Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Set To Open 2002 Campaign
February 07, 2002 | Cowboy Baseball
Feb. 7, 2002
What's On Tap
Oklahoma State opens its 2002 baseball season this Sunday when the Prairie View A&M Panthers come to Stillwater for a two-game series. The teams will play at Reynolds Stadium at 1 p.m. on Sunday and Monday weather permitting.
Hall of Fame Weekend
The Cowboys have a full slate of events scheduled for this weekend beginning with the 2002 Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Former baseball standouts Tony Sellari and Doug Dascenzo will be inducted into the hall, recognizing their achievements on the baseball diamond. The Pokes will then kickoff the 2002 season against Prairie View A&M Sunday and Monday at 1 p.m.
Season Openers
Oklahoma State is 45-18-1 all-time in season openers and have won 15 of its last 16 dating back to the 1986 season. Last year, OSU upended The Citadel, 6-1, in Yuma, Ariz. The Cowboys had a string of 14 consecutive Opening Day victories snapped in 2000 when San Diego State nipped the Pokes 3-2.
Home Openers
OSU is 51-13 all-time in home openers and have captured 16 of 17 dating back to the 1985 campaign. The Cowboys edged past Washington State, 6-5, in their home opener last season. Oklahoma State won 15 straight home openers from 1985-99 before Missouri Southern ended it with a 4-9 win in 2000. Allie P. Reynolds Stadium has been a safe haven for the Cowboys over the years as the team has posted an impressive 18-2 record at home.
Prairie View A&M
The Panthers are 0-3 on the season after getting swept by Arkansas-Little Rock last weekend. The Panthers will take on Nicholls State at home on Friday and Saturday before heading to Stillwater. Prairie View finished with a decrepit 5-42 mark in 2001.
The Series
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series between the clubs 5-0, including a 15-2 spanking in their last meeting in 2000. The Cowboys have outscored the Panthers 92-11 and have averaged 18.4 runs a contest as well.
Series Results
On Deck
After the two-game series with Prairie View, the Cowboys will try to avoid the unpredictable Oklahoma weather and hit the road for the next two weekends. Oklahoma State will travel to California and take on Loyola Marymount, Cal Poly and UC Riverside in Los Angeles the weekend of Feb. 15-18. The Pokes will then compete in the Shreveport Classic in Shreveport, La. and take on Cal-State Northridge, San Diego and Delaware the weekend of Feb. 22-24. OSU next home series will be against St. Johns on March 1-2.
Cowboys On The Air
Every game on the 2002 Oklahoma State baseball schedule will be broadcast on Stillwater Radio. Due to the busy spring schedule, several games will be broadcast on either 93.7 FM or 780 AM until early April when the rest of the season's contests can be heard on KSPI 93.7. Calling the action in his 20th year with Oklahoma State baseball is Rex Holt, of the famous Oklahoma Holts. He will be joined once again this year by former Cowboy player Ryan Folmar who recently welcomed a new addition to his family, Kade, who was born on Jan. 4.
Nebasett Brown Preseason All-American
Senior second-baseman Nebasett Brown was named a third-team preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball in December. Brown, a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2001, led the Cowboys with a .381 batting average last year while also stealing 12 bases and wrapping out six triples. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native is currently tied for fourth place in the OSU record books with 13 career triples. He enters the 2002 campaign seven triples behind the school's all-time leader Benji De La Rosa who hit 20 of them from 1980-82.
Sophomore Studs
Oklahoma State returns five sophomore pitchers that showed enormous potential in the 2001 season. Led by Joe Weaver (8-0, 3.23 ERA) and Scott Baker (6-2, 4.05 ERA), both 2001 Freshman All-Americans, this group should mold the core of the pitching staff in 2002. Shane Hawk (2-4, 3.88 ERA), who saw time mostly as a reliever last year, could challenge for a spot in the starting rotation along with Jimmy Rhodes (4-1, 4.28 ERA). Daniel Rew (0-1, 3.50) is another sophomore who showed flashes of his enormous potential towards the end of the year and who the coaches expect to have a strong 2002.
