Three Selected For Induction Into Cowboy Baseball Hall Of Fame

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame will induct three members in its Class of 2019 as Andrew Heaney, Peter Prodanov and Matt Smith have been selected for that honor.

"It's always exciting to call former Cowboys, and it's even more exciting to let them know that they've been voted into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame," said OSU head coach Josh Hollilday. "To hear their response and to hear them go back down that memory lane of what this university and this program meant to them and hear the excitement in their voice is just an awesome thing.

"When you look at Peter Prodanov, Matt Smith and Andrew Heaney, you're looking at guys that during their time here had very significant roles on really good teams. Peter was an extremely versatile player who played in the College World Series, one of those guys that got better every single year he was here. Matt Smith had some complete stretches of dominance during his time here, pitched in the College World Series and is our all-time strikeout leader who had a very successful career and reached the major leagues. And Andrew Heaney had one of the most dominant years on the mound in school history before being a top-10 pick in the MLB Draft. Now he's a great representation of Oklahoma State baseball as a current major leaguer and a two-time nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

"These three guys are everything that is good about our program's history. They're special people to Oklahoma State baseball, and we're excited to get them together and celebrate them. And what better year to recognize these guys from essentially three different time frames than in the last year of Allie P. Reynolds Stadium."

A five-person committee selected the hall of fame inductees. The panel evaluated candidates based on their accomplishments both at Oklahoma State and the professional baseball level, paying special attention to those who were All-Americans, had Major League Baseball careers or were first-round draft picks or who hold a significant position in the OSU record books.

With the addition of this trio, the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame will grow to 57 members.

OSU baseball fans wanting to help celebrate the hall of fame careers of Heaney, Prodanov and Smith, as well as share the excitement of the current Cowboy ballclub for the upcoming 2019 season, can purchase tickets for the annual First Pitch Banquet, which will be held Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, at the Wes Watkins Center on the OSU campus. Tickets are limited, with each of the previous banquets selling out, and will go on sale in December.

• Andrew Heaney, LHP (2010-12) – Heaney led OSU in wins in each of his three seasons in a Cowboy uniform and capped his career with an All-American junior season. The southpaw from Oklahoma City won 20 games during his time in Stillwater and ranks among OSU's career top 10 with 246 strikeouts and three shutouts.

In 2012, Heaney was a consensus All-American and became OSU's first-ever Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year. He was also a finalist for the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.

Heaney's junior season saw him post an 8-2 record and toss six complete games in 15 starts. He recorded three shutouts and a 1.60 ERA, and he led the NCAA with 140 strikeouts in 118 1/3 innings.

The Big 12 leader in ERA, strikeouts, shutouts, complete games and opponent batting average (.180) in 2012, Heaney recorded eight or more strikeouts in 12 of his 15 appearances, and his 140 strikeouts are the fifth most in a season by a Cowboy pitcher.

Heaney was the ninth overall pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft by the Miami Marlins, becoming the third-highest MLB Draft pick in program history.

In 2014, Heaney made his big league debut with Miami. He is coming off his fifth MLB season in 2018 during which he started 30 games for the Los Angeles Angels and posted career highs with nine wins and 180 strikeouts. For the second time in his career, he was the Angels' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which annually honors the Major League Baseball player "who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."

Heaney's Oklahoma State Career Stats
51 appearances, 34 starts, 20-10 record, 1 save, 3.19 ERA, 6 CG, 246 Ks in 251.2 IP

• Peter Prodanov, INF/OF (1992-95) – Prodanov left his name prominent throughout the OSU record books following his four seasons in a Cowboy uniform.

A native of Princeton Junction, New Jersey, Prodanov ranks in OSU's all-time top 10 in games played (219), at-bats (748), runs (214), hits (260), doubles (51), RBIs (201) and stolen bases (70), and he is the Cowboys' career leader with 19 sacrifice flies.

The versatile Prodanov spent time in the OSU outfield and infield during his career and was a two-time All-American, including a first-team selection as a senior in 1995, who led the Cowboys to four Big Eight Conference championships and the 1993 College World Series. In 1994, he was named the MVP of the Big Eight Tournament.

Prodanov capped his collegiate career by leading OSU with a .388 batting average while also posting 22 doubles, nine homers, 73 RBIs and 17 stolen bases to earn first-team All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

A 22^nd-round selection of the Boston Red Sox in the 1995 MLB Draft, Prodanov spent seven seasons playing professional baseball.

Prodanov's Oklahoma State Career Stats
219 games, .348 batting average, 214 runs, 260 hits, 51 doubles, 2 triples, 26 home runs, 201 RBIs, 70 stolen bases

• Matt Smith, LHP (1998-00) – OSU's all-time leader in strikeouts, Smith was dominant on the mound during his three seasons in Stillwater and was an All-American and three-time All-Big 12 performer.

A southpaw from Henderson, Nev., Smith won 23 games as a Cowboy, which ranks eighth on OSU's all-time list, and he finished his career with a 23-16 record and 3.32 ERA to go along with 348 strikeouts in 297.1 innings pitched.

Smith's 49 starts are the second most in OSU history, and he also ranks in the top five on OSU's career lists in innings pitched and shutouts with three.

After being named a Freshman All-American in 1998, Smith helped lead the Cowboys to the 1999 College World Series by winning nine games as a sophomore. He recorded 144 strikeouts that season, the third-highest single-season total in program history.

After pitching for Team USA following his '99 collegiate season, Smith capped his career by earning second-team All-America honors in 2000 as he again topped the 100-strikeout mark and was an eight-game winner for the Cowboys.

Smith was a fourth-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2000, and he reached the big leagues with the Yankees in 2006. He spent parts of two seasons with New York and Philadelphia and posted a 2.55 ERA in 35 relief appearances in the majors.

Smith's Oklahoma State Career Stats
51 appearances, 49 starts, 23-16 record, 3.32 ERA, 6 CG, 348 Ks in 297.1 IP

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Three Selected For Induction Into Cowboy Baseball Hall Of Fame

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