Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball Recruiting Class Ranked Fifth
September 22, 2014 | Cowboy Baseball
TUCSON, Ariz. — Oklahoma State's 2014 baseball recruiting class is ranked the fifth best in the nation by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, it was announced by the publication today. It marks the second-straight year that the Cowboys' recruiting class has been ranked No. 5 by Collegiate Baseball.
The Cowboys' class includes 15 newcomers — nine freshmen and six from the junior college ranks. The class includes two players — outfielder Jon Littell and infielder David Petrino — who were drafted in last June's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
The talent-rich state of Oklahoma proved to be strong recruiting ground for the Cowboys as 10 of the newcomers hail from the state, including eight who were among the state's top prep players last season.
“This is a very talented group of young men, a group that up-and-down the list brings unique skills and will help strengthen not only this year's team, but provide great stability for years to come,” said OSU third-year head coach Josh Holliday. “I like the leadership qualities and work ethic of this group. Many of these kids come to us with winning backgrounds, and they already know what it means to be a teammate. Many of them turned down substantial opportunities from professional baseball to become Cowboys, and we look for them to make an immediate impact on this year's team.
“This is a physical group of kids, many already have great presence in the uniform, and now we need to work every day to get better as we build our team concepts.”
Holliday credited the work of OSU assistant coach coaches Marty Lees and Rob Walton as paramount to the signing class but added there are numerous people across the OSU campus who played a role in helping sign the newest crop of Cowboys.
“Marty (Lees) and Rob (Walton) have worked extremely hard from the first day we were hired to build quality relationships with the right kids,” Holliday said. “They are relentless in their pursuit of well-rounded players who want to play in a true team environment. Their efforts and those of all the awesome people at Oklahoma State make recruiting to our university a labor of love — to bring kids and their families and share with them the unique qualities that the school has to offer is something we love to do.
“We are thankful to everyone who has helped make this campus and university such a warm and welcoming place.”
Collegiate Baseball ranked LSU's recruiting class as the best in the nation, followed by Wichita State, Florida and San Diego.
2014 Oklahoma State Baseball Recruiting Class
Kevin Bradley, INF, 6-2, 200, So. Pennington, N.J. (Hopewell Valley Central HS/Clemson/State College of Florida)
• Played freshman season at Clemson, drafted in 2012 MLB Draft by Colorado
Jacob Chappell, INF, 6-0, 160, Fr. Guthrie, Okla. (Guthrie HS)
• 2013 Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association Co-Player of the Year, hit .469 with 40 RBIs as senior
Caleb Eldridge, 1B/OF, 6-3, 215, Fr. Edmond, Okla. (Deer Creek HS)
• Hit .420 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs in 37 games as a senior
Koda Glover, RHP, 6-5, 205, Jr. Poteau, Okla. Poteau HS/Eastern Oklahoma State)
• In 14 appearances as a sophomore at Eastern had 66 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings
Michael Higgins, C, 6-4, 210, Fr. Stillwater, Okla. (Stillwater HS)
• Led Stillwater High School to Class 6A state championship as a senior
Carson LaRue, RHP, 6-1, 160, Fr. Dewey, Okla. (Dewey HS)
• Was 9-0 with a 0.24 ERA and tossed three no-hitters as a senior at Dewey High School
Jon Littell, OF, 6-4, 195, Fr. Stillwater, Okla. (Stillwater HS)
• High school All-American, 39th-round draft pick of Washington in 2014 MLB Draft
Garrett McCain, LHP, 6-0, 185, Fr. Wylie, Texas (Wylie East HS)
• Was 17-5 with a 2.88 ERA and 211 strikeouts in 145 1/3 innings in high school career
Michael Mertz, RHP, 6-2, 215, Jr. Pflugerville, Texas (Pflugerville HS/Cisco College)
• Was 2-1 with a 2.87 ERA as a sophomore at Cisco College
Mason O'Brien, 1B/OF, 6-0, 210, Fr. Owasso, Okla. (Owasso HS)
• Missed senior year with knee injury, led Owasso to state title as a junior hitting .357 with eight HR
David Petrino, INF, 5-11, 200, Jr. Springdale, Ark. (Shiloh Christian/Central Arizona CC)
• Hit .426 with 40 RBIs at CACC last season, drafted by Chicago Cubs in 39th round of '14 MLB Draft
Remey Reed, RHP, 6-5, 215, So. Frisco, Texas (Frisco HS/Navarro College)
• Was 5-3 with a save and a 2.68 ERA in 16 appearances as a freshman at Navarro
Carson Teel, LHP/OF, 6-0, 160, Fr. Stillwater, Okla. (Stillwater HS)
• Two-way star led Pioneers to Class 6A state title as a senior, all-state in baseball and basketball
Reid Wall, RHP, 6-2, 180, Fr. Ada, Okla. (Byng HS)
• Racked up 46 wins, 19 saves and nearly 600 strikeouts during his prep career
Dillon White, C, 6-2, 200, So. Sterling, Okla. (Sterling HS/Cowley County CC)
• Played in 40 games as freshman at Cowley County and recorded a .438 slugging percentage
