Oklahoma State University Athletics
Andrew Heaney
Photo by: Angels Baseball LP
Cowboys In The Pros, July 21
July 21, 2015 | Cowboy Baseball
Oklahoma State currently has 20 former players on professional baseball rosters, including a pair of big leaguers in Pittsburgh shortstop Jordy Mercer and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney. Two ex-OSU stars are MLB managers — Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox and John Farrell with the Boston Red Sox.
Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – OSU Career: 2010-12
Heaney was called up to the Angels on June 24 and has excelled as a member of the Los Angeles rotation. In five starts, the southpaw is 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA and has recorded 27 strikeouts and only four walks in 34.1 innings. He has not given up more than two runs in a game and no rookie starting pitcher in the majors has more wins without a loss this season than Heaney. For more on Heaney, click here.
In 14 starts at Triple A Salt Lake City prior to his call up, Heaney was 6-2 with a 4.71 ERA and was second in the Pacific Coast League with 74 strikeouts.
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.
Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates – OSU Career: 2006-08
Mercer was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list but is expected to miss approximately six weeks after suffering a lower leg contusion and sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a play at second base last Sunday. In 80 games this season, his fourth in the big leagues, Mercer is hitting .242 with two home runs, 14 doubles and 19 RBIs, and over his last 30 games, his average is .266. He also owns a .981 fielding percentage and has committed just seven errors on the year.
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 374 career games with Pittsburgh, Mercer is hitting .258 with 23 homers, 62 doubles and 106 RBIs.
Six former Cowboys are currently at the Triple A level.
Scott Baker, Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2001-03
Baker started the season with Oklahoma City and after going 1-1 with a 1.06 ERA and a complete game shutout, the right-hander was called up to Los Angeles. In two starts with the Dodgers, he was 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA before being designated for assignment by the club. He's now back in OKC, where he's 7-3 with a 3.39 ERA and two complete games in 13 starts, but he is currently on the 7-Day Disabled List.
Baker has played parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues with Minnesota, the Chicago Cubs, Texas and the Dodgers and is 66-53 with a 4.26 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 .225 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs in 74 games this season, with his 15 round trippers ranking second in the International League.
In nine seasons in the minor leagues, Brown owns a .260 career average to go along with 155 homers and 495 RBIs.
Brown spent parts of three seasons with the Washington Nationals 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.
Matt Hague, Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays) – OSU Career: 2008
Hague is living up to the nickname given to him by Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. In 94 games, "The Hit Collector" leads the International League with a .351 batting average and is second with 61 RBIs and 25 doubles. An International League All-Star, Hague is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak during which he has five multi-hit efforts.
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.
Tyler Lyons, Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) – OSU Career: 2007-10
Lyons has bounced between Triple A Memphis and the big league club in St. Louis this season but is currently back with the Redbirds, where he's 6-5 with a 3.33 ERA and two complete games in 12 starts on the year. He has recorded 78 strikeouts in 70.1 innings.
In six starts with St. Louis this season, the southpaw is 2-1 with a 5.02 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work. For his MLB career, which spans parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, Lyons is 4-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 29 appearances, including 18 starts.
Andrew Oliver, Norfolk Tides (Orioles) – OSU Career: 2007-09
Oliver is with a new team after opting out of his minor league deal with Tampa Bay earlier this month and signing with Baltimore. Prior to joining Norfolk, he made 21 relief appearances in Durham and was 1-1 with a save and a 3.86 ERA to go along with 32 strikeouts in 28 innings. In his debut with the Tides last weekend, the southpaw earned a win with two scoreless innings of relief.
Oliver spent parts of two major league seasons in Detroit (2010-11), where he was 0-5 with a 7.11 ERA in seven starts; he played the 2013 and 2014 with Pittsburgh's Triple A affiliate in Indianapolis.
Luke Scott, Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays) – OSU Career: 2000-01
Scott is continuing his efforts to return to Major League Baseball. He started 2015 in the Mexican League, where he hit .292 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 28 games, before being signed by Toronto in May. At Triple A Buffalo, he's hitting .246 with 13 doubles, three homers and 24 RBIs in 45 games.
