Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Opens Fall Practice
September 22, 2006 | Cowboy Baseball
OSU head coach Frank Anderson welcomes back 20 players, including six position starters, from last season's squad that went 41-20, finished second in the Big 12 Conference standings and was a No. 1 Regional seed in the NCAA Tournament. Joining that group of returners is a strong recruiting class of 16 players, 10 of whom are freshmen.
“We're excited about the strong group of proven veterans we've got coming back, and we expect some of our new guys to step in and contribute and help us build on what we did last year,” said Anderson, whose 2006 club finished 23rd in the final national rankings. “The fall is a good opportunity for us to put these guys in some competitive situations and see how they respond.”
A trio of All-Americans, as well as the reigning conference player of the year and four all-conference performers, highlight the OSU roster.
Senior infielder Tyler Mach was an All-America selection by several outlets in 2006 and also became the first-ever Cowboy to earn Big 12 Player of the Year honors after hitting .364 with a Big 12-best 16 home runs and 64 RBIs.
Outfielder Corey Brown, a third-team All-American pick by Baseball America in 2006, returns for his junior season. A two-time all-conference pick, Brown hit .347 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs as a sophomore.
Jordy Mercer starred in a variety of ways as a freshman in 2006 and was named a Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger and first-team All-Big 12. He hit .270 with six homers and 24 RBIs as the Cowboys' starting shortstop and was 5-0 with a team-high five saves in 12 appearances on the mound.
Also returning for the Cowboys are senior outfielders Ty Wright (.316, six homers, 47 RBIs, Fayetteville Regional All-Tournament) and Keanon Simon (.336, six triples, 15 stolen bases, second-team All-Big 12), as well as pitchers Matt Gardner (7-3, two complete games, Fayetteville Regional All-Tournament) and Oliver Odle (5-4, two complete games, two saves).
The Cowboys will conclude fall practices with an intrasquad world series on Oct. 15-17 at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. The three-game series is open to the public.
