The son of an Oklahoma State baseball legend, Will Gasparino helps Texas beat the Cowboys

While Texas and Oklahoma State battled for positioning in the Big 12 standings Friday, Will Gasparino also was playing for family bragging rights.

Gasparino, a freshman, went 1-for-4 with a home run in the Longhorns' 7-5 win over No. 14 Oklahoma State at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Gasparino started the game in right field and later shifted to center.

After the win, Texas (29-18, 14-8) and Oklahoma State (31-15, 14-8) were tied for third place in the race for the Big 12 championship.

Gasparino's father, Billy, played for Oklahoma State from 1997 to 1999. Billy Gasparino is ranked among Oklahoma State's all-time leaders in home runs and stolen bases. The ex-Cowboys infielder still owns Big 12 records for career runs and most errors committed in a single season. He was inducted into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

While at Oklahoma State, Gasparino was a teammate of Josh Holliday — the Cowboys' current coach. In nine career games against Texas, Gasparino went 10-for-32 with 12 RBIs, 12 runs scored and three homers. Those OSU teams went 6-3 against the Longhorns.

Will Gasparino, a California native, said his family would be coming to Austin this weekend for the best-of-three series between Texas and Oklahoma State.

The younger Gasparino is hitting .259 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs. All five of his hits over his last six games have been homers.

"He plays with a good attitude; he believes in himself; he's got a little edge about him," Texas coach David Pierce said. "He's played great defense, but he's come up with some clutch hits, too."

The series will resume Saturday at 2:30 p.m.