The most memorable pitch of Thursday night won’t be found in the box score.
Former United States President George W. Bush took the mound for the ceremonial first pitch at the O’Brate Stadium dedication. A record 6,362 Oklahoma State Cowboy fans thunderously roared after Bush and his friend Cecil O’Brate tossed the pitches.
The scene was one everybody involved won’t soon forget.
“It was unbelievable, just getting to be in his presence was something I never (thought) I would be a part of. Just to hear him talk and watch him throw out the first pitch was an incredible experience for sure,” OSU pitcher Noah Sifrit said.
Bush’s first pitch injected excitement into the stadium and OSU outfielder Carson McCusker said Bush’s pregame speech about playing hard was awesome to hear. But having to follow up a moment like that is not something the Cowboys have had to deal with often.
The Cowboys quickly fell behind the University of New Orleans 3-0 but scrapped back and took the lead with a 5-run seventh inning. OSU won 9-6.
“There’s a little bit of pressure there for sure, but we expect to win,” Sifrit said. “You got to have that confidence in your team and stuff like that and we handled the adversity well today but I could say that there was a little bit of uneasiness and we thought like we had to win and stuff, but it was good to come out on the right side today.”
The stadium’s dedication was complete with a WarBird flyover and a postgame firework show.
“I never thought I’d see something like that at an OSU baseball game and we finally did, and it was really cool to be a part of,” McCusker said.
For OSU coach Josh Holliday, the reason the historic first pitch will resonate so strongly with his players is more than the way Bush fired his pitch over the plate. The way Bush shared himself and his time is what will stick with him.
“He made us feel special. It wasn’t just him being here but him being the way he was and the way he handled himself. The kids will never forget that their whole lives, they’ll tell that story every year of Christmas break, at Thanksgiving, they’ll tell it in the summer by the pool. Tonight was a moment in history for our program,” Holliday said.