Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Look To Get Back On Top
January 21, 2003 | Cowboy Baseball
Jan. 21, 2003
Oklahoma State baseball enters the 2003 season as a unified group of players determined to improve on last season and get the Cowboys back into the upper echelon of collegiate baseball. This year's team features a mixture of experienced returnees with talented newcomers that should gel and form a cohesive unit by the time league play begins in March.
The team lost seven starters on the offensive side but have replaced them with hungry players with the potential to keep OSU as a force at the plate. Sophomores Josh Fields and Jason Jaramillo will be the catalysts on an offense which shouldn't skip a beat. The pitching staff, led by preseason All-American Scott Baker, returns several key members from last season who provide quality experience and depth.
Catcher
Sophomore Jason Jaramillo continues the OSU tradition of stellar players behind the plate. Last season Jaramillo was an honorable mention Freshman All-American and hit .327 with three homers, eight doubles and 17 RBIs in 46 games. He also threw out 10 baserunners in 31 attempts, showcasing his strong throwing arm. The Franksville, Wisc., product had a great summer season and fall and should be one of the top performers this year.
"Jason had a great fall and took command of the position," said seventh-year head coach Tom Holliday. "He is more comfortable as the top catcher and should be one of the top players in the nation at his spot."
Senior Cory Von Tungeln and junior college transfer Mario Matulich will serve as reserves behind the dish while also serving in utility roles along the infield.
Von Tungeln played in 31 games last season with eight starts and gives the Cowboys an experienced player who is versatile enough to play some at third base and the outfield.
Matulich had a strong fall according to the coaches and will see time in a variety of spots including catcher and first base as well as DH.
First Base
Junior college transfer John Urick, a first-team All-American at Cowley County last season, claimed the position in the fall and gives the team a solid player in the field and at the plate. He hit .400 with 20 homers and 73 RBIs in 2002 and helped lead the team to the JUCO World Series in 2001.
"Urick walked right in in the fall and stepped in to the first base slot and is everything we expected him to be," said Holliday.
Second Base
Senior Kenny Hansley, a top reserve on last year's squad, returns and will be the starter at second replacing three-year starter Nebasett Brown. Hansley batted .319 last season with 15 RBIs in 40 games. He should see time at the top of the order and be a spark plug for the offense.
Shortstop
Senior Brian Kraft will open the season as the starter at shortstop for the Cowboys. Kraft, who hit .250 in 27 games last year, had a productive summer in the Shenandoah Valley League and carried the production into the fall season. The Gainesville, Fla. native is a polished offensive player with a steady bat. Kraft could also see some time at second base if necessary.
Freshman Chris Gutierrez will get time at short and is expected to take over the position full-time next year. Gutierrez impressed the coaches with his stellar work in the field and will spend the year getting acclimated to playing Division I baseball.
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Sophomore Jason Jaramillo continues the OSU tradition of stellar players behind the plate.  |
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Third Base
Sophomore Josh Fields, the top returning hitter, will be the starter at third base after seeing time at designated hitter and first a year ago. He flirted with .400 as a freshman before finishing the year batting .383 with three homers and 29 RBIs. The honorable mention Freshman All-American will play third predominantly for the first time in his career after starring as a shortstop at Stillwater High.
"I think if there is any question mark along the infield, it is whether Josh can play third," said Holliday. "If he plays the position like we believe he can then we have a chance, barring injuries, to have a better lineup from top to bottom than we did last year."
Cory Von Tungeln and sophomore Shawn Callahan will also see time in a reserve role at third. Callahan played in six games as a freshman and recorded three hits in six at-bats. The Holden, Mo., product is one of the many versatile Cowboys on the 2003 squad as he can also play short, second and in the outfield if needed.
Utility
Newcomers Lonnie Coleman, Ryan Olivo and Adam Yates are multi-dimensional players who can play a variety of positions.
Coleman, a junior college transfer, can play all three outfield positions along with sophomore transfer Ryan Olivo.