Scott played nine major league seasons with Houston, Baltimore and Tampa Bay from 2005-2013 before spending last season in Japan. In 889 games and nearly a decade in the bigs, Scott hit .258 with 135 homers and 436 RBIs.
At the Double A level, four OSU baseball alums are looking to move up the ranks.
Tom Belza, Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks) – OSU Career: 2008-10
Belza has spent time at both the Triple A and Double A levels in 2015 and is currently with Mobile, where he's hitting .245 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 56 games. At Triple A Reno earlier this season, he hit .162 in 16 games.
A 2014 Southern League Postseason All-Star, Belza is in his sixth minor league season and second with Mobile, where he hit .305 with 31 RBIs a year ago.
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). In his second season with Mississippi, Hursh is 2-6 with a 5.42 ERA in 19 appearances.
Mike Strong, Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2010-11
Strong is in his fifth minor league season, all in the Brewers organization. He has made 33 relief appearances in 2015 and is 4-1 with four saves and a 2.84 ERA. The southpaw has recorded 45 strikeouts in 44.1 innings of work, and opponents are hitting just .160 against him.
Three members of OSU's 2014 Big 12 Conference championship are in their second pro seasons in 2015.
Brendan McCurry, Stockton Ports (A's) – OSU Career: 2013-14
McCurry has spent 2015 at the Class A Advanced level and is 1-2 with 18 saves — a total that leads the California League — and a 2.08 ERA in 33 relief appearances. He's racked up 54 strikeouts in 43.1 innings, and opponents are hitting only .192 against him.
An All-American for the Cowboys in 2014 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.
Zach Fish, Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox) – OSU Career: 2012-14
The 2014 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, Fish started the season at Class A Kannapolis where he hit .125 with a homer and 10 RBIS in 20 games. He is now playing for Great Falls of the Pioneer League (Rookie) where he's hitting .321 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 19 games.
Tanner Krietemeier, Rome Braves (Braves) – OSU Career: 2013-14
Krietemeier began the year at Class A Rome and hit .243 with a homer and 23 RBIs before moving up to the Braves' Class A Advanced team at Carolina. In 10 games with the Mudcats, he's hitting .143.
Six Cowboys who completed their OSU careers in 2015 have started their pro careers.
Tim Arakawa, Burlington Bees (Angels) – OSU Career: 2014-15
A 23rd-round draft pick of the Angels, Arakawa began his pro career at Orem in the Rookie League. After just four games there, he moved up to Class A Burlington, where he's hitting .301 with seven RBIs and a .414 on-base percentage in 20 games.
Bryan Case, AZL Giants (Giants) – OSU Career: 2014-15
A 27th-round draft pick by San Francisco, Case has played in four games for the Giants' Rookie League team and is hitting .188 with an RBI.
Michael Freeman, Quad Cities River Bandits (Astros) – OSU Career: 2014-15
The 2015 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Freeman is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in five relief appearances for Quad Cities. The seventh-round draft pick has eight strikeouts in 12 innings, and opponents are hitting just .186 against him.
Koda Glover, Hagerstown Suns (Nationals) – OSU Career: 2015
Glover inked a pro contract following one season in Stillwater after Washington drafted him in the eighth round in June. He made three appearances and recorded a save for Auburn at the Class A-Short Season level before moving to Class A Hagerstown. In four outings for the Suns, he has a 1.50 ERA and six strikeouts in six innings of work.
Gage Green, Ogden Raptors (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
A two-time All-Big 12 First Team catcher and 35th-round pick of Los Angeles, Green played in 14 games for the AZL Dodgers before joining the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League (Rookie). In 10 games with the Raptors, Green is hitting .294 with a home run and five RBIs.
Jon Perrin, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
After going 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in three appearances for the AZL Brewers in the Rookie League, Perrin has moved up to Class A Wisconsin. In four outings with the Timber Rattlers, including three starts, the right-hander is 0-1 with a 7.82 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.
