NORMAN, Okla. –The University of Oklahoma baseball team held its annual media day on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
OU head coach Sunny Golloway addressed members of the media and discussed the 2009 season, potential starters, the OU newcomers and the new additions to L. Dale Mitchell Park.
Following Coach Golloway’s press conference, Aaron Baker, Andrew Doyle, Garrett Richards, Antwonie Hubbard, Bryant Hernandez and Chris Ellison also spoke to the local media outlets about the upcoming season, which begins at home against Western Illinois on Friday, Feb. 20.
Click the videos on the right to watch video footage of the players from media day.
Also on Wednesday, the baseball program unveiled the plans for a new scoreboard at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The new board will contain a scoreboard and LED video display. The project is expected to be completed by March 1. In addition, a new state-of-the art sound system was installed at L. Dale Mitchell Park last week.
Click here to see photos and learn more about the latest project at the Sooners’ park.
Below is a portion of transcript from Coach Golloway’s press conference.
OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway
Opening statement:
“We are extremely excited to get started this year. It is very apparent by the way we finished last year, and the fact that we return almost all of those players from last year, that we are extremely optimistic to get started this year.
“I don’t really like talking about the year before but in this case we lost Mike Gosse to professional baseball and then Aljay Davis to graduation. Other than that we return the whole team and we have added some instrumental parts, key elements that our really going to help our team this year. The experience of how we finished last year should really pay off for us. We have a lot of optimism going into this season. We have had great weather and our guys have been working extremely hard. We are really excited about next weekend and getting started.”
On the newcomers:
“Kaleb Herren is an Oklahoma City product and he went two years to junior college. He comes in as a two-way guy. He had an opportunity to sign with the Brewers but we are glad that he decided to sign as a Sooner before he becomes a professional. We have been working him in right field and he is a power bat on the right side. He has a really strong throwing arm and will also be able to help us on the mound, and I think that is what professional baseball drafted him for, to pitch. And I think that is what he will be able to do, both hit and pitch for us. So, he is a guy that jumps right out as a special guy.
“Another newcomer that has come along but was a redshirt last year is Garrett Buechele. He has really done a good job at third base so far through are fall and early spring workouts. Of course, the last name rings a bell, it is Steve Buechele’s son , who also played third base. I don’t know what it is about the Buechele family and third base, but they have done well. Garrett has looked very good.
“We have also added depth behind the plate. Tyler Ogle is a freshman that we think is really going to swing the bat and play defensively for us. It gives us depth behind the plate behind Brian Groth and J.T. Wise, who are very good college catchers, one who is a junior and one who is a senior. But Tyler Ogle’s offensive skills will be able to help us right away. “
“Cameron Seitzer, another name you will be familiar with, is a 6-5 left-handed hitter. He is really talented and a guy that we think is really going to be able to help us. He could possibly DH for us and also play some first base behind Aaron Baker. Before he leaves here, he is going to do some special things. He is really a good player. “
“On the mound, a name that jumps out at you is J.R. Robinson. He is really special and can really run it up there from the left side. He has a really good breaking ball and a guy that can earn a spot in our rotation, but right now we have to bring him along slowly. He is guy that will help us out in the bullpen early and has a chance to fight his way into the rotation.”
“Another guy that we think has a chance to be special is Jason Chowning. He has a tremendous curve ball and can run it up there pretty good too. He started his career in Kentucky, then went to a junior college for a year and now is here. Him being here gives us a lot of depth.”
On Stephen Porlier:
“He is right on schedule but we are not pushing him too hard. He has thrown off the game mound in a scrimmage. He has gone up to two innings for us and recorded outs and has had good outings but we just don’t want to run his pitch count up high, and there is no reason to. And so we have talked to Stephen about coming out of the bullpen early on and record outs and let the rest of it take care of itself.”
On the pitching rotation:
“Andrew Doyle pitched well for us down the stretch last year. When you think about Andrew, he is a guy that we brought out of the bullpen his first year. I think that he recorded the second most outings for us as a true freshman that year and last year we worked him into a starting role and he was our number one guy at the finish. And right now, he will roll out there in game one for us and be that lead guy and have an opportunity to stay right there.
“We really like the way Garrett Richards is throwing the ball right now. He has his breaking ball back. He is a guy just like Andrew (throwing a lot of innings in first year) and we used him as a closer as a freshman. We used him out of the bullpen and starting line up last year. Garrett, in the fall, was throwing 95 mph and you usually don’t see that in the fall because the adrenaline is not flowing. With his breaking ball and his velocity, he should be a guy that can settle into the rotation.
“Antwonie Hubbard is healthy. He was drafted out of high school in the 12th round of professional baseball and just wasn’t healthy when he got here (as a freshman). There are some physical things that he had to overcome and he really came on last year.
“Both Antwonie and Garrett threw in the Alaska league in the summer and were voted the number one and three pro prospects out of that league. So those are guys that we think we can go to early on and we will see how it goes.”
On last year’s success carrying over to this season:
“I do think that last year is going to carry over. In 18 years of coaching Division I baseball, and thirteen as a head coach, I have never talked about ‘last year’s team.’ I have never been with a club that has so many returning people (as this year’s club). There were some weekends that were really tough and we went through some really tough growing pains. The athletes handled it well, no one ever blamed anyone, and at the end of the day I was really proud of the coaching staff. It would have been really easy for a lot of teams to fold the tent and go away. Our guys continued to fight and our coaches continued to teach. Each year, you pick certain years that were special and some think its Omaha or a national championship, and that is not true for me because what was accomplished last year, in really turning (it around) and teaching and moving on. Those things are really going to stay with student-athletes the rest of their lives. More was taught and learned last year than any other year that I have been a part of.”
On new practice facilities:
“It has really helped in recruiting. It’s really going to pay its dividends down the road because it’s there now and we have been able to talk about it. We have been able to sign a terrific signing class, we have 17 guys coming in next year and we realize we won’t hold them all because of professional baseball. But it’s really a terrific class. Our staff did a great job and the facility really helped with that.
“After Christmas break, the guys got to see the finished product and got to go in there and take a swing. It is a new toy and they love it. We really believe, with everything that we added, that this is the best facility in college baseball. It is important to us because we are trying to have a young man choose college baseball over professional baseball, and to do that you need to have the facilities to offer them that will develop their game the same as professional baseball. We are really able to utilize our time in practice now more than ever before. It is exciting to watch their faces and know that they have a new facility. They take a lot of pride in it and we are extremely fortunate.”
