Cowboy Big Leaguers Talk OSU’s Road To Omaha

Josh Holliday received over 300 congratulatory text messages following Oklahoma State's NCAA Super Regional win at South Carolina last month that clinched the Cowboys' first trip to the College World Series since 1999.

Three of the messages on the OSU head coach's phone were from Cowboys currently playing Major League Baseball — Tyler Lyons, Andrew Heaney and Jordy Mercer.

Lyons pitched at OSU from 2007-10 and is in his fourth season with the St. Louis Cardinals, while Mercer was a two-way star for the Cowboys from 2006-08 and is now the starting shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team with which he has spent all five of his big league seasons. Heaney capped a three-year OSU career in 2012 by earning first-team All-America honors and becoming a first-round draft pick and is now a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who recently underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery.

That trio is busy with the demands of big league baseball, but each was fixated on the 2016 Cowboys' road to Omaha.

We caught up with Lyons, Mercer and Heaney to get their thoughts on OSU's postseason performance.

What was it like following the Cowboys' run to the College World Series and how much did you get to watch?
TL: I got to watch quite a bit actually. The schedules matched up pretty well. I liked the fact that a lot of the games were day games. That was perfect for me — sitting around the clubhouse it gave us something to do all afternoon. There were a lot of guys that had something invested in it in our clubhouse. Having Matt Holliday helped me out, then we have (Matt) Carpenter with TCU and then (Michael) Wacha with the Super Regionals at Texas A&M. We had a lot of guys with a dog in the fight so it was fun for us.

AH: It was really cool. I actually went to a few games in the Big 12 Tournament and then I watched all the Regional games on TV. I was rehabbing in Arizona when they were playing in the World Series so I got to watch all those. I was trying to make it out there, but it just didn't work out time-wise for making a trip to Omaha. But I watched pretty much all the postseason games.

JM: It was awesome. Seeing my alma mater have success is big to me. The rich tradition and all the history of Oklahoma State is one of the reasons I went there. I got to watch quite a bit. We had some of the games on in our clubhouse at home and then I think everybody saw the video of me watching and yelling in the Chicago clubhouse at Wrigley Field. And then I had them put it on the big screen during BP in Pittsburgh — we watched the Arizona game all during batting practice, which was awesome.

How much pride and satisfaction did you take in OSU getting back to Omaha?
TL: A lot. They accomplished something no team had done in a really long time, and it was one of the best finishes they've ever had there. For us, we're very proud of them. It's cool for us to be able to follow along and feel like we have someone to support. It was a lot of fun, and it made us all very proud to have gone there and been a part of that program for sure.

AH: A lot. I kind of consider myself having been at Oklahoma State for the down years. That leaves me feeling like I didn't leave those guys and the program where it should be. We didn't set the course right for those guys so they're the ones that are sort of turning the ship around. They finally got it righted and got back to Omaha. For me, it was like them doing the dirty work of what I wasn't able to do. It was just exciting. Those guys, you could tell they played together and really enjoyed playing with each other. From a distance, it felt like I was playing, kind of like you were part of the team.

JM: Whenever you play at a university, especially Oklahoma State, and are a part of the OSU baseball family and the tradition there, you can't help but be excited. You root for your team no matter what. It's a different coaching staff, but with the memories you created you still feel like you're a part of the Oklahoma State baseball family. Any time they are on TV or trying to get to Omaha and once they get to Omaha and are trying to win the College World Series, you can't help but watch and root for them and be excited for them.

After they won the Super Regional, I texted Josh (Holliday) and told him congratulations and that I was in Pittsburgh rooting for him and couldn't wait to watch the rest of the way. It was cool to be able to reach out to the guys that are playing now and the coaching staff now. Some of the guys retweeted some of my Tweets, and it's pretty cool to see them get excited about the alumni following them. It's pretty special.

Did you talk with former teammates during the run?
TL: During the Super Regional when they finished it off, we were actually in Pittsburgh so I got to talk to Jordy. It was fun for us to get to follow that and see it and celebrate it with those guys. And I know a lot of guys were able to make trips to Omaha — Davis Duren, Jeff Breedlove, Dusty Harvard — so we all kept up with it. I tried to live vicariously through them while they were there so I got to experience it just keeping up with them.

AH: Not too much. I talked to (Tyler) Lyons a little bit. But it was funny, I watched a bunch of the games in Arizona while I was rehabbing with Garrett Richards, and he's an OU guy but he was pulling hard for the Pokes. That was a funny situation.

