Happy Friday! Life is about evolving, progressing and pushing yourself to do things you might have thought you once couldn’t do.

All summer long, we’ve highlighted former and current Cowboys and Cowgirls succeeding at the highest levels.

Well, we’re not going to stop now.

We’ve got feats on the mat, diamond, and much more!

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

🤼‍♂️ Oliver’s Octagon
🥎 Stars of Summer
🏈 Media Day Rewind
🤠 And so much more!

🎧 OSU MAX PODCASTS

Preseason polls, what do we make of them? How do the players feel? What gets talked about in the locker room?

Well, there’s no one better to give us the inside scoop than former Cowboys who lived through exactly that.

In a brand new episode of the Old Pokes Show, Deion and Clint breakdown some of the Preseason Big 12 selections and predictions and talk about how the Cowboys mentality heading into a season when they are being doubted.

A discussion on another slew of Cowboys being taken in the MLB Draft and much more are on the docket for this week’s episode.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Oliver’s Octagon. Everywhere he’s gone, Jordan Oliver has won.

During his four years at OSU, he took home four Big 12 individual championships, two national championships and one national runner-up finish. He was 127-6 overall, including a 68-3 mark in dual matches.

Upon graduation, he went on to have a long standing career on the mat, including taking home the 2019 US National Championship at 65 kg.

This past spring, he moved his focus to another challenge, signing with Bellator MMA. This week, it was announced that he will make his MMA debut on August 11 against Andrew Triolo at Bellator 298.

🔼 Stars of Summer. After earning a fourth straight trip to the WCWS this past spring, it looks like our Cowgirls didn’t take any time off from shining on the diamond.

Rising sophomores Haidyn Sokoloski and Katie Lott were both honored for their success in the Music City Collegiate Summer League this week.

Sokoloski, who is playing for the Nashvegas Aces, was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year, while Lott, playing for the Rodeo, took home the People’s Choice Award.

This past spring, Sokoloski saw time in 36 games, mostly as a pinch runner or defensive replacement for the Cowgirls. Lott, played in 40 games, earning the start in 10. She hit .370 with two HRs and 12 RBIs in her debut campaign.

🔼 Need Something to Binge? Caught up on all your Netflix shows? Run out of HBOMax content? We got you covered.

After spending hours with local and national media, OSU Max has plenty of interviews from Coach Gundy, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormak and all four OSU players in attendance.

Coach Gundy and the OSU players spent Big 12 Media Days looking ahead towards the upcoming season, learning from last year and building the chemistry and culture in the Cowboy locker room in the ever-changing landscape of college football.

Collin Oliver Press Conference

Brennan Presley Conference

Korie Black Press Conference

Preston Wilson Press Conference

🔼 “Leader is an understatement for that guy.” Anytime you draw a quote like that from your peers, you’re making an impact, no matter the situation.

Former OSU All-American Cade Cunningham may have lost his second NBA season due to injury, but his impact in the Detroit Pistons locker room was felt all season long.

NBA.com had an in-depth look at Cunningham’s effect on the Pistons this past season.

🔼 Flexin’ The Six Pack. No, we’re not talking about the trips to the beach this summer.

We’re talking about the six Cowboys that were drafted in this year’s MLB Draft over the past three days. It marks the sixth time in the past nine seasons that OSU has had six or more players selected.

In 11 seasons under head coach Josh Holliday, OSU has now had 64 MLB Draft picks, 27 of those going in the first 10 rounds.

OSU had five players selected on day two of the MLB draft (rounds 4-10) on Monday, and a sixth go on the final day (Tuesday).

Jauron Watts-Brown (Round 3, Blue Jays), Nolan McLean (Round 3, Mets), Roc Riggio (Round 4, Yankees), Marcus Brown (Round 5 - Nationals), Brian Hendry (Round 10, Yankees) and Isaac Stebens (Round 16 - Red Sox) all got the call of a lifetime this week.

Watts-Brown joined the Cowboys this past spring after two years at Long Beach State. He led the Big 12 in strikeouts (124) and strikeout rate (13.6). He posted double-digit strikeouts four times this spring, including 13 on two occasions.

McLean was drafted for the second straight year as one of the more intriguing two-way prospects in the country. At the plate, he hit nine HRs and drove in 29 RBIs in 124 at-bats, while on the mound, he tossed 30.0 innings, striking out 34 and holding an ERA of 3.30.

In two seasons at second base, Riggio was a standout in the Big 12, posting a .316 average of the past two years, while posting a .438 on-base percentage, hitting 29 HRs, 31 doubles and 108 RBIs.

Brown was a two-time All-Big 12 honoree, piling up a .302 average in three seasons, racking up 27 doubles, 13 HRs, and 74 RBIs.

After three seasons at St. John’s, Hendry came to Stillwater and provided a versatile power arm to the Cowboys arsenal. He appeared in 16 games, five of which were starts, piling up 36.2 innings of work, striking out 51 times and walking just 14.

Stebens was outstanding out of the pen for OSU, making 28 appearances with a 4-1 record and 2.24 ERA. He tossed 64.1 innings, allowing just 49 hits, while striking out 89 and opponents only hit .212 against the right-hander.

🏈 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 50 DAYS

The Date: Nov. 28, 2020
Location: BPS
The Opponent: Texas Tech

Not many of us want to relive 2020 in the slightest, but we will toss it back to a Saturday afternoon in late November when Dezmon Jackson ran all over the Red Raiders to the tune of 235 yards and three TDs to help the Cowboys put up 50 points on Texas Tech.

In a shortened season, OSU would finish 8-3 and earn a spot in the Cheez-It Bowl.

🤔 COWBOY TRIVIA

Behind the arm of Spencer Sanders, OSU took home a thrilling 37-34 victory in that 2020 Cheez-It Bowl.

Which historic program did the Cowboys defeat in that game three years ago?

Think you might have it?

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

🎥 OSU MAX

Very few bleed Orange and Black more than Coach Gundy.

Ever since stepped on campus in Stillwater back in 1986, he’s been a leader for our Cowboys, whether it be under center or on the sidelines.

As he stepped to the stage and sat in front of hundreds of microphones, he talked about the changing landscape of college football, what needs to happen for the Cowboys this fall and much more.

🎥 OSU Max: Coach Gundy On Stage at Big 12 Media Day

🎥 OSU Max: Coach Gundy Q&A

📬 STICK WITH US

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Miami.

We figured it’s Friday, we wouldn’t make your brain work too hard today, so we’d toss you an easy one.

Of course it was Miami back in 2020.

Sanders and the Cowboys rolled out to an early 21-0 lead and did another late to take home the victory and all the cheddary goodness they could think of.

Have a great weekend Pokes!