Oklahoma State University Athletics
2006 Cowboy Baseball Preview
February 06, 2006 | Cowboy Baseball
The Cowboys return five position players who started at least 36 games last season and have added several talented newcomers, which could give third-year head coach Frank Anderson his best offensive lineup since arriving in Stillwater.
Anderson was pleased with the maturation of his team in the fall, with the strong nucleus of returners and the newcomers coming together to form the makings of a solid club.
“The fall allowed us to see how the returning players and new players would blend, and it gave us a chance to see what we need to work on in the preseason,” Anderson said. “We found out that we have the makings of a really good offensive club. We have some returning pitching, but we need to have some guys step up into some different roles. “We will be better offensively, which should take some of the pressure off the pitching situations that we've had the last couple of years.”
Catcher
The Cowboys have a number of players who could see time behind the plate and are vying to replace honorable mention all-conference performer Jeff Parrish.
Matt Clarkson is a strong defensive catcher who started 20 games as a junior last season and is improving offensively.
Senior Adam Carr manned first base for OSU in 2005 but is being tried out at catcher in the preseason. If he can overcome the lack of experience, Carr has the tools to develop into a contributor behind the plate.
Newcomers to the program who will also challenge for playing time are Ryan Flavell and Ryan Pittman. Flavell is a junior college transfer who is very solid defensively, while freshman Ryan Pittman has the potential to develop into a very good player.
John Schindler is also in the mix behind the plate. An offensive star at the JUCO level two years ago, Schindler played in just one game for the Cowboys in '05 before redshirting.
“We're better (at catcher) going into the season than at any point we were last year,” Anderson said. “We're more mature, more settled and probably have a little better quality. We feel more comfortable with this group of guys.”
First base
First base will be manned by either Carr or sophomore Rebel Ridling.
Carr batted .336 last season and led the Big 12 Conference in home runs (22) and RBIs (86). He was named first-team All-Big 12 as a utility player.
A JUCO All-American, Ridling is another power hitter who blasted 13 homers and collected 74 RBIs at Midland (Texas) Junior College last season. He also had 19 doubles and a .797 slugging percentage.
Second base/Shortstop
Numerous players will battle for playing time in the middle infield spots.
Senior Justin Colbert is the incumbent at second base and earned honorable mention all-conference honors a year ago after batting .299 with eight stolen bases and 25 RBIs.
Along with Colbert, a trio of Cowboys will compete for time at shortstop and second base.
Junior Shelby Ford joins the OSU program after two strong seasons at TCU. In 2005, Ford was a first-team All-Conference USA pick after hitting .370 with seven homers and 39 RBIs. As a freshman, he hit .301 with 16 round trippers and 56 RBIs.
Kendall Horner redshirted as a freshman last season but is ready to join the mix in '06. A talented switch hitter, Horner was one of the Cowboys' top offensive performers in the fall.
Freshman Jordy Mercer is a talented freshman who was a 26th round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers following a standout career at Taloga High School. Mercer hit .500 with four home runs and 38 RBIs during the spring of his senior season.
Third base
Looking to fill the void at the hot corner is junior Tyler Mach, who has already proven himself at the Division I level. As a freshman at Washington in 2004, Mach started 23 games and was named to the all-tournament team in the NCAA Regional in Oxford, Miss. He spent last season at Edmonds Community College, where he hit .355 with six homers and 46 RBIs.
Freshman Matt Lopez hit .375 as a senior at Palm Desert (Calif.) High and is a player who can play third base, shortstop or second base.
Left field
Ty Wright returns as the starter in left field and will look to build upon a sophomore season in which he batted .342 with seven homers and 42 RBIs.
Sophomore Donnie Webb is a switch hitter who played his freshman season at Northeastern State. At NSU, Webb hit .338 with six homers and 33 RBIs and was named the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year.
Center field
Corey Brown roamed right field for the Cowboys last season, but the sophomore has made the move to center for 2006. Brown is the second-leading returning hitter in the Big 12 after sporting a .360 batting average as a freshman. He was also named the league's Freshman Player of the Year and was a first-team all-conference pick after slugging 13 homers and driving in 46 runs.
Sophomore Steve Ptak started 36 games as a redshirt freshman and hit .262 with three homers and 21 RBIs.
Keanon Simon enters his third season in Stillwater with a .284 career batting average and 17 stolen bases. The speedy outfielder has started 77 games in two years.
Right field
JUCO transfer Deik Scram will take over in right field and should anchor the top of the Cowboy lineup. In two seasons at Cowley County Community College, Scram set school records for career hits (152), runs (124) and triples (13). As a sophomore, he hit .458 with nine homers, 51 RBIs, six triples and 34 stolen bases.
