The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles baseball team is the intercollegiate baseball team of Oral Roberts University.[2] It plays in the NCAA Division I Summit League. The team won the Mid-Con and Summit League regular season and tournament titles for 15 years straight between 1998 and 2012. Upon returning to the Summit League, the team repeated the feat in 2015 and 2016. In 2006, they advanced to the NCAA Super Regional.
Key moments
The ORU baseball team advanced to the College World Series in 1978 and has made 22 NCAA tournament appearances overall.[as of?] In addition, ORU baseball made 15 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1998 to 2012 and played in the regional finals in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011, winning the 2006 Regional Championship. On June 4, 2023, ORU defeated Dallas Baptist University to advance to the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament.
Notable players
Mike Moore was an ORU standout from 1979–81 and first-round draft pick. He played 14 seasons in the big leagues and was selected an American League All-Star in 1989. He played in consecutive World Series with the Oakland Athletics (1989 and 1990), winning a championship in 1989. Todd Burns (1982–84) was Moore's teammate in Oakland and helped the A's win three straight American League pennants (1988–90) and the 1989 World Series. Keith Lockhart (1985–86) played in the 1999 World Series as a member of the Atlanta Braves and helped that team win five consecutive National League Eastern Division titles. Tom Nieto (1981) played in the 1985 World Series with St. Louis Cardinals and won a championship in 1987 as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Doug Bernier, Michael Hollimon and Steve Holm all made their Major League debuts in 2008. Mike Mason, Keith Miller, Bob Zupcic, Larry Casian and Craig Colbert also played in the Major Leagues.
Notable coaches
Former head coach Larry Cochell guided ORU from 1977–86, leading the school to seven NCAA Regional appearances and the 1978 College World Series. Former coach Sunny Golloway was one of the best skippers in the NCAA Division I, guiding the Golden Eagles to a 294–136 record and five NCAA Regional appearances in seven years at the helm. He was an assistant coach for Team USA in the summer of 2002.
As first year head coach in 2004, Rob Walton guided ORU to the nation's best winning percentage (.820) while also setting a Summit League Conference mark with a 50–11 overall record. The 2004 Golden Eagles were ranked in the Top 20 for 12 consecutive weeks, reaching a high of No. 13 in late May. Walton led ORU to its ninth consecutive Summit League Tournament title and the program's 18th NCAA Regional appearance in 2006. Walton also earned ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Golden Eagles to a regional championship and final Top 25 ranking in all three major, a program first. Walton also served as the head coach for USA Baseball's National Team during the summer of 2008.
J. L. Johnson Stadium
J. L. Johnson Stadium has been the home of Golden Eagles baseball since 1978. It hosted its first game on March 6, 1978.
In 2008, a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) facility was added which includes coaches' offices, a state-of-the-art weight room and the Grand Slam Room in which boosters and fans can watch ORU games in a climate-controlled environment. The facility is located down the right-field line.
Johnson Stadium has been host to three NCAA Regionals (1978,1980,1981), 14 conference tournaments, and many All-Americans. Many Major Leaguers have played at Johnson Stadium, including Roger Clemens, Joe Carter, Kirk Gibson, Tony Gwynn, Keith Lockhart, Pete Incaviglia, Kevin McReynolds, Mike Moore, and Robin Ventura.
H.A. Chapman Indoor Practice Facility
The H.A. Chapman Indoor Practice Facility opened in the Fall of 2009. The 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) facility, located just west of J. L. Johnson Stadium, features indoor practices areas for both baseball and track & field programs. Built at a cost of $1.2 million, the facility was funded exclusively through private donations, including a lead gift from the H.A. and Mary K. Chapman Charitable Trust. The baseball portion of the facility features a regulation-sized infield, three pitching areas and three netted batting cages. The track and field area features a complete pole vault area, high jump pit and long jump and triple jump practice areas.
Mid-Continent Conference/Summit League achievements
- Overall Record of 567–222 (.719)
- 12 Summit League Regular-Season Titles
- 13 Summit League Tournament Titles
- 13 NCAA post-season appearances
- 2006 Regional Champion
- 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009 NCAA Regional Runner-up
- Ranked as high as No. 23 nationally in 2008
- Ranked as high as No. 24 nationally in 2007
- Ranked as high as No. 14 nationally in 2006
- Ranked as high as No. 13 nationally in 2004
- Ranked as high as No. 20 nationally in 2002
- Ranked as high as No. 23 nationally in 1998
- Ranked No. 11 nationally in 1987 year end rankings
- 21 All-Americans
- 10 Freshman All-Americans
- 4 Summit League Players of the Year
- 11 Summit League Pitchers of the Year
- 88 First Team All-Summit league selections
- 42 Second Team All-Summit League selections
- 70 Summit League All-Tournament selections
- 13 Summit League Tournament MVPs
NCAA First-Team All-Americans selections
- 1977 Bob Volk
- 1978 Bill Springman
- 1981 Mike Moore
- 1981 Tom Nieto
- 1982 Keith Mucha
- 1984 Todd Burns
- 1999 Jeff Stallings
- 2004 Dennis Bigley
- 2008 Brian Van Kirk
Major League Baseball
Oral Roberts has had 137 Major League Baseball Draft selections since the draft began in 1965.[3]
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See also
References
- ^ "Color Standards". Oral Roberts Athletics Style Guide (PDF). August 20, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Oral Roberts Golden Eagles". d1baseball.com. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ^ "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from "Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, OK)"". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-06-14.