Oklahoma State University Athletics
2006 Oklahoma State Cowboy Baseball Season Superlatives
September 05, 2006 | Cowboy Baseball
• OSU's 41 wins was its most since the 2001 season when the Cowboys had 42 victories, and the .672 winning percentage was the program's highest since 1999.
• The Cowboys entered the national rankings in early May and remained in the polls for the final two months of the season. OSU was ranked as high as 12th in 2006, which marked the program's highest ranking since 1999, and the Cowboys finished the season ranked No. 23 by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA.
• On the strength of winning its final six conference series, OSU finished 18-9 and in second place in the Big 12 Conference regular season standings, its highest-ever finish in the 10-year history of the league. Included in those wins was a three-game sweep of No. 8 Oklahoma and two wins over No. 3 Nebraska. In the preseason, OSU was picked to finish sixth in the league race.
• OSU won 21 of its final 25 regular-season games, including a 15-3 mark against Big 12 opponents during that span.
• Third baseman Tyler Mach became the first-ever Cowboy to win Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors. (He shared the award with Texas' Drew Stubbs). The junior hit .364 and led the Big 12 with 16 home runs and 66 RBIs.
• Mach was also named a first-team All-American by The College Baseball Foundation and Louisville Slugger and was one of 30 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the top player in college baseball. He was named first-team All-Midwest Region and a second-team All-American by the ABCA.
• OSU had seven players earn All-Big 12 distinction, the most Cowboys to get that honor since 1997. Making the first team were Tyler Mach (3B) and Jordy Mercer (UT), while Corey Brown (OF), Keanon Simon (OF), Brae Wright (P), Shelby Ford (2B), and Deik Scram (DH) were second team picks. Matt Gardner (P) was an honorable mention selection.
• The Cowboys had either the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week or Player of the Week in each of the final six weeks of the season.
April 18 - Tyler Mach
April 25 - Brae Wright
May 2 - Tyler Mach
May 9 - Shelby Ford
May 16 - Brae Wright
May 23 - Keanon Simon
• OSU had five players selected to the All-Tournament Team at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. They were Matt Gardner (P), Matt Clarkson (C), Ty Wright (LF), Corey Brown (RF) and Adam Carr (DH).
• OSU head coach Frank Anderson was tabbed the Big 12's Coach of the Year by The Dallas Morning News.
• Jordy Mercer was named a Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger. Listed as a multiple-position athlete, Mercer hit .270 with six homers and 24 RBIs as the Cowboys' shortstop and was 5-0 with a team-high five saves in 12 appearances on the mound.
• Corey Brown was named a third-team All-American by Baseball America. The sophomore outfielder hit .347 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs, scored 68 runs and had 14 stolen bases.
• Shelby Ford (2B) and Deik Scram (DH) were named second-team All-Midwest Region honorees by the ABCA.
• The Cowboys were 28-4 at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in 2006.
• OSU led the Big 12 in extra base hits, including topping the conference in home runs, triples and slugging percentage. OSU also ranked second in team batting average (.316) and runs (443), and seven different Cowboys batted at least .300.
• The Cowboys set a school record with 32 triples.
• OSU had seven players drafted in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, the program's highest total since 2002.
3rd round - Shelby Ford (Pittsburgh)
6th round - Brae Wright (Milwaukee)
10th round - Charles Benoit (Pittsburgh)
18th round - Deik Scram (Detroit)
18th round - Adam Carr (Washington)
20th round - Matt Clarkson (Pittsburgh)
40th round - Tyler Mach (St. Louis)
• The Cowboy baseball team also excelled in the classroom during 2006. In the fall semester, the Cowboys set a record for the baseball program with an overall GPA of 3.01 and had 18 student-athletes earned a 3.0 G.P.A. or higher. The Cowboys also set a record for the number of players named to the President's and Dean's honor rolls, with 10 players earning that distinction.
In the spring, the Cowboys topped that performance as 24 of the 39 players on the roster - 62 percent - earned a 3.0 or better GPA, and the team posted a record 3.04 overall GPA. Four student-athletes were named to the President's Honor Roll (4.0 GPA) and four more earned a spot on the Dean's Honor Roll (3.5-3.99 GPA).
• Four Cowboys were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Baseball Team. Catcher Matt Clarkson, pitcher Rick Rivas and outfielder Keanon Simon were first-team all-academic selections, while pitcher Dusty Barnard earned second-team honors.