JM: Me and (Lyons) and Matt (Holliday) talked about it when we played the Cardinals, and we were all pretty pumped and excited. I talked to a lot of guys — Rebel (Ridling), (Matt) Gardner, who was there with Texas Tech obviously, (Jeff) Breedlove — we all kept up with it. We were one game away when we played so we created something special too at the Louisville Super Regional. A lot of it brings back memories. You played there and created some of your best friends that you've ever had and still talk to today. It's just family. It's something that you'll never forget.

College baseball is so much different than pro ball because pro ball is so much more of an individualized sport and college baseball is more you're representing your university and it's more of a family thing. Everybody is all for one goal, and that's to get to Omaha and win the College World Series.

Did watching the Clemson Regional bring back memories? (Note: Lyons was OSU's starting pitcher twice in the 2009 NCAA Clemson Regional, picking up a win in the opener before taking the loss in the if-necessary Regional final game)
TL: That was a tough one to sit there and watch and see them get to do what we didn't get to do. It was a little bit bittersweet, but it is what it is.

You were at the Big 12 Tournament that didn't go very well and a lot of people were down on the team. What does it say about them that they were able to put that behind them and do what they did in the NCAA Tournament?
AH: That's just baseball. With baseball, everybody knows it's who gets hot at the right time. You start out with a shutout against Nebraska at a Regional, and that starts making you feel really comfortable. And then you go out there and beat the host and beat them pretty damn good — that's gonna get you rolling. From then, you could just see that those guys got the confidence that they needed.

You were within one win of getting to Omaha in 2007, the closest OSU had been before this season. How cool was it seeing them get over that hump? (Note: Mercer was a sophomore and the starting shortstop on the '07 Cowboys team that lost in the third game of the Louisville Super Regional)
JM: The memories sometimes aren't very good, but I'm still proud of that season we had, getting one game away. We hadn't been (to a Super Regional) since 1999, and everybody was so excited to get that far. To be one game away was pretty special, but obviously to get back to Omaha like they did this year was incredible and brought back all those memories and the history and tradition. OSU was there consecutive years over and over and over — it seemed like every year they were there. To be able to get over that hump and finally break through, hopefully this is of many, many more years to come as well.

As a pitcher, what was it like for you to watch the pitching staff do what they did on the mound?
AH: It was ridiculous. Every game I was sitting there putting myself in that situation thinking, 'I'd be way more nervous than these guys look.' A 1-0 game in the College World Series, to have it happen two times in a row, I was sitting there going, 'Dude, these guys have freaking nerves of steel.' I appreciated that so much, knowing what it's like to be pitching in a 1-0 game and they're doing it in the College World Series.

You didn't play for Josh Holliday, but how is your relationship with him and how is it seeing him have success?
TL: I remember meeting him right after one of his first years getting the job. He brought me in and we sat and talked for a long time. He had this vision of wanting everyone to be a part of this program and getting it back to where it used to be. It's been awesome to watch over the last few years that thing unfold. He's a Stillwater guy and OSU through and through. To kind of get that back to where it should be is really cool to watch, and he's obviously done a phenomenal job.

AH: It's a weird deal for me. It's hard — my loyalty is always to Frank (Anderson) because he's the guy who brought me in and gave me a chance, and I played for him for three years. But I obviously want what's best for Oklahoma State. I know Josh knows that. I may not express it as well as I should, but I think he knows that. I'm really proud of what he does. I said it after they got eliminated, 'You guys made everybody who is associated with Oklahoma State proud.' I think that's an indictment on (Holliday) and how he goes about his business and how he has those guys ready to play.

JM: I used to go to OSU camps when I was younger and Josh was an assistant coach there, and he kind of ran the camps. Our relationship started there. We just kind of followed each other in our careers. I've gone and hit with Matt (Holliday) a few times up in Stillwater. Josh obviously knows Matt's swing really well and helps him out all the time. I was able to go up there and take BP with them and just hang out. I've gotten to speak to the team, and all that stuff really means a lot to me because I can relate to some of those guys because I've been there and done it. Now I'm in the next step of my career, my professional career, and it's cool to talk to them and tell them to enjoy the moment and not look ahead and realize how much of a family Oklahoma State is.

I know the blood, sweat and tears Josh pours in and how much pride he has because he grew up there and has always wanted to be the coach there. Now he is and to bring tradition back and get back to Omaha is really special, and we're all rooting for him.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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