Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Set To Open 2003 Season
February 04, 2003 | Cowboy Baseball
Feb. 4, 2003
Oklahoma State (0-0)
at the News-Journal First Pitch Invitational
vs. South Florida, No. 18/23 Stetson, Florida A&M
February 7-9
Melching Field (2,500), DeLand, Fla.
The Matchups:
South Florida (0-0) * Feb. 7 *?1 p.m. CT
Stetson (0-0) * Feb. 8 * 6 p.m. CT
Florida A&M (2-3) * Feb. 9 * 11 a.m. CT
The Coaches:
OSU's Tom Holliday is 247-126 in his seventh season in Stillwater.
South Florida's Eddie Cardieri is 613-427 in 17 seasons in Tampa.
Stetson's Pete Dunn is 852-505-3 in 23 seasons in DeLand.
Florida A&M's Joe Durant is 264-332 in 12 seasons in Tallahassee.
What's On Tap
Oklahoma State opens the 2003 campaign this weekend at the News-Journal First Pitch Invitational in DeLand, Fla. The Cowboys will take on South Florida in the season opener on Friday, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m at Melching Field. OSU will face host Stetson on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. before closing out the tournament against Florida A&M on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 11 a.m.
About South Florida
South Florida leads the all-time series between the schools 3-1, including a 10-2 win in the most recent meeting on Feb. 6, 1997 at the Olive Garden Classic in Orlando, Fla.
The Bulls went 35-29 in 2002 and made the NCAA tournament after finishing seventh in Conference USA.
USF returns 18 veterans from last season's team including seven position starters. Righthander John Uhl is the staff ace, having gone 9-6 with a 3.93 ERA as a sophomore.
The left side of the infield is an area of strength for the Bulls with All-Conference USA selections Myron Leslie and Jeff Baisley manning short and third respectively. Leslie hit .310 with 19 doubles and 50 RBIs while Baisley batted at a .358 clip with a team high 63 RBIs.
The Bulls are predicted to finish fourth in C-USA by the conference coaches, while Baseball America has them slated to end the year in third place.
Season Openers
The Cowboys are 46-18-1 in season opening games dating back to 1935. OSU has won its last two openers and 16 of its last 17 dating back to 1986. Oklahoma State had a streak of 14 straight season opening wins from 1986 to 1999. This marks the second time the team will open the season against South Florida. The Bulls defeated the Pokes, 12-11, in the 1985 opener.
About Stetson
Stetson and Oklahoma State last met in the 1997 season with the Cowboys coming away with an 8-1 win over the Hatters in NCAA Regional play.
Last year, Stetson went 42-19 and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season.
The Hatters, ranked as high as 18th in the preseason polls, return eight of nine starters on offense, led by junior catcher Chris Westervelt who batted .403 with 18 home runs, 46 RBI, and 166 total bases a year ago. Juniors Brian Zenchyk (.383, 11 HRs, 64 RBIs) and Brian Snyder (.379, 14 HRs, 54 RBIs) also return at first and second base respectively.
Seniors Roger Lincoln and Mike Wiley are the top two returning starters from last year. Lincoln went 12-3 with a 3.99 ERA in 2002, while Wiley went 10-2 with a 4.48 ERA.
Stetson is predicted to win the Atlantic Sun Conference by the league's coaches as well as by Baseball America.
About Florida A&M
Florida A&M and Oklahoma State will meet for the first time ever on the baseball diamond on Sunday afternoon.
FAMU is 2-3 on the season after taking two of three from Mercer over the weekend. They opened the season with two losses to Florida International on Jan. 24-25.
The Rattlers went 27-27 a year ago and finished third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a 10-8 mark.
Senior shortstop Frank Scott (.348, 23 RBIs) and senior outfielder Ben Morgan (.328, 1 HR, 26 RBIs) are the top returning hitters from 2002.
A&M's ace is Mike Sills who is 0-1 on the year. He went 6-4 with a 4.12 ERA as a junior.
Baker Preseason All-American
Junior righthander Scott Baker was named a third-team preseason All-American by Baseball America.
Baker went 6-3 last season with a 4.23 ERA in 13 starts for OSU and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection. He led the team with three complete games and struck out 47 batters in 76.2 innings pitched.
The Shreveport, La., native was a Cape Cod League All-Star for the Orleans Cardinals over the summer and helped lead them to the league championship series. He went 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA in nine starts for the Cardinals and struck out 52 in 56 innings pitched.
After the successful summer campaign in the Cape, Baseball America rated Baker as the 15th best pro prospect to come out of that league.
2003 Schedule
Oklahoma State's 2003 schedule should be considered one of the toughest in the country. The slate includes 10 schools that made the NCAA tournament a year ago. The Cowboys will play 20 games against teams that finished in the Top 50 of the official Division I RPI rankings a year ago. In addition, the 2003 schedule includes games against six teams that are ranked in the Top 25 of the preseason polls. OSU's first nine games of the season are on the road and expanding that list, 14 of the first 20 are away from Stillwater.
