Three Elected To Cowboy Baseball Hall Of Fame

STILLWATER – A national championship coach, a two-way star and the last .400 hitter in school history have been elected to the Oklahoma State Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

Toby Greene, who spent over two decades as the Oklahoma A&M/State head coach, along with a pair of Cowboys who starred for the program during the 2000s, Jordy Mercer and Ty Wright, will be inducted into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame during the OSU First Pitch Banquet in January.

A five-person committee selected the hall of fame inductees. The panel evaluated candidates based on their accomplishments both at Oklahoma State and the professional baseball level, paying special attention to those who were All-Americans, had Major League Baseball careers or were first-round draft picks or who hold a significant position in the OSU record books.

With the addition of Greene, Mercer and Wright, the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame will grow to 52 members.

"We're excited to recognize this group of guys," said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. "All three of them possess big pieces of our history. They contributed to make Oklahoma State what it is today, and we look forward to celebrating them. I'm really excited to see as many former players from those teams as we can get back on campus to connect with the program and really celebrate those windows of Cowboy Baseball.

"The late Toby Greene leading us to our only national championship in program history is a major accomplishment. His time and the foundation for baseball excellence that was established and the legacy of some of his players is a great point in our baseball history. We're excited to celebrate him and his awesome achievements — it's recognition that's long overdue.

"When you look at Jordy Mercer and Ty Wright, this is a special pair of players. Jordy is a guy that came here as a two-way player and was an impact player, a native of Oklahoma who is a part of a long list of great players who came from the western part of our state. Watching Jordy grow into a major leaguer and now one of the more steady shortstops in the big leagues and to have gotten to know him and what a loyal and passionate follower of our program he is and the pride he takes in being a part of OSU baseball is just really an awesome example of one of our guys who made major contributions and who has continued to go on and do big things. He was a part of three extremely successful teams at Oklahoma State and a guy who every time we flip on the TV, we're proud of.

"Ty Wright left here as a top 10 guy in several major offensive categories in the history of Oklahoma State and when you can say that about a program like this, one that has such an unbelievable offensive history, that tells you that this guy was a big-time contributor. Equally as impressive is his work as a professional, both as a minor league player and coach, and his being active in the community, giving back to Oklahoma and supporting causes here."

• Toby Greene, Head Coach (1942-64) – In 21 seasons as the Oklahoma A&M/State head coach, Toby Greene led the program to a 318-132 record, eight postseason tournament appearances, five College World Series berths and eight conference championships.

Greene, who began his coaching career at Oklahoma A&M as an assistant football coach, took over the baseball program in 1942 and led his first club to a 6-5 mark.

Over the next two decades, Greene molded Oklahoma A&M into a powerhouse. The Aggies won the first of three-straight Missouri Valley Conference championships in 1947 and later added conference titles in 1954 and 1955.

The 1954 season saw Greene's Aggies make the first College World Series appearance in school history, and they went on to finish fourth. A&M returned to the CWS the following season and improved to a third-place showing.

Oklahoma State reached college baseball's pinnacle in 1959 as the Cowboys claimed the only national championship in program history with a 5-3 victory over Arizona in the final. That team finished with a 27-5 overall record.

The 1959 season was the first of three consecutive College World Series trips for the Cowboys, who finished third in 1960 and runner-up in 1961.

Greene led the program to five Missouri Valley Conference and three Big Eight Conference championships and enjoyed winning seasons in 21 of his 22 years at the helm. His last season came in 1964, and he passed away at the age of 68 in 1967.

• Jordy Mercer, SS/RHP, Taloga, Okla. (2006-08) – Jordy Mercer is one of the top two-way stars in OSU history, with a career that saw him shine for three seasons in roles as the Cowboys' shortstop and closer.

A native of Taloga, Okla., Mercer was a three-time All-Big 12 Conference performer from 2006-08 who owns a career .303 batting average to go along with 25 home runs, 108 RBIs and 30 doubles. He made 39 pitching appearances and was 8-3 with 17 saves and 63 strikeouts in 62 innings of work.

