Baseball Relies On Experience, Talent Entering The 2003 Season

Jan. 29, 2003

NORMAN, Okla. - Coming off his eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 12 years at OU, head coach Larry Cochell believes his 2003 Sooner team will be able to make a ninth trip to NCAA postseason play and possibly the fourth trip to the College World Series during his Sooner tenure. OU returns a majority of the team that advanced to the Wichita State regional last year after making a strong fourth-place showing in the Big 12 Conference standings. The experience and depth returning from the 2002 squad will be major factors in the team's potential success in 2003.

"This club has a lot of depth and experience at a number of positions. This allows us to work with players who already know about our system as well as players who know what to expect during Big 12 Conference play and postseason competition. This will be a tremendous advantage to us starting off this season," predicted Cochell.

Tabbed 27th by Collegiate Baseball and 38th by Baseball America in the two publication's preseason polls, this optimistic Oklahoma squad believes it has the talent to meet those expectations and to go beyond them this season. Returning the most starters in the field since the 1998 campaign, OU features seven starters (including two catchers who split starting duties) who will reclaim their starting jobs again this season. The only decisions in the field the Sooners will need to make will be at first base and two outfield slots. Not only do these starters return experience, but offensive promise as well as five of the returning Sooner sluggers batted better than .300 last season.

Headlining the group of returners is senior second baseman Eddie Cornejo who received all-conference consideration last year. He is the team's top returning hitter from the 2002 campaign after he finished second on the team in average at .325. Joining him in the infield will be 2002 Freshman All-American Matt Bose at third base and junior shortstop Denver Kitch who finished not too far behind Cornejo in batting average at .315. Senior Reggie Willits returns to roam in the outfield this season as juniors Spencer Wyman and Ryan Richardson, an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection last year, will battle for the starting catching duties this season.

The pitching staff has a comparable amount of experience as it returns six hurlers, including three starters. Anchoring the staff will be Baseball America preseason second team All-American David Purcey. Purcey received numerous accolades following his 2002 Freshman All-American campaign including being named to Baseball America's Summer All-America team. He was picked as a preseason all-conference selection and touted for possessing the best fastball in the Big 12 Conference by the league coaches in Baseball America's college preview issue.

Junior righthander Mark Roberts, who led the staff with 12 starts last season along with senior Austin Mix, seems poised to continue his role this season. Mix and a handful of talented newcomers will be in competition for the final spot in the weekend rotation.

There are also several newcomers who are expected to help fill the holes in the lineup and make immediate impacts during the season. The most highly-touted prospects of the group include junior college All-American pitcher Mike Swindell, fellow junior hurler Charlie House, junior utility player Andrew McGuire and freshman infielder Russell Raley. Swindell and House come to OU after competing in the extremely competitive California junior college ranks over the last two seasons, while McGuire was a two-time all-conference pick out of Grayson Community College in Texas. Raley, a Texas high school All-State selection, emerged in the fall as one of the standouts in this talented class of newcomers.

Pitchers

The pitching staff enters the season with experience in both the starting roles and in the bullpen. Uncertain about the right mix on the mound heading into the last several seasons, this Sooner team is knows who will fill many of the roles on the staff because of the number of key returning performers. Cochell has also built up support in those roles by bringing in more talented pitchers from the high school and junior college levels.

"We have a chance to have a very good pitching staff," Cochell explained. "We have almost everybody back, except Evan Greusel, which means we're one year older. Plus, we've added three junior college players which gives us a lot of depth and experience."

Junior Mark Roberts and sophomore David Purcey are expected to nail down two of the three starting spots in the weekend rotation while newcomer Mike Swindell is a leading candidate for the third slot.

Already decorated with several preseason honors, Purcey is expected to carry over his performances from a fabulous first year which saw him finish the year fourth in the conference in strikeouts and tied for fourth in saves and fifth in ERA. Purcey led the 2002 OU staff in both ERA and strikeouts at 3.35 and 98, respectively. He turned in a Freshman All-America performance after racking up six saves as a closer at the beginning of the season and then emerged as the staff's most dominating starter toward the end of the year.