For informative links on former Cowboys in the pros, click here.
Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – OSU Career: 2010-12
Heaney was called up to the Angels on June 24 and has excelled as a member of the Los Angeles rotation. In five starts, the southpaw is 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA and has recorded 27 strikeouts and only four walks in 34.1 innings. He has not given up more than two runs in a game and no rookie starting pitcher in the majors has more wins without a loss this season than Heaney. For more on Heaney, click here.
In 14 starts at Triple A Salt Lake City prior to his call up, Heaney was 6-2 with a 4.71 ERA and was second in the Pacific Coast League with 74 strikeouts.
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.
Jordy Mercer, Pittsburgh Pirates – OSU Career: 2006-08
Mercer was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list but is expected to miss approximately six weeks after suffering a lower leg contusion and sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a play at second base last Sunday. In 80 games this season, his fourth in the big leagues, Mercer is hitting .242 with two home runs, 14 doubles and 19 RBIs, and over his last 30 games, his average is .266. He also owns a .981 fielding percentage and has committed just seven errors on the year.
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 374 career games with Pittsburgh, Mercer is hitting .258 with 23 homers, 62 doubles and 106 RBIs.
Six former Cowboys are currently at the Triple A level.
Scott Baker, Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2001-03
Baker started the season with Oklahoma City and after going 1-1 with a 1.06 ERA and a complete game shutout, the right-hander was called up to Los Angeles. In two starts with the Dodgers, he was 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA before being designated for assignment by the club. He's now back in OKC, where he's 7-3 with a 3.39 ERA and two complete games in 13 starts, but he is currently on the 7-Day Disabled List.
Baker has played parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues with Minnesota, the Chicago Cubs, Texas and the Dodgers and is 66-53 with a 4.26 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 .225 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs in 74 games this season, with his 15 round trippers ranking second in the International League.
In nine seasons in the minor leagues, Brown owns a .260 career average to go along with 155 homers and 495 RBIs.
Brown spent parts of three seasons with the Washington Nationals 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.
Matt Hague, Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays) – OSU Career: 2008
Hague is living up to the nickname given to him by Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. In 94 games, "The Hit Collector" leads the International League with a .351 batting average and is second with 61 RBIs and 25 doubles. An International League All-Star, Hague is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak during which he has five multi-hit efforts.
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.
Tyler Lyons, Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) – OSU Career: 2007-10
Lyons has bounced between Triple A Memphis and the big league club in St. Louis this season but is currently back with the Redbirds, where he's 6-5 with a 3.33 ERA and two complete games in 12 starts on the year. He has recorded 78 strikeouts in 70.1 innings.
In six starts with St. Louis this season, the southpaw is 2-1 with a 5.02 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work. For his MLB career, which spans parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, Lyons is 4-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 29 appearances, including 18 starts.
Andrew Oliver, Norfolk Tides (Orioles) – OSU Career: 2007-09
Oliver is with a new team after opting out of his minor league deal with Tampa Bay earlier this month and signing with Baltimore. Prior to joining Norfolk, he made 21 relief appearances in Durham and was 1-1 with a save and a 3.86 ERA to go along with 32 strikeouts in 28 innings. In his debut with the Tides last weekend, the southpaw earned a win with two scoreless innings of relief.
Oliver spent parts of two major league seasons in Detroit (2010-11), where he was 0-5 with a 7.11 ERA in seven starts; he played the 2013 and 2014 with Pittsburgh's Triple A affiliate in Indianapolis.
Luke Scott, Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays) – OSU Career: 2000-01
Scott is continuing his efforts to return to Major League Baseball. He started 2015 in the Mexican League, where he hit .292 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 28 games, before being signed by Toronto in May. At Triple A Buffalo, he's hitting .246 with 13 doubles, three homers and 24 RBIs in 45 games.
