former Cowboys haven’t won yet.

Today, those five alums take on the Royal Liverpool course as the 151st Open Championship gets underway.

Thursday’s tee times for the Orange and Black faithful: Talor Gooch (3:14 AM CST), Wyndham Clark (3:58 AM), Rickie Fowler (4:09 AM), Alex Noren (6:53 AM) and Viktor Hovland (8:48 AM).

🔼 Homecoming Queen and King. No, we won’t have a parade or have them wear crowns, but man, does it feel good to welcome two of our own back to Stillwater to assist our current Cowboys and Cowgirls.

Former OSU standouts Carrie Eberle (softball) and Stratton Nolen (men’s golf) were announced this week as assistant coaches returning to their former programs.

Eberle is a two-time All-American and professional standout, who returns to help coach the Cowgirls pitchers next year. She spent last year as the pitching coach at Lipscomb.

In her two seasons in Stillwater, Eberle went 36-5 with a 1.13 earned run average, posted 224 strikeouts in 266.1 innings of work and held the opposition to a .184 batting average. The 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID pandemic, but in her lone full season with OSU, she was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and helped lead the Cowgirls to the 2021 Women's College World Series.

After that, she joined the professional ranks with Athletes Unlimited, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2021.

Nolen is a former All-American for the Cowboys and helped OSU take home the program’s 11th national title in 2018.

His sophomore year (2015-16) was a breakout season for the Austin, Tex. native, winning the Big 12 Championship to earn all-conference status and All-American honors.

After competing professionally for three years upon graduation, Nolen has worked since 2021 as a data and financial analyst in the medical field.

🔼 Well, That’s One Way To Make A First Impression. Pinch Hitting. Down 2. Middle of July. In a Playoff Race. Facing One of Your Main Wild Card Contenders.

BOOM!

Now that’s one way for former Cowboy Christian Encarnacion-Strand to make an impression in his first week at the big league level.

On Tuesday night, he launched a ball 426 ft into the upper deck to give the Cincinnati Reds a lead in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants.

It was his first big league hit in his fourth at-bat in the majors after getting called up earlier this week.

Simply put, he’d been DOMINANT at the Triple-A level this spring for the Louisville Bats. In 67 games, he hit .331 with 20 HRs and 21 doubles. He drove in 62 runs while scoring 65 runs and had an OPS of 1.042.

He was the only player in the International League that ranked in the top-10 in batting average, doubles, HRs and RBIs.

🔼 So Fresh, So Clean. Sometimes, you just need a new look for a new year.

OSU Athletics is modernizing its digital presence with a brand new okstate.com.

A site speed upgrade up to five times faster than before and a clean, modern presentation that includes fewer clicks and more rollover functionality are among the highlights.

The new site makes it easier than ever to gain access to Name, Image and Likeness opportunities with OSU student-athletes, to high-quality video storytelling with OSU Max, and to the Go Pokes app that is the primary mobile hub for tickets, team schedules and news, game day information, amenities and more.

🔼 Hey Now, You’re An All-Star. The Cape Cod League has long been known for highlighting some of the best talent the country has on the baseball diamond.

The league is finding out firsthand what Stillwater saw all spring long… Nolan Schubart is good at baseball.

In his first season in the Cape, Schubart earned All-Star accolades to go along with his three All-American honors, his Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Year Award and his All-Big 12 First Team performer accolade.

This spring, he ranked in the top 10 in the league in eight offensive categories.
 
In his first collegiate season, Schubart posted a .338 batting average to go along with 20 doubles, 17 homers and 74 RBIs. His 74 RBIs are the second-highest total in the Big 12 this season and are the most by an OSU player since Tyler Mach's 81 in 2007.

🏈 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 44 DAYS

1988 will be a season that OSU fans will talk about forever.

Heck, it’s a season that all college football fans will talk about forever.

Mr. Sanders set 13 college records during his Heisman season, one of which was scoring 44 all-purpose touchdowns.

FOURTY-FOUR touchdowns.

It’s a single-season program record that holds to this day and it’s an NCAA single-season record that is still in tact.

What a year. What a year.

🤔 COWBOY TRIVIA

On Tuesday night, Christian Encarnacion-Strand became the 28th former Cowboy to hit an MLB home run.

Doing so in just his fourth MLB at-bat was even more rare. It’s the second quickest that any former Cowboy accomplished the feat.

Do you know the only OSU Cowboy to hit his first MLB HR in fewer at-bats?

Think you got it?

Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

🎥 OSU MAX

Two-time All-Big 12 selection.
2021 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
2021 Freshman All-American.

And now, he’s a linebacker.

In two seasons on the defensive line at OSU, Collin Oliver racked up 16.5 sacks, 23 TFLs and 57 total tackles.

Now, he’ll show his skills at a new position as the rising junior has made the switch to the middle of the field. At Big 12 Media Day, OSU Max caught up with him to talk about the position switch and his excitement heading into the 2023 season.

🎥 OSU Max: Catching Up With Collin Over at Big Media Days

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Cowboy Brew? Subscribe here and get it in your inbox every weekday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Josh Fields’ first MLB at-bat resulted in a HR.

That’s right, the two-sport OSU standout made his major league debut in 2006 for the Chicago White Sox. It was in his third MLB game that he got his first MLB at-bat, a pinch hit opportunity off Detroit’s Jamie Walker on Sept. 18th.

He promptly launched the ball over the fence for hist first MLB hit… a pinch hit HR.

Have a great day Pokes!