Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Baseball In The Pros, April 15
April 15, 2015 | Cowboy Baseball
With the 2015 season just over a week old, Oklahoma State has 13 players on professional baseball rosters.
Jordy Mercer is the lone former Cowboy active on a Major League Baseball roster, while two ex-OSU stars are big league managers -- Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox and John Farrell with the Boston Red Sox.
Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates
Mercer established himself as Pittsburgh's starting shortstop last season, playing in 149 games and hitting .255 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs. In the Pirates' first seven games of 2015, Mercer is hitting .261 with a pair of RBIs.
Six former Cowboys began the 2015 season at the Triple A level.
Scott Baker, Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers) - OSU Career: 2001-03
Baker spent much of 2014 with the Texas Rangers and was 3-4 with a 5.47 ERA in 25 appearances. Now in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, he was the Opening Day starter in Oklahoma City and is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA in two appearances on the young season.
Baker has played nine seasons in the big leagues with Minnesota, the Chicago Cubs and Texas and is 66-52 with a 4.25 ERA.
Corey Brown, Durham Bulls (Rays) - OSU Career: 2005-07
Brown joined his hometown Tampa Bay organization in the offseason after spending 2014 in the Boston system. He is hitting .227 with a home run and seven RBIs in five games this season, including a five-RBI effort last night against Charlotte.
Brown has spent parts of three seasons with Washington and played in three games for the Red Sox last year. He's appeared in 39 games at the Major League Baseball level and is hitting .171 with two homers and four RBIs in those games.
Luis Flores, Fresno Grizzlies (Astros) - OSU Career: 2008
Flores enters his eighth minor league season with a new organization as he joins Houston's farm system after spending his first seven years playing at every level of the Cubs' minor league system. He is hitless in three games this season.
Matt Hague, Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays) - OSU Career: 2008
Yet another Cowboy with a new organization in 2015, Hague inked with Toronto in the offseason. Hague has two years of MLB experience with Pittsburgh in 2012 and 2014, where he played in 32 games and hit .222 with seven RBIs.
Hague is hitting .286 with a pair of RBIs in four games this season.
Andrew Heaney, Salt Lake Bees (Angels) - OSU Career: 2010-12
Traded twice in the offseason, Heaney battled for a spot in the Angels' rotation in Spring Training but didn't quite make the cut. As a rookie with the Miami Marlins last season, he made seven appearances, including five starts, and was 0-3 with a 5.83 ERA.
In his first start of 2015, Heaney tossed seven shutout innings and struck out eight to earn the win.
Tyler Lyons, Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) - OSU Career: 2007-10
Lyons starts the year at Memphis after spending parts of the last two seasons in St. Louis, where he went 2-8 with a 4.62 ERA in 23 games.
In his first start of 2015, he took the loss after give up four runs on seven hits in four innings. He also struck out six.
At the Double A level, a trio of OSU baseball alums are looking to move up the ranks.
Tom Belza, Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks) - OSU Career: 2008-10
Belza will look to build upon a 2014 season that saw him named a Southern League Postseason All-Star. He is in his sixth minor league season and second with Mobile, where he hit .305 with 31 RBIs a year ago.
In five games this season, he is hitting .217 with an RBI.
Jason Hursh, Mississippi Braves (Braves) - OSU Career: 2011-13
Hursh was named the Atlanta Braves organization's minor league pitcher of the year in 2014 after going 11-7 with a 3.58 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) last season. In his second season with Mississippi, Hursh took the loss in his first appearance of the season, a three-inning outing that saw him allow three runs on three hits.
Mike Strong, Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers) - OSU Career: 2010-11
Strong enters his fifth minor league season, all in the Brewers organization. He has made two relilef appearances in 2015 and has six strikeouts in five innings of work.
Three members of OSU's 2014 Big 12 Conference championship team began their second pro seasons last week.
Brendan McCurry, Stockton Ports (A's) - OSU Career: 2013-14
An All-American for the Cowboys last season and the school's all-time leader in saves, McCurry was 2-0 with two saves and a 0.34 ERA to go along with 34 strikeouts in 26.1 innings at Class A Beloit last year.
McCurry starts 2015 at the Class A Advanced level and picked up a save in Stockton's season opener.
Zach Fish, Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox) - OSU Career: 2012-14
The 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year, Fish hit .250 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 56 games in the Rookie League last year. In four games at the Class A level this season, he is hitting .176 with a homer and three RBIs.
Tanner Krietemeier, Rome Braves (Braves) - OSU Career: 2013-14
Krietemeier begins his second season at Class A Rome in 2015 after hitting .254 in 19 games there a year ago. Through five games in 2015, he is still looking for his first hit but does have an RBI.
For informative links on former Cowboys in the pros, click here.