Scott played nine major league seasons with Houston, Baltimore and Tampa Bay from 2005-2013 before spending last season in Japan. In 889 games and nearly a decade in the bigs, Scott hit .258 with 135 homers and 436 RBIs.
At the Double A level, four OSU baseball alums are looking to move up the ranks.
Tom Belza, Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks) – OSU Career: 2008-10
Belza has spent time at both the Triple A and Double A levels in 2015 and is currently with Mobile, where he's hitting .245 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 56 games. At Triple A Reno earlier this season, he hit .162 in 16 games.
A 2014 Southern League Postseason All-Star, Belza is in his sixth minor league season and second with Mobile, where he hit .305 with 31 RBIs a year ago.
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). In his second season with Mississippi, Hursh is 2-6 with a 5.42 ERA in 19 appearances.
Mike Strong, Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2010-11
Strong is in his fifth minor league season, all in the Brewers organization. He has made 33 relief appearances in 2015 and is 4-1 with four saves and a 2.84 ERA. The southpaw has recorded 45 strikeouts in 44.1 innings of work, and opponents are hitting just .160 against him.
Three members of OSU's 2014 Big 12 Conference championship are in their second pro seasons in 2015.
Brendan McCurry, Stockton Ports (A's) – OSU Career: 2013-14
McCurry has spent 2015 at the Class A Advanced level and is 1-2 with 18 saves — a total that leads the California League — and a 2.08 ERA in 33 relief appearances. He's racked up 54 strikeouts in 43.1 innings, and opponents are hitting only .192 against him.
An All-American for the Cowboys in 2014 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.
Zach Fish, Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox) – OSU Career: 2012-14
The 2014 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, Fish started the season at Class A Kannapolis where he hit .125 with a homer and 10 RBIS in 20 games. He is now playing for Great Falls of the Pioneer League (Rookie) where he's hitting .321 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 19 games.
Tanner Krietemeier, Rome Braves (Braves) – OSU Career: 2013-14
Krietemeier began the year at Class A Rome and hit .243 with a homer and 23 RBIs before moving up to the Braves' Class A Advanced team at Carolina. In 10 games with the Mudcats, he's hitting .143.
Six Cowboys who completed their OSU careers in 2015 have started their pro careers.
Tim Arakawa, Burlington Bees (Angels) – OSU Career: 2014-15
A 23rd-round draft pick of the Angels, Arakawa began his pro career at Orem in the Rookie League. After just four games there, he moved up to Class A Burlington, where he's hitting .301 with seven RBIs and a .414 on-base percentage in 20 games.
Bryan Case, AZL Giants (Giants) – OSU Career: 2014-15
A 27th-round draft pick by San Francisco, Case has played in four games for the Giants' Rookie League team and is hitting .188 with an RBI.
Michael Freeman, Quad Cities River Bandits (Astros) – OSU Career: 2014-15
The 2015 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Freeman is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in five relief appearances for Quad Cities. The seventh-round draft pick has eight strikeouts in 12 innings, and opponents are hitting just .186 against him.
Koda Glover, Hagerstown Suns (Nationals) – OSU Career: 2015
Glover inked a pro contract following one season in Stillwater after Washington drafted him in the eighth round in June. He made three appearances and recorded a save for Auburn at the Class A-Short Season level before moving to Class A Hagerstown. In four outings for the Suns, he has a 1.50 ERA and six strikeouts in six innings of work.
Gage Green, Ogden Raptors (Dodgers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
A two-time All-Big 12 First Team catcher and 35th-round pick of Los Angeles, Green played in 14 games for the AZL Dodgers before joining the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League (Rookie). In 10 games with the Raptors, Green is hitting .294 with a home run and five RBIs.
Jon Perrin, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) – OSU Career: 2012-15
After going 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in three appearances for the AZL Brewers in the Rookie League, Perrin has moved up to Class A Wisconsin. In four outings with the Timber Rattlers, including three starts, the right-hander is 0-1 with a 7.82 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.
For informative links on former Cowboys in the pros, click here.
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