Oklahoma State University Athletics
2004 Baseball Season Preview
February 09, 2004 | Cowboy Baseball
Oklahoma State enters the 2004 season with a mixture of new faces to go along with some very talented veterans. Five starters return on the offensive side of things while the pitching staff will rely on veteran returnees along with some talented newcomers.
2004 marks the beginning of the Frank Anderson regime and with it comes an emphasis on fundamentals and hard work. The Cowboys started their strict business approach to practice in the fall and the coaching staff came away with the feeling that this group of Cowboys was a hard working bunch that was eager to succeed.
While not as deep as in previous years, this season's club will rely on a core group of quality players to lead them to a productive campaign.
Catcher
Junior Jason Jaramillo is coming off a stellar sophomore season, in which he earned all-america honors by Collegiate Baseball and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection as well. He led OSU with a .385 batting average, which is also the best average for a returning player in the Big 12. The Franksville, Wisc., product is considered one of the top prospects in college baseball and should be a high draft choice come June. He will be counted on to help lead the offense while also taking on added responsibility of helping to develop the pitching staff.
Jaramillo had a solid fall practice, finishing second on the team with a .370 batting average with a homer and seven RBIs.
Freshman Kyle West and junior college transfer Mike Condry will be the backups behind the dish.
West has a strong arm and the potential to develop into a solid defensive catcher.
Condry played two seasons at Seminole Junior College and provides some collegiate experience and depth at the spot.
First Base
First base is an area up for grabs this season. OSU is looking to replace John Urick who was a solid first baseman defensively and led the team with 13 homers at the plate. No individual won the everyday position in the lineup in the fall, but their are several viable candidates to choose from.
Returnee Mario Matulich is a question mark after undergoing arm surgery during the offseason. If healthy he will get playing time here and at DH.
Freshmen Thomas Incaviglia and Ty Wright have seen action at first in practice along with junior college transfer Paul Gerlach.
Incaviglia's name should be familiar to Cowboy fans as his uncle is former OSU great Pete Incaviglia. Thomas had a solid fall and the coaching staff was pleased with his work ethic. He should see more time as the season goes on, with an eye on becoming a regular next season.
Wright was one of the top offensive performers in the fall, batting .341 with five RBIs. He will definitely see action this season and could possibly start at first or in rightfield as well.
Gerlach, a mid-year junior college transfer from Canada, provides an experienced lefthanded bat that can also play in the outfield if needed or DH.
Second Base
Junior college transfers Justin Vinyard and Rusty Ryal are battling for the starter's spot at second base.
Vinyard, a mid-year transfer, is a heady player who should give the Cowboys a solid performer in the field.
Ryal saw plenty of action at third in the fall, while Josh Fields was playing football, and made the move to second at the start of the semester. He plays a solid infield and could see action at a variety of spots.
Shortstop
Chris Gutierrez is one of four Cowboys whose spot in the everyday lineup is solidified. He made several spectacular plays on defense last season and will be counted on to do the same as well as make the routine plays. The Orlando, Fla., native batted over .300 last year and looks to improve on that mark this year, while also being more aggressive on the bases.
Third Base
Junior Josh Fields, a preseason All-American, will be the everyday starter at the hot corner for the second consecutive season. Fields provided 12 homers and 55 RBIs last year in the middle of the order while batting at a .358 clip. That average is right behind Jason Jaramillo among returning players in the Big 12. Fields showed good defensive skills as well and consistently made the routine plays a year ago. He looks to have a great junior year and is one of the top professional baseball prospects among the junior class.
Leftfield
Arizona State transfer Rod Allen will patrol the leftfield grass for the Pokes after three seasons as a starter in Tempe. The senior should be another power bat in the middle of the lineup and will also help solidify the defense in left. Last year Allen batted .305 for the Sun Devils and was a 22nd round pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Centerfield
Freshman Keanon Simon impressed the coaching staff from the beginning of fall ball and looks to open the season as the starter in center. Simon, an all-state performer from Allen, Okla., led the Pokes with a .412 batting average in the fall and also scored nine runs. He should bat somewhere at the top of the order and gives the team a solid base threat.
Rightfield
Freshman Ty Wright and junior college transfer Felix Peguero are vying for the top spot in right.
Peguero, a mid-year transfer, has shown flashes of solid defensive skills with a rocket arm. He will need to get adjusted to Division I college pitching to cement a spot in the everyday lineup.
Designated Hitter
Several Cowboys could see time at designated hitter depending on the various game situations.
Returnee Scott Kirby could see time here or at one of the corner outfield spots. The senior came on strong towards the end of the 2003 campaign and proved to be one of the more consistent offensive performers in league play. He hit 11 homers last season and looks to build on that number in 2004.
Last year's starter Mario Matulich could also see time her as well as Felix Peguero and Paul Gerlach.
Pitchers
The pitching staff has several players able to swing into different roles, whether it is to start or to pitch in long relief. This flexibility will be important as the season progresses and the possible need for change arises.
The starting rotation will be made up of three experienced performers at the collegiate level. Veterans Daniel Rew and Spencer Grogan will open the year as starters along with juco transfer Scott Richmond.
Rew was the team's closer last year and earned second team All-Big 12 honors to go along with five saves. The dean of the OSU pitching staff, he went 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA in 2003 in 21 appearances. He started in his last outing of the season and will get the chance to do so again this year. The senior sported a miniscule 0.82 ERA in the fall with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched.
