Buechele Willingly Follows Dad's Path

May 29, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -With 11 seasons of big league experience, Steve Buechele could have overwhelmed his son with baseball knowledge and pressured him to follow in his footsteps.

He decided to take the opposite approach.

So when his son, Garrett, was picked as the Big 12's top freshman while wearing the same No. 38 and playing the same position at third base for Oklahoma, it was through his own free will and hard work.

"I take zero credit,'' said Buechele, who's now managing the Bakersfield Blaze, the Class A affiliate for the Texas Rangers.

Garrett Buechele's breakthrough as a redshirt freshman has been a key factor for Oklahoma as it earned the No. 7 national seed in the NCAA tournament. The Sooners (41-18) open play Friday against Wichita State in a regional they'll host at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman.

2009 NCAA Baseball Norman Regional Central | L. Dale Mitchell Park

Buechele, whose only action last season came while serving as the team's bullpen catcher, has developed into a singles machine. He's second on the team with a .359 average, ranking behind only Big 12 player of the year J.T. Wise, and has made only six errors at the hot corner.

"I enjoy the fact that he is happy playing baseball and that he has the opportunity to play in a regional,'' Steve Buechele said. "To do what he has done this season, I'm so proud of him, it's not even funny.''

Buechele redshirted after coming to campus more in shape for football than baseball and grew hungry for playing time during the yearlong wait. Before the season started, he took over the starting spot at third base from Matt Harughty, who shifted over to second.

"My goal was just to survive - to try to get into that lineup and stay in it any way I could,'' Garrett Buechele said.

Buechele has achieved that goal, becoming one of five players to start all 59 of the Sooners' games.

"He was our bullpen catcher last year. He was just down there having to catch these guys and pay his dues, and now look what's happened,'' Oklahoma coach Sunny Golloway said.

"It happens in our football program all the time, but that doesn't happen very often in basketball and baseball for guys to put in a full year before they get any rewards.''

Wise credited Buechele for being a hard worker, saying that he has tried to get the freshman to take a step back during practice when he's taking batted balls off his chest and face but never succeeded.

"It's fun to be around the guy. He's always smiling, always making a joke, always laughing and he's always working hard,'' Wise said. "You never doubt his ability.''

That Buechele even ended up at Oklahoma was a bit of a fluke. He had intended to follow a high-school friend and go to Kansas, but was told that he'd have to move to catcher to play for the Jayhawks. On the drive back down Interstate 35 to his Dallas-area home, Buechele's dad asked if he'd want to visit Oklahoma since it was on the way.

While driving down the highway, they were able to get Golloway on the phone and set up an impromptu visit.

"We walked in on a practice, Coach G said they don't have very many third basemen and if I came out, he'd give me a shot,'' Garrett Buechele said. "It's just kind of worked out really well.''

On the Sooners, he joins several other players with big-league pedigrees. Cameron Seitzer, the son of former Royals star Kevin Seitzer, was Oklahoma's designated hitter before breaking his wrist and Wise is the great nephew of former New York Yankees infielder Bobby Richardson.

Buechele said he grew up wanting to be just like his dad, but has never had the game forced on him. He made the move from pitcher to third base after giving up a grand slam to the first batter he faced on the varsity team in high school, ending up at the same position his father played for the Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.

"It's just really cool having somebody there who knows the game so well who can help you out with stuff like that,'' he said.

But while Buechele's dad can often suggest helpful adjustments, he has tried to stay out of the way as his five children - Garrett is the oldest - grow up.

"I may be one of the rare parents that sits back and enjoys the game,'' Steve Buechele said. "My role is I'm a dad.''

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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