Summer Strong: Cowboys Thriving In Summer Leagues

Donnie Walton

Photo by: Bruce Waterfield

July 27, 2015 | Cowboy Baseball

Oklahoma State is well represented on the college baseball summer league circuit in 2015 as 20 members of OSU's current roster are playing in various leagues across the country.

OSU head coach Josh Holliday said he's very encouraged by both the high number of Cowboys competing and the level of prosperity his players have enjoyed over the last two months.

"More than any summer since we've been here, our players are enjoying great success at various summer leagues across the country," Holliday said. "Following their stats during the summer has been a lot of fun. I'm really proud of the number of players that we have out playing. I give a lot of credit to (OSU volunteer assistant coach) Steve Sabins for the work he put into helping assign these players to different leagues and finding places they could go play and have great experiences. And we're thankful to these summer league teams for taking these kids on and helping develop them — that's a big investment on their end and we'll certainly reap the benefit of their time."

Eight Cowboys have been named to their respective league's all-star teams in 2015. Highlighting the list is Donnie Walton, who was named to the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star team and then claimed CCBL All-Star Game MVP honors for the victorious East team by driving in the game's lone run with a single. Also earning all-star honors this summer were Jon Littell, Michael Mertz and Garrett McCain (New England Collegiate Baseball League), Ryan Sluder (California Collegiate League), Carson Teel (Coastal Plain League), Garrett Benge (Texas Collegiate League) and Collin Theroux (Northwoods League).

"We're excited to hear about their experiences and looking forward to them getting back and telling us what summer baseball taught them, what relationships and new friendships they built, and really what they learned from playing in different parts of the country with wooden bats against great competition," Holliday said. "There's some real benefit to what these kids are out doing right now. They're working hard and will return home to us more developed and better baseball players.

"Their success is encouraging to me. To watch the at-bats and the innings that they're pitching and playing accumulate and what they've been able to accomplish is something that's made my summer go by faster. We're anxious to get them home and begin the 2015-16 year."

Here's a rundown of each of the Cowboys' summer league performances:

California Collegiate League
Three key performers on OSU's 2015 NCAA Regional team are spending their summers with the San Luis Obispo Blues. Sluder is hitting .320 with nine doubles and 17 RBIs, while fellow outfielder and 2015 All-Big 12 Second Team performer Corey Hassel is hitting .288 with a pair of homers and is also 1-1 with a save, 20 strikeouts and a 3.68 ERA in 14 2/3 innings of work on the mound. Joining them is Dustin Williams, who in 31 games owns a .301 batting average and leads the team with four home runs and 26 RBIs to go along with five doubles and four triples.

Cape Cod League
A trio of Cowboys have returned the Cape Cod League for the second-straight year in 2015.

Walton has played in 36 games for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and is hitting .289 with a homer, five doubles, 20 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

Conor Costello, who like Walton was selected in June's Major League Baseball Draft but chose not to sign a professional contract, has made five starts on the mound for the Falmouth Commodores. The right-hander is 1-3 but has posted a 3.53 ERA in 28 innings. He's also 1-for-4 at the plate.

Garrett Williams has made seven appearances, including three starts, for the Chatham Anglers and is 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA. The lefty has struck out 30 in 21 innings of work.

Coastal Plain League
Carson Teel redshirted his freshman season with the Cowboys in 2015 but is showing promise of a bright future with his performance this summer for the Wilson Tobs. In nine appearances, including six starts, the southpaw is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings.

Mid-Plains League
Another player who redshirted as a freshman for the Cowboys last season is Michael Higgins, who spent his summer with the Rossville Rattlers and helped lead the team to a league championship. In 32 games, Higgins hit .325 and led the Rattlers with nine homers and 28 RBIs.

New England Collegiate Baseball League
A trio of Cowboys are teammates on the Newport Gulls, which is currently the top team in the NECBL Southern Division. In 32 games, Littell is hitting .291 with 11 doubles and 11 RBIs, while Mertz is 5-0 with a 2.57 ERA in seven appearances and has racked up 50 strikeouts in 40 innings of work. Fellow hurler Carson LaRue has pitched in eight games and has a pair of saves and 18 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings.

The Cowboys also have three players on the Valley Blue Sox. McCain is hitting .278 with four doubles, 12 RBIs and a team-leading 11 stolen bases to go along with a .424 on-base percentage. David Petrino has played in 21 games and is hitting .254 with nine RBIs, while Caleb Eldridge has a homer, two doubles and 10 RBIs in 20 games and placed third in the NECBL All-Star Game Home Run Derby.

Rounding out the list of Cowboys in the NECBL is Mason O'Brien, who has played in 31 games for the Plymouth Pilgrims and recorded three homers and seven RBIs.

Northwoods League
An incoming transfer to the Cowboy program for the 2016 season, Theroux is starring for the Madison Mallards and in 23 games, the catcher is hitting .237 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs. Theroux spent the last two seasons at San Joaquin Delta College and was a 33^rd-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins last month.

Texas Collegiate League
Three Cowboys have helped lead the Brazos Valley Bombers to the top of the league standings. Jacob Chappell has appeared in 27 games and is hitting .250 with four doubles, 16 RBIs and five stolen bases, while Benge, the NJCAA Division I Player of the Year as a freshman at Cowley County last season, is batting .288 with five doubles, 21 RBIs and seven steals in 30 games. Joining them for Brazos Valley is right-hander Remey Reed, who in four starts is 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 21 innings.

West Coast League
Another incoming JUCO transfer, JR Davis has had a successful summer for the Yakima Valley Pippins, where in 15 games he is hitting .327 with a homer and 12 RBIs.