Newcomers
There are several newcomers to watch for early in the season for the Cowboys. Newcomers Cory Von Tungeln and Jason Jaramillo are expected to see time behind the plate. Outfielders Daylon Monette and Mike Patitucci will share time in right while Jeff Salazar will start in center. In the infield Kenny Hansley caught the coaches eyes in the fall and his speed and ability to get on base should allow him some time at designated hitter. Another player to watch is Josh Fields, who did not practice in the fall due to his football duties, but has shown some promise as a power hitter in the preseason. Pitchers Jason Kramer, John Forrest, Chris Reilly, Justin Quaempts and Chase McElree will all be in the mix for pitching time throughout the year.
New Coaches, Familiar Faces
Two coaching staff changes occurred during the offseason when Josh Holliday was named as a full-time assistant coach and Jason Bell was brought in as a volunteer assistant coach. Both men were former Cowboy standouts who earned numerous accolades on and off the baseball diamond during their careers. Holliday was hired when former assistant John Farrell took a position with the Cleveland Indians organization in August. Holliday, who was a student assistant last year, will assist with the position players and in the recruiting process. Bell, a Cowboy Baseball Hall of Famer as a pitcher, will assist in the day-to-day development of the pitching staff.
New Facility Additions
Oklahoma State baseball had some new facility additions and improvements over the offseason. First and foremost is the new indoor hitting facility which houses four batting/pitching cages. Over the summer a wrought iron fence went up around Allie P. Reynolds Stadium and more recently, the classroom inside the stadium was renovated and is now a meeting room/lounge for the players and families.
Oklahoma State All-Time Record
Through the years OSU has sustained a baseball legacy that is one of the best in the country. Entering the 2002 season, Oklahoma State has the 22nd best record all-time in the history of NCAA Division I baseball. The Cowboys record of 1,986-956-4 over 89 years is good for a .676 winning percentage, which is second among Big 12 schools (Texas- .761). The Cowboys are third among Big 12 schools in wins (Texas- 2,653, Texas A&M 2,014) and first among schools from the old Big Eight.OSU is 14 wins away from winning 2000 games.
Preseason Polls
The Cowboys are ranked as high as No. 10 and as low as No. 23 in the preseason polls. Many prognosticators have forecasted a top-three finish for Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Conference this year. Collegiate Baseball has the Pokes ranked No. 10 in their Fabulous 40 Poll with OSU winning the Big12 crown. Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll has the Cowboys at No. 14, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has OSU at No. 15 while Baseball America ranks the team at No. 23.
Cowboy Notes
Cowboys with active hitting streaks entering the 2002 season include Nebasett Brown (11), Jake Bollig (4), Ali Modami (4), Paul Powell (4) and Zach Cates (2) ...Over the last 15 years Oklahoma State has made the College World Series every third year dating back to 1987 (87, 90, 93, 96, 99, 02?) ... in Baseball America's College Preview Issue catcher Jason Jaramillo was rated as the 48th best freshman prospect, pitcher Scott Baker was rated as the 24th best sophomore prospect and Nebasett Brown was rated as the 38th best senior prospect ... five of the Cowboys first seven games are against teams from California ... the combined record of OSU's 2002 opponents in 2001 was 914-801-2 (.533).
Ali Modami's Baseball Diaries
Senior first baseman Ali Modami is keeping a running journal throughout the 2002 season. The diary will be published on Oklahoma State's official website: www.okstate.com every Thursday and Sunday throughout the year. His preseason story is already up and his next one should be up on Tuesday, Feb. 12 following the Prairie View A&M series.
2002 Baseball Hall of Famers
On Friday, Doug Dascenzo and Tony Sellari will be inducted into the Oklahoma State Baseball Hall of Fame.The following is a brief bio on the two.
Doug Dascenzo # 1
OF, 1984-85
Cleveland, Ohio
Dascenzo provided the powerful offensive Cowboy teams of the mid-1980s with a base stealing threat that helped fuel the OSU juggernaut to College World Series appearances in 1984 and 1985.
