Oklahoma State University Athletics
2007 Cowboy Baseball Preview
January 19, 2007 | Cowboy Baseball
The Cowboys return six position players who started at least 28 games last season, including the reigning conference player of the year, and have added several talented newcomers, which could give fourth-year head coach his best offensive lineup since arriving in Stillwater.
Anderson also has several key pitchers returning from a year ago, and the Cowboys added six freshman hurlers to the recruiting class, several of whom Anderson expects to be immediate contributors in the rotation.
OSU appears among the nation's top 25 teams in numerous preseason polls, and the Cowboys are hopeful to earn even more respect throughout the season.
“We've got a chance to be a very good ballclub and build on the success we were able to have last season,” Anderson said. “Offensively, we've got a strong group of guys who have proven they can get it done. Pitching-wise, we've got a lot of talent. Some of the older guys will have to help carry us while those young guys mature and get adjusted to this level.
“I really like our ballclub, and we have a chance to be a team that can get it done offensively, defensively and on the mound.”
Catcher
The Cowboys will be trying to replace two-year starter Matt Clarkson, who was an All-Fayetteville Regional pick and who Anderson called one of the keys to last year's success.
Trying to fill that void is senior catcher , an outstanding defensive catcher with a very strong arm who is hoping for the same kind of improved offense that Clarkson had a year ago. Flavell played in 15 games in 2006. Several others will challenge for playing time behind the dish, including redshirt freshman and freshman .
First Base
First base will be manned by sophomore , who started 28 games a year ago as a sophomore. Despite missing 22 games with a broken wrist, Ridling hit .324 with two homers and 21 RBIs in 2006 and also tied for second on the club with 13 doubles.
Second Base
A year after playing third base for the Cowboys, senior has moved to the right side of the infield and will try his hand at second.
Mach made just 13 errors at the hot corner last season but is switching positions to make way for transfer .
Mach's resume is impressive as he earned Big 12 Conference Co-Player of the Year honors in 2006 after hitting .364 with 16 homers and 66 RBIs. He hit safely in 51 of the 60 games he played in and had hitting streaks of 17 and 16 games along the way. Mach was named an All-American by several publications and was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award.
appeared in 15 games for the Cowboys as a redshirt freshman and hit .286. A talented switch hitter, Horner will battle for playing time in the middle infield.
Shortstop
Sophomore burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign, proving to be a slick fielder and solid hitter. He hit .270 with six homers and 24 RBIs and emerged as the Cowboys' closer. He earned first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors, as well as Freshman All-America status. A knee injury will sideline Mercer for the first part of his sophomore season, but he is expected to return to the lineup in '07.
Also in the mix in the middle infield is freshman .
Third Base
The Cowboys added one of the top third baseman in college baseball when transferred from North Carolina State in the offseason.
Mangini, who will be a junior this season, hit .343 with seven homers a year ago with the Wolfpack and led the club in RBIs with 60. He then went on to star in the Cape Cod League over the summer, where he captured the league batting title with a .310 average.
Redshirt freshman could also see some action at the hot corner.
Left Field
Senior returns as the starter in left field, where he led all Cowboy outfielders in assists a year ago with nine. Wright, a four-year starter for the Cowboys, also hit .316, ranked third on the club with 47 RBIs and was an All-Fayetteville Regional selection.
Sophomore is a switch hitter who redshirted last season. As a freshman at Northeastern State, Webb hit .338 with six homers and 33 RBIs and was named the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year.
Center Field
and both roamed center field for the Cowboys last season, but the nod will likely go to Simon in 2006. A senior, Simon is coming off a career year in which he was a second-team All-Big 12 pick after hitting .336 with six homers, 25 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.
Junior is a strong defensive presence in center field and has experience, having played in 75 games over the last two seasons.
A pair of talented freshman could also challenge for time in center. was a draft choice of the San Francisco Giants in 2006, while Dylan Brown had a storied prep career in Tampa, Fla. before joining his older brother, Corey, in Stillwater.
