Oklahoma State University Athletics
Guiel, McNamara Tabbed For Cowboy Baseball HOF Induction
November 12, 2014 | Cowboy Baseball
Nov. 12, 2014
Guiel and McNamara, who were teammates at OSU during the 1990s, will be inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame during the 2015 OSU Baseball First Pitch Banquet, which will be held Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Wes Watkins Center on the Oklahoma State campus.
A five-person committee selected the hall of fame inductees. The panel evaluated players based on their accomplishments at both Oklahoma State and the professional baseball level, paying special attention to those who were All-Americans, first-round draft picks and had Major League Baseball careers or who hold a significant position in the OSU record books.
Guiel and McNamara will become the 46th and 47th members of the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame.
“A lot of time was put into going over the history of the program and looking over the very distinguished players that were considered, and for the committee to recognize Jeff and Rusty is certainly very well-deserved,” said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. “I got to play with Rusty and Jeff and saw them firsthand and really admired them as teammates and learned a lot from them. Those guys, in the middle of the 90s, were probably the two that stuck out the most in terms of our identity on the field.
“We are excited to continue the tradition of recognizing players that made a lasting impact on this program. The thing that sticks out about both of them is they were both dominant players, not only in their era, but across all Cowboy baseball eras; their careers stand very strong.”
• Rusty McNamara, OF, Riverside, Calif. (1995-97) – Versatility was a trademark of McNamara, who was primarily an outfielder but once played all nine positions in a single game for the Cowboys, and his name is prominent throughout the OSU record book.
After a year at junior college, McNamara joined the OSU program in 1995 and was a three-year letterwinner who earned All-Big Eight Conference honors in 1996 and All-Big 12 Conference accolades in 1997.
McNamara is the OSU and Big Eight career leader in hit by pitches with 61 and holds OSU season records for at bats (282 in 1997) and hit by pitches (25 in 1995). He helped lead the Cowboys to the College World Series in 1996 and led the NCAA in runs scored that season with 100. He ranks on the Cowboys' all-time top 10 list in hits, triples, home runs, total bases, RBIs, sacrifice hits, sacrifice flies, at bats and runs.
As a senior in 1997, McNamara earned Third-Team All-America honors from both the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America after hitting .387 with 24 homers, 93 RBIs, 25 doubles and a .766 slugging percentage.
“With Rusty, you look at a guy that epitomizes Cowboy baseball, just the grit and way in which he played, the toughness he brought to the field, the versatility,” Holliday said. “His statistics really stand out in areas like runs scored, hits, hit by pitches, all those things, he played the game with a team-first, winning mentality that was very influential on all the guys on the team. I certainly was one of those guys who paid attention to how he went about his business.”
A 21st-round draft pick of Philadelphia in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, McNamara played six years in the Phillies and Atlanta Braves organizations and was named to five minor league all-star teams. Following his playing career, McNamara joined the coaching ranks and is now an assistant baseball coach at the University of Hawaii.
McNamara's Career Stats at OSU: 194 games, .358 BA, 45 HR, 205 RBIs, 45 doubles, 10 triples, 24 SB
• Jeff Guiel, OF, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (1996-97) – Guiel spent two highly productive seasons in an OSU uniform and holds the distinction of being one of only three Cowboys – along with Pete Incaviglia and Robin Ventura – to earn First-Team All-America honors in multiple years.
Guiel was an offensive juggernaut from the left side of the plate and sports a career .406 batting average, which ranks second all time at OSU. He also holds the Big 12 record for doubles in a season with 32 in 1997.
In 1996, Guiel starred for OSU's College World Series team and earned Big Eight Conference Co-Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors and was named a First-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the ABCA. He capped that with a senior campaign that saw him garner First-Team All-America honors once again from Collegiate Baseball and the ABCA and second-team plaudits from the NCBWA to go along with All-Big 12 honors. That season saw him hit .418 with 23 homers, 79 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and an .845 slugging percentage.
“Jeff had one of the finest two-year careers in the history of the program,” Holliday said. “He made an instant impact when he transferred in at midyear and was a hitting machine from day one. Jeff brought a toughness to the field; he played every day and produced and was a very good base stealer and outstanding defensive outfielder. On top of it all, he was a great teammate who had a playful side and was always upbeat and loved being at the field — he brought so much to the team.”
Guiel signed as a free agent with the Anaheim Angels in 1997 and played eight minor league seasons, including four at the Triple A level. He currently works in law enforcement in Canada.
Guiel's Career Stats at OSU: 126 games, .406 BA, 38 HR, 159 RBIs, 49 doubles, 9 triples, 43 SB
OSU baseball fans wanting to help celebrate the hall of fame careers of Guiel and McNamara, as well as share the excitement of the current club for the upcoming season, can purchase tickets for the First Pitch Banquet online here. Tickets are limited, and each of the previous First Pitch Banquets sold out.
Additionally, Cowboy baseball will be hosting an alumni event following the banquet, and all former players and staff are encouraged to attend.
“The thing that is most exciting is that we get to share these guys' careers with our fans as we get ready for another season of Cowboy baseball,” Holliday said. “And to tie in an alumni baseball player reunion with the banquet fits our mission of celebrating our past and embracing our current guys so we can build a better program in the future.
“The last two years we've had sellout crowds for both banquets. We really appreciate the support of our fans and their help on raising money to support our program. We're looking forward to another great night of the Cowboy Baseball family coming together to celebrate our history and embrace our current team. I love the energy this event creates for our players as they realize the passion that exists for Cowboy Baseball.”
STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State baseball greats Jeff Guiel and Rusty McNamara will be inducted into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2015 in January.
Guiel and McNamara, who were teammates at OSU during the 1990s, will be inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame during the 2015 OSU Baseball First Pitch Banquet, which will be held Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Wes Watkins Center on the Oklahoma State campus.
A five-person committee selected the hall of fame inductees. The panel evaluated players based on their accomplishments at both Oklahoma State and the professional baseball level, paying special attention to those who were All-Americans, first-round draft picks and had Major League Baseball careers or who hold a significant position in the OSU record books.
Guiel and McNamara will become the 46th and 47th members of the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame.
“A lot of time was put into going over the history of the program and looking over the very distinguished players that were considered, and for the committee to recognize Jeff and Rusty is certainly very well-deserved,” said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. “I got to play with Rusty and Jeff and saw them firsthand and really admired them as teammates and learned a lot from them. Those guys, in the middle of the 90s, were probably the two that stuck out the most in terms of our identity on the field.
“We are excited to continue the tradition of recognizing players that made a lasting impact on this program. The thing that sticks out about both of them is they were both dominant players, not only in their era, but across all Cowboy baseball eras; their careers stand very strong.”
• Rusty McNamara, OF, Riverside, Calif. (1995-97) – Versatility was a trademark of McNamara, who was primarily an outfielder but once played all nine positions in a single game for the Cowboys, and his name is prominent throughout the OSU record book.
After a year at junior college, McNamara joined the OSU program in 1995 and was a three-year letterwinner who earned All-Big Eight Conference honors in 1996 and All-Big 12 Conference accolades in 1997.
McNamara is the OSU and Big Eight career leader in hit by pitches with 61 and holds OSU season records for at bats (282 in 1997) and hit by pitches (25 in 1995). He helped lead the Cowboys to the College World Series in 1996 and led the NCAA in runs scored that season with 100. He ranks on the Cowboys' all-time top 10 list in hits, triples, home runs, total bases, RBIs, sacrifice hits, sacrifice flies, at bats and runs.
As a senior in 1997, McNamara earned Third-Team All-America honors from both the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America after hitting .387 with 24 homers, 93 RBIs, 25 doubles and a .766 slugging percentage.
“With Rusty, you look at a guy that epitomizes Cowboy baseball, just the grit and way in which he played, the toughness he brought to the field, the versatility,” Holliday said. “His statistics really stand out in areas like runs scored, hits, hit by pitches, all those things, he played the game with a team-first, winning mentality that was very influential on all the guys on the team. I certainly was one of those guys who paid attention to how he went about his business.”
A 21st-round draft pick of Philadelphia in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, McNamara played six years in the Phillies and Atlanta Braves organizations and was named to five minor league all-star teams. Following his playing career, McNamara joined the coaching ranks and is now an assistant baseball coach at the University of Hawaii.
McNamara's Career Stats at OSU: 194 games, .358 BA, 45 HR, 205 RBIs, 45 doubles, 10 triples, 24 SB
• Jeff Guiel, OF, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (1996-97) – Guiel spent two highly productive seasons in an OSU uniform and holds the distinction of being one of only three Cowboys – along with Pete Incaviglia and Robin Ventura – to earn First-Team All-America honors in multiple years.
Guiel was an offensive juggernaut from the left side of the plate and sports a career .406 batting average, which ranks second all time at OSU. He also holds the Big 12 record for doubles in a season with 32 in 1997.
In 1996, Guiel starred for OSU's College World Series team and earned Big Eight Conference Co-Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors and was named a First-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the ABCA. He capped that with a senior campaign that saw him garner First-Team All-America honors once again from Collegiate Baseball and the ABCA and second-team plaudits from the NCBWA to go along with All-Big 12 honors. That season saw him hit .418 with 23 homers, 79 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and an .845 slugging percentage.
“Jeff had one of the finest two-year careers in the history of the program,” Holliday said. “He made an instant impact when he transferred in at midyear and was a hitting machine from day one. Jeff brought a toughness to the field; he played every day and produced and was a very good base stealer and outstanding defensive outfielder. On top of it all, he was a great teammate who had a playful side and was always upbeat and loved being at the field — he brought so much to the team.”
Guiel signed as a free agent with the Anaheim Angels in 1997 and played eight minor league seasons, including four at the Triple A level. He currently works in law enforcement in Canada.
Guiel's Career Stats at OSU: 126 games, .406 BA, 38 HR, 159 RBIs, 49 doubles, 9 triples, 43 SB
OSU baseball fans wanting to help celebrate the hall of fame careers of Guiel and McNamara, as well as share the excitement of the current club for the upcoming season, can purchase tickets for the First Pitch Banquet online here. Tickets are limited, and each of the previous First Pitch Banquets sold out.
Additionally, Cowboy baseball will be hosting an alumni event following the banquet, and all former players and staff are encouraged to attend.
“The thing that is most exciting is that we get to share these guys' careers with our fans as we get ready for another season of Cowboy baseball,” Holliday said. “And to tie in an alumni baseball player reunion with the banquet fits our mission of celebrating our past and embracing our current guys so we can build a better program in the future.
“The last two years we've had sellout crowds for both banquets. We really appreciate the support of our fans and their help on raising money to support our program. We're looking forward to another great night of the Cowboy Baseball family coming together to celebrate our history and embrace our current team. I love the energy this event creates for our players as they realize the passion that exists for Cowboy Baseball.”
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