A Freshman All-American in 2006, Mercer was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team as a utility player after hitting .270 with six homers and 24 RBIs and going 5-0 with five saves in 12 appearances on the mound.

Despite missing the first 20 games of his sophomore season following knee surgery, Mercer hit .299 with five homers and 22 RBIs and was again outstanding on the hill, going 3-1 with three saves and a 3.81 ERA as he helped the Cowboys advance to the second NCAA Super Regional in program history. He was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team as a utility player, while also earning honorable mention as a shortstop.

Following the 2007 season, Mercer played for USA Baseball and was part of a U.S. team that won a silver medal at the Pan American games in Brazil.

Mercer's junior campaign saw him once again pick up All-Big 12 First Team accolades as a utility player, while earning a spot on the second team as a shortstop and honorable mention as a relief pitcher.

In his third and final season in Stillwater, Mercer started all 62 OSU games and hit .330 with a career-high 14 home runs and 60 RBIs, and he tied an OSU record by hitting three homers in an NCAA Regional game against TCU, including a walk-off blast in the ninth inning.

On the mound, Mercer racked up nine saves in 16 outings and ended his junior season as OSU's all-time leader in saves with 17.

Mercer was drafted in the third round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft with the 79^th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his major league debut with Pittsburgh in 2012.

In five seasons with the Pirates, Mercer has been the starting shortstop on three playoff teams and has played in 559 games, where he is a career .257 hitter with 35 homers and 180 RBIs, including a career-high 59 during the 2016 season.

Mercer's OSU Career Stats: 161 games, .303 batting average, 25 home runs, 108 RBIs, 30 doubles, 4 triples; 39 pitching appearances, 8-3, 4.65 ERA, 17 saves, 63 strikeouts in 62.0 innings pitched

• Ty Wright, OF, Tyler, Texas (2004-07) – Ty Wright left his name scattered prominently throughout the OSU record books with a distinguished four-year career for the Cowboys.

A three-time All-Big 12 selection, Wright ranks in the top 10 on OSU's career lists in a number of categories, including third in hits (309) and at-bats (893), fourth in games played (231), fifth in sacrifice bunts (30), eighth in doubles (50), ninth in total bases (449) and 10^th in sacrifice flies (12).

Wright's career culminated with a memorable senior season in 2007. The Cowboys' left fielder recorded a Big 12-best .405 batting average, becoming the program's first .400 hitter in seven years and the player last to do so in an OSU uniform. He also set a Big 12 record that still stands as he turned in a 35-game hitting streak, which also stands as the second longest in OSU history behind Robin Ventura's NCAA record 58-game streak.

Along with his .405 batting average, Wright delivered a career-high eight homers in 2007 and also had 42 RBIs and 14 doubles in 53 games for the Super Regional squad.

Wright hit at least .316 in each of his four seasons in Stillwater and also recorded 42 or more RBIs every year. He finished with a career .346 batting average, 26 homers and 173 RBIs.

A seventh-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, Wright spent seven minor league seasons in the Cubs' organization, playing parts of four of those at the Triple A level. During his Cubs' career, he hit .292 with 60 homers, 381 RBIs and a .429 slugging percentage in over 500 games.

Following the end of his playing career in 2014, Wright remained with the Chicago organization as a minor league coach. In 2016, he served as the hitting coach with the Class A Short Season Eugene Emeralds and helped lead the club to the Northwest League championship.

Wright's OSU Career Stats: 231 games, .346 batting average, 26 home runs, 173 RBIs, 50 doubles, 6 triples, 28 stolen bases

OSU baseball fans wanting to help celebrate the hall of fame careers of Greene, Mercer and Wright, as well as share the excitement of the current club for the upcoming 2017 season, will soon be able to purchase tickets for the annual First Pitch Banquet, which will be held Jan. 28. Tickets are limited, with each of the previous four First Pitch Banquets selling out.

Additionally, Cowboy baseball will be hosting an alumni event following the banquet, and all former players and staff are encouraged to attend.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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