Junior Spencer Grogan will give the Cowboys a crafty lefthander in the rotation. The southpaw will look to develop more consistency this year and showed signs in the fall of doing so. He had a 1.50 ERA with nine strikeouts in 12 innings pitched.
Junior Scott Richmond was the one pitcher who the coaches said had the most impressive fall campaign. Richmond, who did not play baseball in high school, is a savvy pitcher who baffled the hitters in the fall. He allowed just five hits in 12 innings of work with nine strikeouts and a 0.75 ERA.
Cal State Fullerton transfer Travis Ingle is another pitcher who provides stability and maturity to the staff. The senior went 3-0 in 17 appearances for the Titans last year and brings with him big game experience. Ingle struck out 12 batters in 11.2 innings in the fall to go along with a 3.21 ERA. He will be a valuable member of the pitching staff and will be depended on in key situations.
Freshman righthander Brent Weaver had a solid fall and is penciled in as the team's closer to open the season. The Midwest City product struck out five batters in two innings of work in the fall and showed the mentality needed to close out games.
Two mid-year transfers, Dane Mason and Damien Salcedo, are talented players who add immediate quality to the staff.
Mason has the chance to challenge for a starter's spot in the weekend rotation, while Salcedo gives the team a durable arm capable of middle relief work. He can also close out games should the need arise.
Junior Aaron Whitehead had a solid fall and should contribute in middle relief. He compiled a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings of work in the fall, while limiting his walks to just two with eight strikeouts.
Another veteran arm who will see time in middle relief is John Forrest. The senior received a medical redshirt last year due to an arm injury and looks to be ready to go. He is a pitcher with good control and may be counted on in tough situations.
Sophomore Thomas Cowley looks to see action as a starter or in long relief. He is hoping to build upon a nice summer performance and should give the team a quality lefthanded arm.
Junior college transfers Beto Romo and David Bacon are swing guys who could start or relieve depending on the situation.
Romo had a 2.70 ERA in the fall and looks to be a crafty lefty who knows how to get people out.
Bacon showed the ability to strike people out in the fall with 12 K's in 11 innings pitched.
Junior college transfer Quinn Monsma and sophomore Brett McDonald will be counted on as lefthanded specialists out of the bullpen.
Two Cowboy pitchers, Tommy Keefer and Robert Madsen are battling through injuries and their contributions this season will be determined once they are healthy.
Overall the coaching staff feels that this team will be competitive and as long as they play hard, they are talented enough to play with anybody.
“This is a hard-nosed club that is not afraid to compete and I like that in a team,” said coach Anderson.
The Schedule
11 NCAA tournament teams highlight the schedule, which should provide a consistent level in the quality of the opponents.
“I think the schedule is a very competitive and balanced one,” said coach Anderson. “We will play several quality opponents in both non-conference and Big 12 play and we look forward to the challenge.”
The Cowboys will open their season at Reynolds Stadium in a three-game series against 2003 NCAA tournament team Eastern Michigan starting on Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m.
The Cowboys will also play in tournaments in Fort Worth, Texas, (TCU, Furman, Dallas Baptist) and DeLand, Fla., (Virginia Tech, Stetson, South Florida) in February with single home dates against TCU and Dallas Baptist on Feb. 24 and March 2 respectively.
OSU will participate in McNeese State's Lake Area Classic (McNeese State, Southern Miss, Indiana State) in Lake Charles, La., on the weekend of March 5-7, before returning home for a three-game set against Louisiana Tech on March 12-14.
The Pokes will travel to Tempe, Ariz., to take on Arizona State in midweek action on March 16-17 and will head back to Stillwater to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on that following weekend of March 19-21.
OSU will open Big 12 play against 2003 College World Series participant Texas in Austin on the weekend of March 26-28. Other conference road trips include Baylor (April 9-11), Kansas State (April 23-25) and Missouri (May 21-23).
The Cowboys conference home opener will be against Texas A&M (April 2-4), with Kansas (April 16-18), Nebraska (May 8-10) and Texas Tech (May 14-16) also visiting Stillwater this season.
The annual Bedlam Series will be played on a Thursday-Friday-Saturday rotation this year, starting on April 29th in Tulsa at 7:05 p.m. The venue will shift to Oklahoma City and the Bricktown Ballpark for the next two games (April 30, May 1), set for 7 p.m. starts.
Other notable games include a single-game at Arkansas on April 20th at 6:35 p.m. and a home and home series against Texas-Arlington (March 23 in Stillwater, April 13 in Arlington).
This year's Big 12 baseball tournament will once again be played at The Ballpark in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers. The Ballpark hosted the tournament in 2002 in the first of its two opportunities. The tourney is slated to begin Wednesday, May 26 and will run to the championship game on Sunday, May 30.
Schedule Notes: The Cowboys will play 16 games against seven teams that finished with 40 or more wins in 2003 ... 18 of the 26 teams on the slate finished with 30 or more Division I wins last year ... 22 teams had winning records in 2003 ... Dallas Baptist is in the process of moving to Division I in baseball and their games will count as Division I contests ... The Cowboys longest homestand of the season will be a eight-game skein in May against Nebraska, Texas Tech and Western Illinois ... OSU's first 14 games will be against teams that had winning records in 2003.