Newcomers To Watch
With eight starters to replace from last year's team, there are several newcomers to watch to start the 2003 season. Junior college All-American John Urick (Cowley County CC) is slated to be the everyday starter at first base. Two-time draft choice Craig Bartosh (Grayson CC) will man rightfield while Jeff Tuttle (Cypress CC) and Scott Kirby (San Mateo JC) are expected to see plenty of time in the outfield as well.
On the mound sophomore transfer Spencer Grogan (Oklaloosa-Walton CC) will see plenty of action in long relief or as a spot starter.
Changing Places in 2003
Relievers Joe Weaver and Shane Hawk make the move into the starting rotation after spending their first two seasons mainly in relief roles. Weaver, a 2001 Freshman All-American and Big 12 Freshman Pitcher of the Year, went 3-2 with a 4.01 ERA in a team-high 24 appearances last year. Hawk opened the 2002 season as a starter but moved into the bullpen after four starts to further harness his control. He proved to be very effective in long relief and did not allow an earned run in his last eight appearances (12 innings). He struck out 50 batters in 42.1 innings in 23 appearances. The junior duo adapted to their new roles in the fall and will be counted on to provide quality starts in `03.
Big 12 Coaches Poll
The Big 12 coaches recently conducted their first ever preseason coaches poll and defending NCAA and conference champion Texas was the near unanimous choice to finish first in 2003. Oklahoma State garnered 47 points and is picked to finish sixth. The complete poll is as follows.
Rank/School First Place Votes Points 2002 Finish
1. Texas 9 81 1st
2. Baylor - 62 T-5th
3. Oklahoma 1 61 4th
4. (tie) Nebraska - 54 2nd
Texas Tech - 54 3rd
6. Oklahoma State - 47 T-5th
7. Texas A&M - 38 8th
8. Kansas State - 24 T-5th
9. Missouri - 17 9th
10. Kansas - 10 10th
(Points compiled on a basis of nine for first, eight for second, seven for third, etc.)
Baseball America Tidbits
The Cowboys had several mentions in Baseball America's College Preview in January. Oklahoma State is picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 and make the NCAA tournament in 2003. Catcher Jason Jaramillo and pitcher Scott Baker were preseason All-Big 12 picks by the magazine and listed among the top prospects to watch. Baker is the third best prospect in 2003 while Jaramillo and Josh Fields are the fourth and fifth top prospects in the 2004 draft class. In the best tools category, Fields was rated as the second best pure hitter in the conference while Jaramillo was rated to be the best defensive catcher with the best arm. Baker's breaking ball was rated as the third best in the Big 12 to round out the Cowboy contingent.
From the Gridiron to the Diamond
Fresh off the Houston Bowl victory on the gridiron, sophomore Josh Fields makes the transition over to the baseball field where he hopes to build upon a solid freshman campaign. Fields set numerous single season records at quarterback for the Cowboy football team and is considered one of the top hitters in the conference in baseball. In 2002 the Stillwater High product batted .383 with three homers and 29 RBIs and was an honorable mention Freshman All-American. He proved to be just as deadly in conference play, batting .396 with two homers and 16 RBIs while boasting a .679 slugging percentage and was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman team. This season he makes to move to third base after spending last season at either first base or as the designated hitter.
Oklahoma State and USA Baseball
USA Baseball ranked Oklahoma State No. 18 in a recent study that ranks the Top 50 Collegiate Baseball Programs that have produced USA Baseball National Team players, since 1984.
The Cowboys have produced six members on the team during the 18-year span which is tied with Texas, Tennessee and Long Beach State.
Texas A&M led the Big 12 contingent with eight players named to the squad over the years while Stanford was the overall leader with 20 players selected.
Oklahoma State players selected to play on the national team:
Gary Green SS 1984
Robin Ventura 3B 1988
Brad Beanblossom INF 1989
Jeromy Burnitz OF 1989
Matt Smith LHP 1999
Ryan Budde C 2000
Cowboys On The Air
Every game for the rest of the 2002 Oklahoma State baseball season will be broadcast on Stillwater Radio 93.7 KSPI. In addition, fans outside of the Stillwater area can listen to the games on the internet by going to Oklahoma State's official athletic website: www.okstate.com. Calling the action in his 21st year with Oklahoma State baseball is Rex Holt.
Cowboy Notes
Oklahoma State will travel nearly 7,000 miles to play nine games before the home opener against Cal on Feb. 28 ... With the Jan. 31 induction of Josh Holliday, all three assistant coaches are in the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame ... The Cowboys have five players with connections to the state of Florida including four residents: Chris Gutierrez (Orlando), Kenny Hansley (Cooper City), Brian Kraft (Gainesville), and Spencer Grogan (Cantonment); Mario Matulich is a juco transfer from Manatee CC.
Brian's Baseball Diaries
Senior shortstop Brian Kraft is keeping a running journal throughout the 2003 season. The diary will be published on Oklahoma State's official website: www.okstate.com usually every Thursday and Monday throughout the year, Brian's schedule permitting. In the most recent journal entry "Krafty" talks about getting ready for the upcoming season.