Roberts, who has yet to post a losing record in either of his first two years, is coming off his best season yet. The Owasso, Okla., native topped all Sooner hurlers in wins with seven and finished second, only to Purcey, in ERA with a respectable 4.32 average.

Also pushing for the starting third spot in the rotation will be three-year starter Austin Mix and junior Buddy Blair. Both have pitched a number of starting and relief efforts during their careers. Mix will be looking to finish his career in strong fashion after beginning with Freshman All-America accolades. He has since struggled to regain the success he enjoyed in his first year. Despite recent troubles, Mix turned in a solid performance in 2002, ranking second on the team in wins with six and continuing to put up favorable strikeout totals by fanning 55 batters in 65.2 innings.

After having a successful summer campaign in the Jayhawk League, Blair has developed a lot of confidence in his pitching and has quickly developed one of the best curve balls on the staff. According to the coaches, he has also learned how to aggressively go after hitters and throw strikes more consistently. The Tulsa, Okla., talent has shown other signs of improvement as he dropped his walks per innings pitched and increased his strikeouts per innings pitched between his freshman and sophomore seasons.

After each hurler spent valuable playing time in the closer role last year, senior lefthander Curtis White and sophomore righthander Jarod McAuliff give the Sooners two young pitchers who have already gathered a wealth of experience in shutting down opponents and holding late leads. Behind Purcey's staff-leading six saves, White closed out three games for the Sooners while McAuliff registered two saves. Either White or McAuliff should solidify himself as the team's closer this season.

Swindell is one of a trio of talented junior college pitching prospects the Sooners brought in to help make the staff a stronger and deeper one. Swindell, along with fellow juniors Casey Brown and Charlie House, will vie for starting pitching duties, but could become valued members of the relief corps as well.

Swindell is the fourth junior college All-American from Riverside Community College to arrive in Norman in the last five years and is one of the most decorated of the former RCC Tigers. In addition to his All-America honor last year, Swindell was also named the Orange Empire Conference Pitcher of the Year and garnered co-MVP honors of the California Community College Championship. He helped lead the Tigers to their third consecutive California state title.

Junior Casey Brown from Connors State College is another hot junior college prospect who gives the Sooners the option of using him as a starter or a reliever. Brown's deceptive curve ball is expected to make him tough to hit in either role.

After spending his first year at Consumnes River Community College as the team's top reliever, House developed into the team's top starter last year. House gave up only 56 hits in 82.2 innings of work and held opposing batters to a .192 average. House is projected to be utilized in middle relief situations but will also be pushing for starting time.

"Bringing in Brown, Swindell and House gives us three outstanding junior college pitchers with two year's experience who can immediately step in and know how to throw to college hitters," said Cochell.

The lone freshmen on the staff, Chase Medford and Jason Schroder, are likely to spend their first years seeing time in relief duty. Medford's outstanding curve ball could allow him to become one of the staff's most effective situational pitchers.

Catchers

A position that was a question mark at the beginning of the 2002 season, the catcher's role has become one of the deepest and most talented positions on the club. Juniors Ryan Richardson and Spencer Wyman split time in the role last year with each gaining at least 29 games of starting experience. After Wyman started the first part of the season, Richardson made a strong offensive push towards the middle of the season to capture the starting nod, eventually earning All-Big 12 Conference honorable mention accolades. Wyman, however, emerged as a key performer for the Sooners down the stretch during the Big 12 Conference and NCAA Tournaments to finish the season as the team's starting catcher.

"We have a lot of experience at the catching position this year. We have two guys who have played Division I ball. They both should be better offensively due to this maturity," explained Cochell.

Thrown into the competitive mix this season will be sophomore Matt Bose. OU's starting third baseman for 59 games last season, Bose showed promise during the fall season when he spent some time behind the plate. A versatile player at both the collegiate and high school levels, Bose played most of his prep career as a catcher.

The Sooners also enjoy the luxury of having three other players who can play at the catcher position. While neither junior Wayne Baker or freshmen Brandon Lance and Patrick Shutrump are expected to push for the starting job due to inexperience, they serve as dependable reserves at the position.