Dascenzo transferred to Oklahoma State as a sophomore in 1984 after spending his freshman campaign at Florida College where he earned all-conference honors. He batted .370 with 52 stolen bases in junior college and was immediately plugged in as the Cowboys starting centerfielder in 1984.
While College Player of the Century and teammate Pete Incaviglia was garnering most of the national spotlight for OSU, Dascenzo efficiently put together a solid year with a .316 batting average and set a Big Eight and school record with 52 stolen bases. He also tied for the team lead in doubles with 17 and scored 80 runs while also playing a superb centerfield for the Pokes committing only three errors in 71 games. OSU finished with a school record 61 wins in 1984 and advanced to the College World Series where they finished in third place.
Dascenzo returned for his junior year in 1985 and built upon his success of the previous year by batting .390 with a school and conference record 67 stolen bases in 71 games. He was second on the team with 90 walks and 20 doubles while also playing a near flawless centerfield with only one error while recording 130 putouts for a .993 fielding percentage. Dascenzo earned conference plaudits on the baseball diamond as well as in the classroom in 1985 when he was named to the All-Big Eight teams athletically and academically with a 3.31 grade point average in marketing. He also garnered All-Big Eight Tournament Team honors helping lead the Cowboys to their fifth straight Big Eight championship. Once again the team advanced to the College World Series where they finished fifth with an overall record of 58-16-1.
Dascenzo was drafted in the 12th round of the 1985 draft by the Chicago Cubs and signed with the team, ending his OSU career after two seasons. He left the Cowboys with a .353 batting average, 37 doubles and a school and Big Eight career record of 119 stolen bases.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native made his way up the Cubs organization and eventually hit the major leagues in 1988. He played in Chicago for four years, batting a career-high .255 in both the 1991 and 1992 seasons before signing with Texas in 1993 and playing one season for the Rangers. Dascenzo finished his major league career with San Diego in 1996 and is currently working in the Padres organization as a minor league instructor.
Tony Sellari # 20
C, 1965-67
Aliquippa, Pa.
Tony Sellari was a two-sport star for Oklahoma State in the mid-1960's that made a definite impact on the Cowboy athletic scene.
Sellari was a three-year starter at catcher for the Cowboy baseball team from 1965-67 while also starting three seasons at receiver for the football team from 1964-66. He was the defensive backbone of the 1966 and 1967 baseball squads that advanced to the College World Series.
Sellari came to Oklahoma State from Aliquippa, Pa. and became a starter at catcher in his sophomore year. He had a breakout campaign, leading the team with a .376 batting average and made the All-Big Eight team. He was known as a consistent hitter, hitting safely in 20 of 24 games in 1965. The team finished with a 14-11 record, a significant improvement over the previous season when the team went 6-14.
In 1966 the team continued the vast improvements on the field, sporting a 21-11 record which included a trip to the College World Series for the first time in five years. The team advanced to the championship game before falling to Ohio State 8-2. While Sellari slumped offensively, batting only .228 in 1966, he came up huge defensively for the Cowboys during the season and especially in the CWS where he threw out an astonishing 9-of-11 base runners. He once again earned all-conference honors and set the stage for a outstanding senior year.
Sellari rebounded offensively in 1967 and once again led the team with a .316 batting average. He helped guide the team to a second straight College World Series appearance and was named to the All-Big Eight team for the third consecutive year. Sellari capped of the team's 15-10 campaign when he was named a first team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
On the gridiron Sellari led the Cowboys in receiving in 1964 and 1965 and finished his career with 48 receptions for 562 yards and a touchdown.
For his outstanding contributions on the baseball diamond and on the football field, Sellari was voted Oklahoma State's best all-around athlete following the 1966-67 school year.
Following the completion of his senior year in 1967, Sellari signed a free agent contract with the Chicago White Sox. He currently resides in West Palm Beach, Fla.