Pitchers
Despite losing its top two arms from a year ago, OSU's pitching staff returns several key contributors from last season, and a number of talented newcomers give Anderson hope that he can develop a strong group of hurlers.
“Our pitching staff has some guys that have pitched some quality innings for us,” Anderson said. “We need to become more consistent. We need a couple of guys to step forward and consistently pitch at a high level. And the biggest key for us is finding somebody that can close and finish games at the end.”
Senior Rick Rivas appeared in 17 games last season, starting six. The right-hander finished 3-4, including wins against Missouri and Texas, to go with one save and a 5.43 ERA in 59 2/3 innings.
Brae Wright returns for his senior season and will be counted on to pick up where he left off before an injury cost him much of his junior year. The southpaw made seven starts a year ago, going 4-1 with a complete game and a 4.12 ERA.
Junior Blake Kronkosky earned a spot in the weekend rotation as a sophomore and finished the year with a 2-4 mark. He made 14 appearances on the mound, including seven starts, and finished with a 4.89 ERA.
Dusty Barnard is a hard throwing right-hander and two-time MLB draft pick who saw action in six games last season and could compete for a starting spot.
A JUCO All-American at Cowley County Community College, righty Jared Swart was 10-2 with a 2.80 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 62 innings in 2005.
Oliver Odle went 23-0 on the mound in two seasons at Connors State College. In 2005, he earned All-American honors after going 15-0 with a 0.69 ERA and recording 141 strikeouts in 130.2 innings.
Sophomore Charles Benoit pitched at Oklahoma two years ago, and if he has recovered from an injury that kept him out of action last season, the lefty will compete for a place in the starting rotation.
Another junior college All-American, southpaw Josh Fritsche, will join the pitching mix. He was 9-3 with a 1.68 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 91 innings last season at Crowder College.
Matt Gardner joins the OSU staff after going 12-1 on the hill at Grayson County Community College last season. He was a 48th round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2005.
Senior Brett McDonald returns to the Cowboy bullpen with 41 career appearances. The southpaw is 2-0 with three saves in 59 career innings of work.
Brent Weaver could develop into OSU's much-needed closer if he can overcome the injuries that have plagued him the last two seasons. As a freshman, he appeared in 12 games and sported a 3.12 ERA.
Returning from a medical redshirt season is right-hander DeWayne Carver. In 2004, Carver appeared in 19 games, including four starts, and was 3-0 with a 4.19 ERA in 43 innings.
Brandon Adams is a talented newcomer who was 16-6 in two seasons at Palomar (Calif.) College and was a two-time all-conference selection.
Anderson has also been impressed in the preseason with a pair of Cowboy freshmen — southpaw Joe Kent and righty Jeff Breedlove — both of whom are in the mix on the mound.
The Schedule
Oklahoma State's 2006 schedule is highlighted by 10 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, including the national champions (Texas) and two other College World Series participants (Nebraska and Baylor).
The Cowboys play 34 home games at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. They will play games against four conference champions and 27 games against teams that had 35 or more wins last season. Contests against Arkansas, Wichita State and Oral Roberts, as well as a three-game series against Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif., highlight the non-conference portion of the schedule, while the Big 12 will once again be one of the top leagues in college baseball.
“You want to put your team in some tough situations in non-conference so when you do get in our conference, which is the best league in the country, then you're set up for it,” Anderson said. “The tournament in Alabama and going to Pepperdine, which is probably a top 10-15 team, those will get you ready for getting into conference. Then we've got some of the local teams like Wichita State and Oral Roberts, which makes for some pretty good Tuesday matchups.”
OSU opens the season against NCAA qualifier South Alabama in Mobile, Ala. on Feb. 10. The Cowboys will also take on Arkansas and George Mason while in Mobile.
Following the trip to Alabama, OSU returns to Stillwater for series against Youngstown State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Western Illinois and Cal State-Northridge.
After the CSUN series, the Cowboys head to Malibu to take on Pepperdine, an NCAA tourney team last season and a preseason top 15 club in 2006.
Upon returning home, OSU will meet a San Diego State squad at Reynolds Stadium that is coached by former Major League star Tony Gwynn.
The Cowboys open Big 12 play on March 24 against defending NCAA champion Texas in Austin. OSU was 2-3 against coach Augie Garrido's Longhorns in 2005.
Following the trip to Austin, OSU hosts Texas A&M in its conference home opener on March 31. The Cowboys will also play league series at home against Kansas (April 14-16), Nebraska ( May 6-8) and Texas Tech (May 19-21).
The annual Bedlam series against Oklahoma, one of the top college baseball rivalries in the nation, opens May 12 at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa. The series then shifts to Oklahoma City's Bricktown Ballpark for the final two games.
The Big 12 Tournament, which OSU won in 2004, will be played in Oklahoma City on May 24-28. The NCAA Tournament gets underway on June 2.
