Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: JAIDEN DAUGHTY 2023
A Catcher’s Greatest Friend is Another Catcher
February 16, 2024 | Cowboy Baseball
By Parker Bradley, OSU Athletics Communications
Despite the battle for the starting job, the Oklahoma State catching corps makes up one of the closest groups on and off the diamond.
The Cowboys' two veteran catchers have a night and day difference in terms of their path to Stillwater. Ian Daugherty is an OSU Cowboy born and raised. Hailing from Kailua, Hawaii, Stillwater was nowhere to be seen on Beau Sylvester's radar.
"My dad and mom both graduated from (OSU), and my brother went here," Daugherty said. "We've had football season tickets ever since I can remember. I've known this campus like the back of my hand since I was five. So it's just super cool to finally be a Cowboy."
Despite Daugherty's family making it clear that other schools were potential options, Stillwater was always his first choice and dream school.
And now in his third season with Cowboy Baseball, Daugherty is eager to get back on track in 2024. In 2022, Daugherty showed flashes of excellence, hitting .309 in 31 games. But he saw the diamond in a limited capacity a year ago as he battled injuries and had only 17 at-bats in 15 games.
The other half of the veteran backstop, Sylvester, had once committed to play collegiately at Washington, but decommitted following a coaching change.
In search of a place to call home, Sylvester ended up touring Oklahoma State. Just over an hour after leaving Stillwater, Sylvester and his family were discussing the visit before flying home to Hawaii.
"We were in Dallas," Sylvester said. "My parents and I were at a TGI Fridays, and I remember saying 'Am I really going to go somewhere else?' We were just looking at each other like 'Well, no, you're not going anywhere else.' So I said, 'I should just call him right now and tell them I'm going.' About an hour after we left campus I committed here."
Sylvester has settled into Stillwater over the past year. As a freshman, he made noise in limited opportunities, hitting the first home run of 2023 for the Pokes and smashing a pivotal homer in the Big 12 Championship semifinals.
Despite being unsure of where he would end up, Sylvester knew the mainland was in his future from a young age.
"My mom made it very abundantly clear in sixth or seventh grade," Sylvester said. "She said 'I love you, but you're not staying here. You have to experience the mainland. You have to find new opportunities.'"
The distance from his family has made Sylvester's collegiate experience a unique one and admittedly has caused trouble at times. Hawaii and the mainland have different schedules throughout the year as Hawaii doesn't recognize daylight savings, something that throws off Sylvester's contact with his family.
In the fall semester, freshman Charlie Carter joined the Cowboy catching mix. Out of Litte Rock, Arkansas, Carter led Little Rock Christian Academy to a 5A state championship as a senior as he hit .356 to earn all-state honors and status as the top recruit in Arkansas.
The two veterans have welcomed Carter with open arms. Daugherty and Sylvester, along with assistant coach Victor Romero, took Carter to dinner early in his first semester, a key moment in Carter's eyes.
Since then, Carter has quickly connected with his backstop mates.
"I think you go through these long practices where we get done late," Carter said. "Most of the guys have already gotten to the locker room and showered. But we're still catching pens, and nothing against them, it's what we signed up for, but I think it definitely builds a bond like no other."
Daugherty and Sylvester saw the opportunity to welcome Carter as one that shouldn't be ignored.
"That was a thing to show Charlie he's one of us," Daugherty said. "One thing Josh (Holliday) is really big on, there's no more 'It's my first year,' 'I'm a transfer,' or 'I'm a freshman.' No, you're a Cowboy. You're part of us. You're on this team, and you're here to contribute from day one. So we wanted to make sure Chuck feels that way and bring him under our wing. We just wanted to make sure that he knew he's one of us. He's one of the boys."
Sylvester has found comfort in having a younger player to mentor.
"I have two younger brothers so Chuck feels like a younger brother to me," Sylvester said. "We're also boys. I mean, we're only one year apart, so we talk about all the same things and stuff, but he does feel like a brother. I've been a big brother my whole life and getting to continually be a big brother is awesome. I love it."
While the group is close-knit, there is still fierce competition on the field, something Daugherty enjoys.