Yates, a juco transfer from Barton County, will serve as a backup at second and provide solid depth along the infield.
Colby Overstreet, a true freshman from Midland, Texas, is a big, physical player that could see time at first or in the outfield as he adjusts to the college game.
Leftfield
Power-hitting newcomers Scott Kirby and Jeff Tuttle will split time in leftfield, with both seeing plenty of playing time here or as the designated hitter.
Kirby, a mid-year transfer from San Mateo JC, led the California community colleges in home runs with 24 and received the Northern California Big Stick Award.
Tuttle, a junior college transfer from Cypress College, hit .346 with 16 homers and 46 RBIs last season and was a 2001 draft choice of the New York Yankees. He impressed the coaches in the fall by showing he could play solid defense in the outfield as well as producing on offense.
"Jeff is a much better outfielder than we were led to believe which gives us more confidence in our defensive outfield play," said Holliday.
Centerfield
Senior Jos? Virgil is the most experienced Cowboy on the team and will make the move from left to center this year. The Phoenix, Ariz., native started 49 games and batted .283 with six homers and 40 RBIs in 2002 before missing the last four games of the year due to an ankle injury.
Lyndsey Simmons, a junior college player from El Camino College, could also see time in center as well as Lonnie Coleman and Ryan Olivo.
Rightfield
Transfer Craig Bartosh will open the year as the starter in right. A two-time draft choice, Bartosh showed a strong arm in the fall and is described by the coaching staff as a player with all of the tools.
Kirby, Tuttle and Coleman could also see time in right as the outfield in general should have plenty of combinations early in the year as players solidify their places on the club.
"Due to the loss of Jeff Salazar and Daylon Monette to the draft, we had to rebuild the outfield and the new guys showed in the fall that they can step right in and help," said Holliday. Designated Hitter
Several Cowboys could see time at designated hitter depending on the various game situations. Jeff Tuttle, Mario Matulich and Scott Kirby are the guys who could see the most significant time at the spot.
Pitchers
One area of the team that definitely has plenty of experience and should be a team strength is the pitching staff. The Cowboys return seven pitchers who saw significant action a year ago and produced 23 of the Cowboys 37 wins.
The junior five-some of Scott Baker, Shane Hawk, Daniel Rew, Jimmy Rhodes and Joe Weaver continued to grow last season and will take on more of the load in 2003.
Scott Baker, a preseason All-American, had a great summer in the Cape Cod League and is poised to be one of the top starters in the nation. He was a second team All-Big 12 pick in 2002, going 6-3 with a 4.23 ERA with three complete games. The Shreveport, La., native will anchor the Cowboy staff and is rated as one of the top junior prospects for the amateur baseball draft in June.
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Scott Baker, a preseason All-American, had a great summer in the Cape Cod League and is poised to be one of the top starters in the nation. |
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Shane Hawk and Joe Weaver will also start this season after serving predominantly as relievers their first two seasons in Stillwater.
Weaver led the team with 24 relief appearances in 2002 and posted a 3-2 record with a 4.01 ERA and two saves. He had a solid summer in the Cape and made the transition to a starter in the fall.
"Joe was really good in the fall and proved to me that he can start," observed Holliday. "He went out and used his third and fourth pitch to the point that he is a different guy, not just a one-inning performer. Starting pitching is something I believe he will do well in."
Hawk went 3-4 with a 5.10 ERA in 23 games last year, including four starts.The southpaw was particularly effective against lefthanders, holding them to just a .205 batting average. He struck out 50 batters in 42.1 innings of work and was very efficient in holding runners, picking off four of seven runners attempting to steal.
Newcomer Spencer Grogan could also see time as a starter. He was a 19th-round draft choice by the San Diego Padres as a freshman at Okaloosa-Walton CC but turned them down and transferred to Stillwater.
"Spencer is a key addition to our pitching staff," noted Holliday. "He is a lefty that complements Hawk. We are really high on the potential of our starting pitchers."
Seniors Mike Miller and John Forrest give the Cowboys an experienced, veteran duo who will see action in middle-relief and possibly spot start during mid-week action.
