Tanner Sparks, accounting junior, was named Sooner Athletic Conference’s baseball pitcher of the week for Feb. 1-7.
Sparks received the award after throwing five hitless innings in OCU’s Feb. 6 game against York College (Neb.) at Jim Wade Stadium at Oklahoma City University. The Stars ultimately secured their victory with a 9-1 score.
Sparks was the first pitcher to earn the title for the 2021 season.
Sparks said he initially heard the news through Caleb Davis, business/finance senior and outfielder.
“I was excited. It’s pretty cool to be selected as that,” Sparks said. “Everyone was super excited for me, and told me, ‘good job.’ They said they knew I was capable of going out and having an outing like that.”
Keith Lytle, assistant baseball coach, said Sparks’s performance in the game seemed to remind Sparks of who he really is, after overcoming several obstacles over the past few years of his athletic career.
“Tanner was an all-state player and received a lot of accolades in high school, and then he signed with Oklahoma State, but he was injured and didn’t really get to contribute for two years while he was there,” Lytle said. “Now, to watch him go out and dominate the way he did the other day, having been so far removed from that for three years, really, and seeing him get that old Tanner Sparks-feeling back in his spine, it was really neat.”
Lytle said Sparks is a two-way player, a rarity in college baseball.
“He pitches but also plays a position too, which is unique,” Lytle said. “You don’t have that many pitchers and position players at the college level. Regardless of what his role is on any given day, he is so competitive.”
Lytle said he always expects greatness from Sparks.
“It was highly motivating for the entire team to go out and see his performance the other day,” Lytle said. “Along with his natural ability, his competitiveness seems to rub off on other players.”
Lytle said the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for the team, who are determined to succeed.
“There’s always that overbearing shadow of the virus that is still plaguing the country, and it’s really difficult because on any given day, someone could test positive, or the team you were supposed to play can’t show up because they’ve had positives,” Lytle said. “That’s happened to several teams within our conference.”
Lytle said the 2021 U.S. cold snap has further tested the team.
“You have two choices: you can either sit back and wait for things to happen, or you can get ahead of everybody and prepare to do well,” Lytle said. “We want to stay mentally and physically ready and assume that, until someone else tells us otherwise, we’re playing.”
Lytle said the team’s biggest goal, currently, is keeping the team motivated and in high spirits.
“Everybody wants to win,” Lytle said. “Everybody wants to go to a World Series and have a great season, but the most important thing is keeping the morale up during this unprecedented time. It’s about trying to keep the guys motivated. You know, stay ready, stay prepared, let’s out-work our competition, even when we’re not able to play.”
Sparks said he hopes the team will advance to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, May 28-June 4.
“That would be great,” Sparks said. “That’s my ultimate goal.”
Sparks said he loves being a student athlete.
“It gives you the chance to be part of something bigger than yourself,” Sparks said. “It gives you the chance to meet people from all different places and walks of life. The comradery of sports, in general – it’s like being part of a family, pretty much. We really are a brotherhood.”
The Stars are next set to play Northwestern College (Iowa) March 1 at Jim Wade Stadium in Oklahoma City.
For more sports updates, fans can visit the OCUSports website and the MediaOCU sports page.
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