Oklahoma State University Athletics
2008 Oklahoma State Cowboy Baseball Season Superlatives
July 09, 2008 | Cowboy Baseball
• The Oklahoma State Cowboys finished the 2008 season with a 44-18 record and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Frank Anderson.
• OSU's 44 wins are its most ever under coach Frank Anderson and gave the Cowboys three-straight 40-win seasons.
• OSU's 44 wins was the program's most since the 1999 season.
• The Cowboys finished with the second-most wins in the Big 12 (44) and also had the second-highest winning percentage (.710) in the league.
• OSU earned a No. 1 NCAA Regional seed for the second time in the last three seasons.
• OSU hosted an NCAA Regional at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium for the first time since 1997.
• The Cowboys were ranked in the national polls throughout the season, including being ranked in the Top 10 for the final five weeks of the regular season. OSU was ranked as high as 5th in 2007, and the Cowboys finished the season ranked No. 17 by Baseball America and the NCBWA and 18th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll and by Collegiate Baseball.
• OSU finished 18-9 and in second place in the Big 12 Conference regular season standings. The second-place finish tied for the Cowboys' best ever since the formation of the Big 12 and also marked OSU's third consecutive top-three finish in the league.
• The Cowboys were 15-9 against ranked teams in 2008, including a 9-7 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.
• The Cowboys had nine players earn All-Big 12 distinction, including a league-best eight first- or second-team honorees. Making the first team were outfielder Neil Medchill, utility player Jordy Mercer and pitcher Andrew Oliver. On the second team were Rebel Ridling (1B), Tom Belza (2B), Mercer (SS), Matt Hague (3B), Luis Flores (C) and Tyler Lyons (P). Mercer (RP) and Donnie Webb (OF) were honorable mention selections.
• Frank Anderson was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year by The Oklahoman.
• Pitchers Tyler Lyons and Andrew Oliver were named to the 2008 USA Baseball National Team. OSU was one of only three schools to have two players on the National Team roster.
• OSU set a school record for hits in a game with 32 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 19.
• In OSU's 19-2 win over No. 6 Nebraska on April 12, the Cowboys set a school record for hits against a Big 12 Conference opponent with 24.
• In April, OSU became the first-ever Big 12 Conference team to sweep a league series against Texas on its home field. The sweep was also the first time the Longhorns had been swept in a three-game series at Disch-Falk Field since 1996.
• OSU ranked prominently in numerous NCAA team and individual statistical categories in 2008, including:
TEAM (286 ranked)
Batting average - 18th (.326)
Scoring - 26th (8.1 rpg)
Runs - 23rd (501)
Hits - 15th (713)
Home Runs - 16th (1.37)
HR Per Game - 17th (1.37)
Triples - 5th (29)
3B Per Game - 6th (0.47)
Slugging Percentage - 9th (.531)
Sacrifice Flies - 10th (37)
ERA - 16th (3.98)
Hits Allowed Per 9 Innings - 28th (8.98)
Walks Allowed Per 9 Innings - 21st (3.01)
Fielding Percentage - 13th (.974)
Win-Loss Percentage - 17th (.710)
INDIVIDUAL
ERA - Andrew Oliver, 16th - 2.20
Victories - Tyler Lyons, 4th - 12
Hits Allowed Per 9 Innings - Andrew Oliver, 17th - 6.59
• The Cowboys led the Big 12 in three offensive categories — batting average (.326), slugging percentage (.531) and home runs (89). They finished second in the league in runs (501), hits (713), triples (29) and RBIs (469).
• OSU's 89 home runs were its most since the Cowboys hit 132 in 1999.
• Seven of the Cowboys in the regular starting lineup hit .319 or better.
• The Cowboys finished with four of the Big 12's top 11 hitters.
• OSU's pitching staff led the Big 12 with a 3.98 ERA and 21 saves.
• The Cowboys' 3.98 ERA marked the first time since 2005 OSU finished the season with a team ERA under 4.00. The '05 and '08 seasons are the only two since 1974 that OSU has had an ERA less than 4.00.
• Sophomore Tyler Lyons was 12-2 on the mound in 2008. The 12 victories tied for the eighth most in a single season in OSU history and were the most by a Cowboy since 2004.
• Tyler Lyons led the Big 12 with 108.2 innings pitched and tied for the league lead with four complete games.
• Tyler Lyons' 12 wins tied for fourth nationally.
• Junior Jordy Mercer set OSU's career saves record with 17, and his nine saves in 2008 were the third-highest single-season total in school history.
• Senior Rebel Ridling hit safely in his first 14 games of 2008 to extend a hitting streak streak dating back to the 2007 season to 20 games. The 20-game hitting streak tied for the fifth longest in OSU history.
• First baseman Rebel Ridling was named first-team All-Midwest Region by the ABCA.
• Freshman Tom Belza led the Big 12 in hitting with a .386 batting average.
• Tom Belza ended the season on a 14-game hitting streak.
• Second baseman Tom Belza was named a 2008 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
• Sophomore pitcher Andrew Oliver was named a second-team All-American by Rivals.com.
• Andrew Oliver ranked third in the Big 12 with a 2.20 ERA.
• OSU tied a school record with a .974 fielding percentage, which also marked the highest fielding percentage in the Big 12 in 2008.
• The Cowboys had either the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week or Player of the Week five times in 2008.
Feb. 25 - Tyrone Hambly (Player)
March 3 - Rebel Ridling (Player)
April 14 - Andrew Oliver (Pitcher)
April 21 - Neil Medchill (Player)
May 20 - Tyler Lyons (Co-Pitcher)
• OSU had five players selected to the All-Tournament Team at the NCAA Stillwater Regional. The Cowboys' all-tournament selections were Tom Belza (2B), Jordy Mercer (SS), Luis Flores (C), Neil Medchill (OF) and Tyler Lyons (P).
• OSU had seven players selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
3rd round - Jordy Mercer, SS (Pittsburgh)
7th round - Luis Flores, C (Chicago Cubs)
9th round - Matt Hague, 3B/OF (Pittsburgh)
10th round - Robbie Weinhardt, RHP (Detroit)
10th round - Donnie Webb, OF (Cleveland)
25th round - Rebel Ridling, 1B (Chicago Cubs)
33rd round - Neil Medchill, OF (New York Mets)
• The OSU baseball team also excelled in the classroom during the 2007-08 school year. In the fall semester, the Cowboys had 22 players earn a 3.0 G.P.A. or higher. In the spring, 19 Cowboys earned a 3.0 or better G.P.A.
• Jordy Mercer and Tyler Lyons were named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District second team.
• The Cowboys had four Academic All-Big 12 selections, including three first-team honorees. Jordy Mercer, Tyler Lyons and Dusty Harvard were first-team all-academic selections, while Josh Neal earned second-team honors.