Right Field
is one of the top outfielders in the Big 12, and he returns for his junior season looking to continue the success that has made him a .353 hitter with 26 homers and 86 RBIs in his first two collegiate seasons.
Pitchers
OSU's pitching staff loses its top starter from a year ago (Brae Wright), but several key contributors return and a number of talented newcomers give Anderson hope that he can develop a strong group of hurlers.
Junior was an honorable mention all-conference pick in his first season with the Cowboys as he went 7-3 with a 4.43 ERA. He tossed a pair of complete games in 10 starts and was 5-2 in seven starts in Big 12 play.
enters his senior season coming off a 5-4 campaign in which he also had three saves. The righty compiled a 4.15 ERA in 20 appearances and tossed two complete games in 10 starts.
emerged as the Cowboys' closer in 2006 and racked up a team-high five saves and a 5-0 mark in 12 appearances.
Another freshman, , led the Cowboys with 24 appearances in 2006. He finished with a 2-1 record and a 3.32 ERA and proved to be reliable in long or short relief.
Southpaw was 2-2 in 13 appearances, including five starts, in 2006 and recorded 26 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.
made just nine appearances as a freshman in 2006, but Anderson believes the left hander has matured into the type of pitcher who can help bolster the pitching staff.
The Cowboys have several talented freshmen arms in the mix, the most talented of which might be . A southpaw from Vermilion, Ohio, Oliver was a 17th-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins after going 21-4 with three saves, a 0.96 ERA and 354 strikeouts in 196 innings as a prep.
A pair of freshmen southpaws from west Texas should also factor into the rotation. was a two-time district MVP in high school and was 21-4 with nine saves and 363 strikeouts over his final two prep seasons, while tossed 14 complete games and racked up over 200 strikeouts as a prep.
was 16-3 during his high school career, and the freshman impressed coaches in the fall.
Hard-throwing right hander was a draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2006, while fellow freshman led Tulsa Union to a pair of state titles and was 25-9 with four saves during his high school career.
OSU also signed several talented junior college prospects, among them righthanders and , who are expected to challenge for innings.
The Schedule
Oklahoma State's 2007 schedule is highlighted by 11 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
The Cowboys play 30 home games at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. They will play games against five conference champions and 27 games against teams that had 35 or more wins last season. Contests against NCAA tourney teams Ball State, Texas-Arlington, Pepperdine, Wichita State and Oral Roberts, highlight the non-conference portion of the schedule, while the Big 12 will once again be one of the top leagues in college baseball.
“It's a challenging schedule where we play some tough teams at home and on the road,” Anderson said. “We're really going to be tested in the month of February with a bunch of road games, but that should help prepare us for conference play. Overall, it's a schedule that should help us out in the R.P.I.”
OSU opens the season Feb. 2 with the first of three games against Hofstra in Stillwater. Following that series, the Cowboys won't return home until Feb. 27, with appearances at the UTPA Classic, the Florida Atlantic Tournament and a three-game series at Cal State-Northridge on the agenda.
In Big 12 Conference action, Anderson's club, which finished second in the regular-season standings a year ago with an 18-9 league mark, will play host to Baylor, Kansas State, Texas and Missouri. The Bears, Longhorns and Tigers were all NCAA Tournament teams a year ago.
The Cowboys open Big 12 play March 23 against defending Big 12 Tournament champion Kansas in Lawrence. OSU was 2-2 against coach Augie Ritch Price's Jayhawks in 2006.
Following the trip to Kansas, OSU hosts Baylor in its conference home opener on March 30.
Another highlight of the schedule is the annual Bedlam series against Oklahoma. Considered one of the top college baseball rivalries in the nation, the Cowboys and Sooners will open their series May 4 at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa. The series then shifts to Oklahoma City's SBC Bricktown Ballpark for the final two games.
The Big 12 Tournament, which OSU won in 2004, will be played in Oklahoma City on May 23-27, while the NCAA Tournament gets underway on June 1.
