Published: May 15, 2008 03:16 pm            

Cowboy Baseball 2008

Think small-town kids can’t succeed at the Division-I level these days?

Oklahoma State senior Rebel Ridling would beg to differ.

The first baseman hails from Sentinel, a community in southwestern Oklahoma with a population of 859. Despite being at least an hour away from anything that resembles a big city, Ridling said his hometown provides plenty of entertainment options on a typical Friday night.

“You fish, you hunt, you go downtown and sit at the post office or in the middle of Main Street,“ he added. “You just try to create stuff to do.”

Ridling occupied the majority of his free time with baseball, which is played in both fall and spring at SHS since the school doesn’t field a football team.

Ridling, who played for the Class A powerhouse Bulldogs and was named All-State during his senior year, often competed against OSU teammate Jordy Mercer — who resided 70 miles up the road at Class B Taloga.

“You know, I did strike him out once,” Mercer said with a laugh. “It was like a rivalry when we played (SHS) because they were always good and we were always good. I’ve been around him forever, we even played with each other in Little League.

“He’s just a big teddy bear to me and everybody else.”

When Ridling graduated from SHS, he spent a year at Midland (Texas) Junior College where he sported a .445 batting average with 13 home runs and 74 RBIs. His effort earned him a scholarship at O-State, where he became the second member of his family to play for the school.

His aunt, Donna Ridling, competed for the OSU women’s basketball program from 1974-78 and was the first Cowgirl to record 1,000 points in a career. She still holds the school record for most points in a game, scoring 51 against Tulsa in ’78.

Rebel has made his own mark in Stillwater. He has been a three-year starter for the Cowboys and last season, he earned second-team All-Big 12 accolades. In addition, he helped lead OSU to a NCAA Regional championship in 2007 and was named the Regional’s most outstanding player.

“He’s given us some stability (at first base) and he’s really improved as a player,” said O-State coach Frank Anderson. “He’s somebody that’s a good team guy and a good kid. He takes care of his business and there’s not any problems with him. You appreciate those kind of guys.”

This year, Rebel is hitting .321 and leads the Cowboys in home runs (15), RBIs (54) and is third in doubles (14) behind senior Matt Hague (15) and junior Donnie Webb (18). He has guided OSU to a Top 10 ranking and a solid chance at hosting an NCAA Regional for the first time since 1997.

“He’s just a phenomenal guy,” Mercer said. “He’s got the fun side about him — he’s always having a good time but he knows when to get serious. As you can see, he does it well.”

Rebel will compete in his final Bedlam series this weekend starting with Friday’s 7:30 p.m. opener — which will be televised by Fox Sports Southwest — at Tulsa’s Drillers Stadium. Since Rebel has been at OSU, the Cowboys are 6-0 against the Sooners (31-21-1, 8-15-1) in regular-season play.

Next week, the Sentinel product will make one last run at a conference championship when O-State (38-14, 16-8) heads to the Big 12 Tournament at Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Ballpark.

“It’s starting to sink in a little bit that I might not have many more college days left,” said Rebel, who recently graduated with a degree in business. “It’s been quite an adventure.”

Though Rebel will soon part ways with the Cowboys, the small-town legacy will live on. Tupelo, a Class B state semifinalist this spring, will send its star pitcher Randy McCurry to O-State next season and Dearth Parker of Roff — the Class B state runner-up — will also join the program.

Some of baseball’s greatest standouts have come from blink-and-you’ll-miss-it communities, including Mickey Mantle (Commerce, pop. 2,645) and Johnny Bench (Binger, pop. 708).

Monty Farriss, who led OSU to three straight Big Eight titles and a pair of College World Series appearances from 1986-88, grew up in Leedey (pop. 345).

“Baseball is probably the best sport as far as a kid coming from a small town and being successful,” Anderson said.

Before departing from Stillwater, Rebel hopes to see the Cowboys’ season end with a trip to the CWS in Omaha, Neb., a place where the program hasn’t set foot since 1999.

“I’m excited to see what the rest of the year brings,” the former Bulldog said. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of this.”

        

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