"It makes us better," Daugherty said. "If you had no pressure from the guy behind you, then you're not going to get any better. But when the other guy is chomping at your heels every day, you have to bring it."
Despite the battle for the starting job, the Oklahoma State catching corps makes up one of the closest groups on and off the diamond.
The Cowboys' two veteran catchers have a night and day difference in terms of their path to Stillwater. Ian Daugherty is an OSU Cowboy born and raised. Hailing from Kailua, Hawaii, Stillwater was nowhere to be seen on Beau Sylvester's radar.
"My dad and mom both graduated from (OSU), and my brother went here," Daugherty said. "We've had football season tickets ever since I can remember. I've known this campus like the back of my hand since I was five. So it's just super cool to finally be a Cowboy."
Despite Daugherty's family making it clear that other schools were potential options, Stillwater was always his first choice and dream school.
And now in his third season with Cowboy Baseball, Daugherty is eager to get back on track in 2024. In 2022, Daugherty showed flashes of excellence, hitting .309 in 31 games. But he saw the diamond in a limited capacity a year ago as he battled injuries and had only 17 at-bats in 15 games.
The other half of the veteran backstop, Sylvester, had once committed to play collegiately at Washington, but decommitted following a coaching change.
In search of a place to call home, Sylvester ended up touring Oklahoma State. Just over an hour after leaving Stillwater, Sylvester and his family were discussing the visit before flying home to Hawaii.
"We were in Dallas," Sylvester said. "My parents and I were at a TGI Fridays, and I remember saying 'Am I really going to go somewhere else?' We were just looking at each other like 'Well, no, you're not going anywhere else.' So I said, 'I should just call him right now and tell them I'm going.' About an hour after we left campus I committed here."
Sylvester has settled into Stillwater over the past year. As a freshman, he made noise in limited opportunities, hitting the first home run of 2023 for the Pokes and smashing a pivotal homer in the Big 12 Championship semifinals.
Despite being unsure of where he would end up, Sylvester knew the mainland was in his future from a young age.
"My mom made it very abundantly clear in sixth or seventh grade," Sylvester said. "She said 'I love you, but you're not staying here. You have to experience the mainland. You have to find new opportunities.'"
The distance from his family has made Sylvester's collegiate experience a unique one and admittedly has caused trouble at times. Hawaii and the mainland have different schedules throughout the year as Hawaii doesn't recognize daylight savings, something that throws off Sylvester's contact with his family.
In the fall semester, freshman Charlie Carter joined the Cowboy catching mix. Out of Litte Rock, Arkansas, Carter led Little Rock Christian Academy to a 5A state championship as a senior as he hit .356 to earn all-state honors and status as the top recruit in Arkansas.
The two veterans have welcomed Carter with open arms. Daugherty and Sylvester, along with assistant coach Victor Romero, took Carter to dinner early in his first semester, a key moment in Carter's eyes.
Since then, Carter has quickly connected with his backstop mates.
"I think you go through these long practices where we get done late," Carter said. "Most of the guys have already gotten to the locker room and showered. But we're still catching pens, and nothing against them, it's what we signed up for, but I think it definitely builds a bond like no other."
Daugherty and Sylvester saw the opportunity to welcome Carter as one that shouldn't be ignored.
"That was a thing to show Charlie he's one of us," Daugherty said. "One thing Josh (Holliday) is really big on, there's no more 'It's my first year,' 'I'm a transfer,' or 'I'm a freshman.' No, you're a Cowboy. You're part of us. You're on this team, and you're here to contribute from day one. So we wanted to make sure Chuck feels that way and bring him under our wing. We just wanted to make sure that he knew he's one of us. He's one of the boys."
Sylvester has found comfort in having a younger player to mentor.
"I have two younger brothers so Chuck feels like a younger brother to me," Sylvester said. "We're also boys. I mean, we're only one year apart, so we talk about all the same things and stuff, but he does feel like a brother. I've been a big brother my whole life and getting to continually be a big brother is awesome. I love it."
While the group is close-knit, there is still fierce competition on the field, something Daugherty enjoys.
"It makes us better," Daugherty said. "If you had no pressure from the guy behind you, then you're not going to get any better. But when the other guy is chomping at your heels every day, you have to bring it."
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