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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Ogle is Latest Successful Catcher at OU
June 09, 2011 | Baseball
June 9, 2011
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NORMAN, Okla. - On Tuesday, junior Tyler Ogle became the third Sooner catcher in the last six years to be selected in the first 10 rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft.
Just like Ogle, the two previous catchers at Oklahoma, J.T. Wise (2008-2009) and Jackson Williams (2005-2007), drew high interest from professional scouts and the people involved with the Johnny Bench Award while playing the game they love in L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman.
In each of the past two seasons, Ogle appeared on the watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, an honor given to the nation's top catcher since 2000, and was one of 13 semifinalists in 2011.
Wise, a fifth-round pick in 2009, became the first Sooner to win the award that same season. Williams, a first-round draft pick in 2007, was also followed by members of the Johnny Bench committee during his junior campaign. All three were named all-conference catchers as voted on by the league's coaches.
And while all three share a lot of things in common because of the game of baseball, watching the development and success behind the plate is nothing new to Sooner fans and the OU coaching staff.
"Our coaching staff takes a lot of pride in the success we've had in developing catchers at the University of Oklahoma," said Golloway. "These kids come in as talented student athletes, but once they get drafted and leave campus, it's amazing to look back and see how all the hard work and dedication that they put in, and our staff puts in, paid off."
Golloway also had success in mentoring the position at his previous head coaching stint with Oral Roberts. In eight seasons with the Golden Eagles, Golloway saw catchers Michael Dean (third round), David Castillo (seventh round) and Brandon Marsters (ninth round) all get selected in the first 10 rounds, while Brian Hickman, also an ORU catcher, signed as a free agent.
In 14 years as a head coach in Division I baseball, Golloway has helped tutor seven signal callers that made it all the way to the next level.
"It's truly a position that I enjoy seeing develop," said Golloway. "There is so much involved with being a catcher, starting with receiving, blocking and handling all the pitchers. Then you have to worry about knowing each opposing hitter and being prepared for your own at-bats as well. It's probably the most difficult position in the sport of baseball. It's intriguing to me because it is the only position that handles the baseball defensively on every single pitch. You do not see that anywhere else on the field."
In 2011, Ogle, a native of San Antonio, Texas, was the guy that handled the ball on nearly every pitch of the Sooners' 60 contests. He started a majority of the games behind the plate and threw out 22 of the 62 potential base stealers on his watch, while also hitting .343 with nine homers and 45 RBI.
Ogle came to Norman with impressive high school numbers and accolades but he was missing one piece of information of his resume, a draft selection from the big leagues. After one year learning behind Wise, and two more spent as OU's starting catcher, he is the next Sooner behind the plate with the opportunity to pursue a professional career.
This past week, Ogle was one of eight Sooners that were drafted in 2011 that came to Norman without their name being called by one of the 31 MLB franchises. The Sooners led the Big 12 in the number of players taken this season with 11 and ranked second in the nation behind Vanderbilt (12).
Overall, 22 of the 43 players drafted since Golloway took over the helm of the Sooner program, arrived on campus without being drafted to Major League Baseball.
In addition, several others have improved their draft status. That trend did not start with Ogle.
In 2005, Williams came to Norman from Broken Arrow H.S. to fulfill his dream of playing for the Sooners and then one day in the big leagues. Williams was not drafted in his career until after his junior season at Oklahoma when he became a first round pick of the San Francisco Giants. Not only was Williams one of the best defensive catchers in the nation that year, but he also was one of OU's top offensive threats with a .344 batting average, four homers and 44 RBI.
In 2008, Wise was next in line for the Sooner catcher position. A native of Apopka, Fla., and transfer from LSU, Wise was selected prior to his career in Norman as a 45th-round pick by the Oakland A's
in 2007. Two years later, after being named the Big 12 Player of the Year and Johnny Bench Award winner, Wise improved his status when the Los Angeles Dodgers called his name in the fifth round. The top catcher in the nation also posted some gaudy offensive numbers and led Oklahoma in hitting with a .359 batting average, 17 homers and 62 RBI.
"Tyler, J.T. and Jackson are special players that helped the University of Oklahoma get back to being one of the nation's top programs year in and year out," added Golloway. "J.T. and Jackson have both moved up quickly within their organizations and I am sure Tyler will follow suit. The coaches couldn't be more proud of them and all of our former student-athletes pursuing the dream of playing professionally."
While Ogle has until Aug. 15 to decide where he will be playing next season, Sooner fans shouldn't be surprised to hear another catcher's name from the University of Oklahoma being acknowledged in the MLB Draft in the next two to three years.
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