Miller is the dean of the staff, having seen significant action in each of his four seasons. Last year he went 3-2 with a 4.00 ERA in nine appearances. He started in seven of those games and struck out 20 batters in 27.0 innings.
Forrest started strong but had to battle through injuries in the latter part of the year. He finished with a 2-0 record and 18 strikeouts in 11 appearances.
Junior Jimmy Rhodes will start the year as a starter during mid-week games nd could see time in long relief on weekends. He went 2-4 in 13 appearances a year ago. Rhodes made seven starts and also recorded a save while striking out 29 batters in 42.1 innings.
Junior college lefty Justin Ottman also figures into the relief mix along with sophomore Aaron Whitehead.
Ottman, a two-time draft choice out of Rockland CC in New York pitched in the Cape Cod League in the summer and could be the top southpaw in relief for OSU.
Whitehead had a solid fall after seeing limited action in four games as a freshman. The Benbrook, Texas, native will be one of several players to help the Cowboys bridge the gap between mid-week and weekend contests.
Although the Cowboys have no set closer this year, they do have a guy who will be counted on immensely out of the pen in junior Daniel Rew. He went 4-0 last season in 14 appearances with 28 strikeouts in 23 innings. His offspeed pitch is one of the best the staff has seen at Oklahoma State and the Fayetteville, Ark., native should see the most action of his career in 2003.
OSU will count on junior college transfer Cody King to help as a reliever or possible mid-week starter. He joined the team in mid-year out of El Paso CC and will spend time early in the season getting adjusted to Division I ball.
Several Cowboys figure to serve the pitching staff in specialist roles.
Junior Justin Quaempts has made significant strides on the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring. His role this season will be determined by the progress he makes early on.
Cowley County transfer Adam Dye was injured and did not play in the fall. He factors in as a lefty situational hurler when healthy.
Freshman lefties Brett McDonald and Thomas Cowley are young prospects with the potential to help the staff for years to come.
Junior Chris McCulloch and redshirt freshman Matt Keith are converted infielders who will spend the year getting adjusted to their new positions.
"Our intent is to get away from the professional structure and attack the weekends with everyone available and then use whoever is rested in the mid-week games," stated Holliday.
The Schedule
The 2003 schedule is a formidable one that includes games against 10 schools that made the NCAA tournament a year ago.
The Cowboys open the year in February with nine games on the road beginning with a three-game slate in Florida. OSU will take on NCAA tournament teams South Florida and Stetson before closing the trip to the Sunshine State against Florida A&M.
Oklahoma State will then play two consecutive weekends in Arizona against Pac-10 foes Arizona State, Oregon State and Arizona as well as 2002 Big 10 champion Minnesota.
OSU will open its home slate with a three-game series against Cal on Feb. 28. The Pokes then host Miami of Ohio the following weekend before heading to North Carolina during spring break.
The Cowboys will face North Carolina State, Duke and Wake Forest from the ACC while also playing Princeton and Old Dominion on the trip down "Tobacco Road" which features five games in five days.
Oklahoma State opens its conference schedule against defending NCAA and Big 12 champion Texas on March 21-23. Other home conference series include Kansas State (April 4-6), Baylor (April 11-13) and Missouri (May 2-4).
OSU's Big 12 road trips include Kansas (March 28-30), Texas A&M (April 18-20), Nebraska (May 10-12) and Texas Tech (May 16-18).
The annual Bedlam Series against Oklahoma will be played the weekend of April 25-27. The Friday contest will be played at 7 p.m. in Tulsa before the series shifts to Oklahoma City for the final two games (7 p.m. and 2 p.m.)
The Big 12 Tournament returns to Oklahoma City in 2003 and will be played from May 21-25 at the Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark.
"The first month we will see quality people everytime we play," Holliday said."The goal of the schedule was to prepare us for league action. The caliber of competition is upgraded to the point of where once we enter the Big 12 slate, all we have to do is take care of business."
