Published: June 27, 2008 04:43 pm         

O-State duo earn spots on U.S. squad

Oklahoma State pitchers Tyler Lyons and Andrew Oliver didn’t just make noise in Stillwater this year. Their performance throughout the year earned them an invitation to attend a two-week trial period for the USA Baseball National Team.

During the tryouts, the participants from all over the country played 10 games and had two intrasquad scrimmages, at which both Lyons and Oliver stood above the crowd.

Lyons made three appearances and went 1-0 with 12 strikeouts, while not allowing an earned run in eight innings. Oliver also had three outings, tallying 10 strikeouts and recording a 2.00 ERA in nine innings.

Due to their performances, both Lyons and Oliver were selected to the 2008 USA Baseball Nation Team. O-State is one of just three schools, along with Cal State-Fullerton and Miami (Fla.), to have two players named to the team.

“We thought they had a good chance to make the club,” said O-State coach Frank Anderson. “They are really talented kids and are also very competitive.”

A Vermilion, Ohio native, Oliver hadn’t recorded a loss at OSU since early April, while Lyons, from Lubbock, Texas, was undefeated from mid-March through the remainder of the season. Oliver finished his sophomore season with a 7-2 record and a 2.20 ERA in 15 appearances, which was good enough for a first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection.

Lyons earned second-team All-Big 12 honors with his 12-2 record in 15 starts. He finished with a 3.31 ERA and led the Big 12 with 108 2/3 innings pitched and tied for the league lead with four complete games, all of which came in conference play.

Lyons’ 12-win season was the eighth-best in school history. While these statistics speak for themselves, they aren’t what earned the Cowboy duo spots on the National Team.

“They had to make that team,” Anderson said, including that the top 35 or 40 collegiate baseball players were at the tryout. “A lot of those coaches had never had a chance to see them play.”

The 20-man roster is expected to add two more players to the squad before traveling to Europe in July to compete in the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands. While overseas, the team comprised of the top non-draft-eligble players in the country, will also compete at the FISU World Championships in the Czech Republic.

Former OSU standout and current Oral Roberts head coach Rob Walton is the head coach of the 2008 National Team.

Jordy Mercer was part of the 2007 squad with former Cowboys Gary Green (1984), Robin Venture (1988), Jeromy Burnitz (1989), Brad Beanblossom (1989), Matt Smith (1999) and Ryan Budde (2000) also earning spots on the U.S. Team.

     

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