Oklahoma State University Athletics
Three Former Cowboy Greats Among Hall Of Fame Nominees
April 12, 2006 | Cowboy Baseball
The list of potential inductees includes former Cowboy players Pete Incaviglia and Robin Ventura, as well as legendary OSU coach Gary Ward. Incaviglia and Ventura both starred for Ward during the 1980s, while Ward guided the Oklahoma State program to unparalleled success for nearly two decades.
Incaviglia posted some of the gaudiest offensive numbers in NCAA history during his three-year tenure in Stillwater (1983-85). As a junior in 1985, he set NCAA records for home runs (48), RBIs (143), total bases (285) and slugging percentage (1.140). He hit 100 homers and collected 324 RBIs during his OSU career and was a two-time All-American. He was named college baseball's Player of the Century by Baseball America in 1999.
Also a three-year star, Ventura posted a .428 career batting average during his OSU career (1985-88) and was a three-time All-American. The Cowboy third baseman holds college baseball's all-time hitting streak record, which stands at 58 games. He earned the Golden Spikes Award as college baseball's top player in 1988.
Ward was OSU's head coach from 1978-1996. He guided the Cowboys to a record 16-straight Big Eight Conference titles, 17 NCAA Regional appearances and 10 trips to the College World Series, including three berths in the NCAA championship game. He finished his career at OSU with a 953-313-1 record.
The College Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2006 will be voted on by an 80-member committee, and the inductees will be announced later this month. Those chosen will be inducted during a ceremony on July 4 in Lubbock, Texas.
“We take the responsibility of researching and selecting the most outstanding players and coaches in the history of collegiate baseball very seriously,” said CBF Chairman/CEO John Askins. “The mission of the CBF is to preserve their legacies as an inspiration for the future generations of players and fans.”
Over 300 candidates were originally submitted for hall of fame consideration. Players are eligible for the hall of fame ballot five years after their final collegiate season if they are no longer on a professional baseball roster. Players must have completed one year of competition at a four-year institution and must have made an All-American team (post-1947) or an All-League team (pre-1947).
Coaches become eligible after ending their collegiate career, as long as they are not an active coach on a professional baseball team. Eligible coaches must have achieved 300 career wins or have won at least 65 percent of their games.
For more information on the College Baseball Hall of Fame, log on to www.collegebaseballfoundation.org.
