The Oklahoma City Stars baseball team is now 32 games into their season and after receiving votes in the NAIA Top-25 rankings for the better part of 2 months, they are now ranked #24 in the country. Head Coach Keith Lytle’s squad has a 22-12 overall record with an 8-4 record in Sooner Athletic Conference play and a 16-9 home record at Denny Crabaugh Field.
During their non-conference schedule, the Stars played at least 7 teams who were either nationally ranked or receiving votes to be ranked. OCU started the season by winning their first 8 games but cooled a bit as they went on to lose 7 games in a row, but ultimately found their groove and finished the month of February with a winning 9-7 record.
March saw a surge for the Stars as they began the month by winning a 3-game series against #25 Freed-Hardeman University (TN) and taking 3 of the 5 series played during the month. Between March 15 and March 23, the Stars strung together another 6-game winning streak and scored 51 runs while their opponents only tallied 12 runs – the streak included two straight sweeps on the road against Oklahoma Panhandle State University and Texas Wesleyan University.
In their road games this season, the Stars hold a 6-3 record with two of those losses coming in their most recent series against Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Coach Lytle’s team narrowly lost those two games by four combined runs.
The Stars’ April schedule began with them winning 2 of 3 games against Southwestern Christian University and consists of 9 more conference games with 2 non-conference games against tough foes from the state of Kansas in Tabor College (24-8) and Sterling College (14-18).
The driving force behind the team’s collective success is the offensive onslaught produced by the likes of multiple Stars such as Darian Duhon, Trent Kiraily, Reese Ratchford, Hunter Lenochan, Aiden Alexander and Chad Pike.
So, precisely how well are the Stars performing offensively?
Well, the offense ranks 1st in the SAC for home runs with 54, 3rd in team batting average, 2nd in slugging percentage (SLG%), and 4th for on-base percentage (OB%).
When speaking to The Campus recently, Assistant Coach Tanner Schoeninger gave his thoughts on why he believes the team is experiencing offensive success – the production of the bats for the Stars is directly attributed to Coach Lytle who is known to be a guru of sorts when it comes to developing his players’ bat skills on the diamond. Routines and practice are key to the Stars’ run-scoring boon.
Shoeninger added, “Our guys have been dedicated to each of their routines and are committed to not missing a day of doing extra work on their own.”
The offense for the Stars isn’t the only thing that has helped propel the team’s success. OCU has generated potent offense and has paired it with effective pitching. Coach Lytle’s team ranks 1st in the SAC for home runs surrendered (18) while being ranked 2nd for saves, hits allowed, and opponent runs scored. The pitching staff of the Stars is also ranked 3rd for earned runs averaged (ERA), and 3rd for walks allowed.
Confidence from the coaches and the rest of the team has helped fuel the pitching staff’s success while taking the mound. Senior pitcher Jordan Hanes sheds light on how that confidence is established through support from teammates, “A big part of that is just the guys trusting one another and the guys our coaches choose to roll out there. We’re all very supportive of one another and are super close as a pitching staff.”
It is evident that the OCU Stars including the coaches and reserve players are having a great time in the dugout while enjoying each other’s success – levity is a key characteristic in the team’s DNA.
Hanes offered a player’s perspective on what it’s like when the offense and the good times are flowing, “Everyone starts to get fired up and that’s really the fun of the game. Seeing the results you and your teammates worked so hard for. It’s a great feeling.”
The Stars have had a great season to this point, but there is still work to be done before they can qualify for the NAIA postseason tournament. Currently, Mid-American Christian University is at the top of the SAC standings, with the Stars having their sights set on the top spot in the conference standings.
Coach Schoeninger disclosed how playing sound defense and executing the little things right could heavily impact the team’s success in their remaining schedule. There is zero doubt about the talent and ability of the team from the coaches and the players – confidence is not something that the Stars lack.
“Not making a play defensively when we need it, situational hitting, and giving up free bases on the mound are things that have shown up repetitively in our losses.”
OCU baseball plays their next series on the road in Chickasha against University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, the first game of the series will take place this week on April 11 at 7:00 PM. The Drovers are receiving votes for the NAIA Top-25 rankings; playing top-end foes is a common theme for the Stars this season.
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