Infielders

The infield is one of the most stable parts of the Sooners' lineup this season with the starters at second base, shortstop and third base returning. Senior second baseman Eddie Cornejo and junior shortstop Denver Kitch begin their second year together as the Sooners' double play combination, while sophomore Matt Bose looks to start for a second straight year at third base.

"We have three starters back in Bose, Kitch and Cornejo which gives us a great deal of continuity in the infield," Cochell said. "We need to make sure we play well defensively with the outstanding pitching we have. We worked a lot on that this fall and I think we have a chance to be a good defensive infield."

Both Cornejo and Kitch flashed solid defensive gloves at their positions and proved to be solid threats at the plate as well. The duo is the team's top two returning hitters as Cornejo finished second with a .325 average and Kitch's .315 average ranked third on the team last year. Kitch also poses a great threat on the basepaths after leading the team in stolen bases with 30.

The corners of the infield are the only two holes to fill. Sophomore Ben Pinkston's bat heated up in the fall and he emerged as one of the leading contenders to fill the void at first base. Other potential candidates for the position are freshman Patrick Shutrump, junior Jay Yaconetti and senior Luke Alexander, who more than likely will be the Sooners' starting designated hitter for the second consecutive season. Junior utility player Andrew McGuire, who is projected to nail down the starting job in left field, also has the ability to step in and play at first.

A battle for the starting third base job developed in the fall between Yaconetti and Bose. Bose was the team's starting third baseman last year and quickly became one of OU's top offensive talents, hitting .304 with five home runs and 40 RBI. Yaconetti comes to OU from one of the most heralded junior college programs. He has a reputation for being an outstanding defensive performer as well as for having a lot of power at the plate after hitting 31 home runs in two seasons at Central Arizona Community College.

Freshman Russell Raley has put the heat on the projected starters at third base and shortstop after impressing the coaches with a standout fall practice offensively and defensively. Fellow freshman infielder Keystone Hughes spent most of the fall practicing at second base and will spend his first season backing up Cornejo.

Outfielders

The 2003 version of the Oklahoma outfield will feature two new faces. Although the Sooners will have to replace 2002 all-district and all-conference performer Jason Fransz, the offensive and defensive production from the positions are not expected to taper off. Along with strong offensive skills, this year's trio of outfielders boasts exceptional speed and defense.

"The strength of our outfield is going to be our speed. We're going to be able to run down some balls and all of our outfielders throw very well. Our arms and our speed are our greatest assets in the outfield," said Cochell.

Senior Reggie Willits is the only regular returning starter in the outfield, but he will be flanked on both sides of his center field position by two experienced talents. Fellow senior Matt Arkison and junior college transfer Andrew McGuire enter the spring as the frontrunners for the right field and left field starting jobs, respectively.

At .295, Willits ended 2002 batting just below the .300 mark after hitting above it for most of the season. His patience at the plate and speed should also return him to the leadoff hitter role that he held last year. Willits encountered a lot of success hitting from that spot in the order, finishing second on the club in runs scored, on-base percentage and stolen bases.

Arkison had worked his way into the starting lineup last spring when an ankle injury ended his season early. A successful recovery from the injury and an exceptional fall practice have helped him regain the starting nod in the outfield.

A starter in the outfield and at first base during his two years at Grayson Community College, McGuire, a junior, performed well in the fall and won the starting job in left field. His athletic ability makes him a natural selection as a starter in the outfield as he possesses a good throwing arm, speed and a strong bat at the plate.

Sophomores Tyler Johnson, Brandon Jones and Greg Kish will begin the season working their way into the starting roles. They give the Sooners experienced backups in the outfield after combining for 38 starts in their first seasons. Jones earned occasional starts in the middle of last season while Kish saw most of his playing time against lefthanded pitchers. Johnson is yet another athletic outfielder who gives OU a lot of speed in the field and on the bases.

Scott Rooker redshirted as a true freshman last season but will compete for playing time as a reserve in his first year of competition.

Incoming freshmen LaFringe Hayes and Blake Hurlbutt, who are both viewed by the coaches as Sooner outfielders of the future, will spend most of the year gaining experience in backup roles while adjusting to the Division I level of competition.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Baseball Relies On Experience, Talent Entering The 2003 Season

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