In Others' Words: Sheldon Neuse

Heading towards the postseason, Sheldon Neuse has put together one of the most impressive campaigns by a Sooner at the plate and on the mound. A three-time, unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection, he leads the league in slugging (.672), second in hitting (.376) and fourth in on-base percentage (.464). Add to that the ability to move from shortstop to the mound and close out games, Neuse, who has a 4-1 record and five saves, is one of the top two-way threats in the country. The College Baseball Hall of Fame has already identified him as one of the 18 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. That begs the question, just how versatile is Sheldon Neuse?

Pete on Neuse

Head Coach Pete Hughes

“It's not even debatable. This year, Sheldon is the best player I've ever coached. I don't throw superlatives out there, but it is what it is. The kid leads our team in hitting, slugging percentage. He's made three errors; fielding .986. He leads our team in stolen bases. He's got four wins and four saves. He leads out team in ERA. There's nothing up for debate right there. He's the best two-way player in the country and he still has upside. Hopefully there will be more, but right now I don't know if I've coached a better player than what we're seeing right now with Sheldon.”

Senior Outfielder Alex Wise

“Sheldon is a versatile competitor. A guy that's going to give you his all and lay it out there every play of the game.

“He throws one bullpen per week, I think. He just comes out there and shuts the door when he gets the opportunity without even working on much pitching during practice. He likes to joke around and have a good time. When you see him out there he always has the game face on, always looks really serious, but in the locker room he's always joking around, having a good time with a smile on his face. The guy has all the tools necessary to make it.”

Freshman Pitcher Jake Irvin

“I made a play where a ball was hit up the middle and it was hit off my glove. The runner ended up getting to first, a guy moved to third and we only had one out. Then Sheldon made a double play on the very next play and I remember him looking at me before that and he was like, 'alright you got this, let's get this out' and he turned the double play for me.

“We're lucky to have a guy like that on our team that you know if you get through the eighth inning, you're going to hand the ball off to a guy who's going to come in and shut it down. He's definitely one of those guys you don't want to play against. He's going to kill you every time that he plays you. I think that's just playing the game right and he does that every time he takes the field. When you play with him, it's awesome. His competitive drive is crazy. He's one of those guys who's going to do whatever it takes to get to that next level.”

Junior First Baseman Austin O'Brien

“It's unreal. He goes out there and makes it look so easy. The pitchers work on their craft every single day. Sheldon is usually with the position players taking groundballs, hitting, doing all that stuff. He really doesn't work on it that much and he still has success with it. I could see him being either a position player or pitcher and having success at the next level.

“He might be a better ping-pong player than he is a baseball player. We have some battles in there. We get after it. He's really good. I wouldn't be surprised to see him with one of those golden paddles playing in some championship. He's good at everything. He's just talented like that.”

Junior Pitcher JB Olson

“When I think about Sheldon Neuse, I think about a true baseball player. The guy can do it all. He can field the ball at a high percentage. He hits for average, hits for power and is the ultimate team guy. Then he can come in on the mound when we need him most in the bottom of the ninth and we can always count on him to close the door. We never have to worry about where Sheldon's mind is at; it's always on the game. It's actually unreal. I've never seen anything like it. I've seen two-way guys, but at the level that he does it at, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. Unreal is the best I can come up with.

“That guy is one of the most competitive guys I've ever seen on the baseball field. Off the field, he's happy-go-lucky, he jokes around with us and everything, but once that first pitch is thrown, he's locked in ready to go. He's like that for all nine innings whether we're up 10 or down 10 he's locked in trying to help this team win.”

Head Coach Pete Hughes

Senior Outfielder Alex Wise

Freshman Pitcher Jake Irvin

Junior First Baseman Austin O'Brien

Junior Pitcher JB Olson

Players Mentioned

Jake Irvin

Sheldon Neuse

Austin O'Brien

JB Olson

JB Olson

Alex Wise

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