This season preview of the ORU Eagles is provided by Brandon Schultz. Schultz is cohost of The Oklahoma Baseball Experience. He is a long time ORU fan and is one of the “go to’s” when it comes to Golden Eagle baseball. You can follow him on “X” (formerly Twitter) @schultzy012.
A single word could be used to describe Oral Roberts baseball in the 2000s…consistency. Since the turn of the century the Golden Eagles have made the NCAA tournament 19 times, missing only four appearances, including the canceled COVID year. So, what has led to such consistency for ORU? Many things come to mind. The team’s steady production of professional draft picks. In fact, there have been 76 players drafted during this time. As well as a defined and refined system that identifies program fitting talent and develops it. As a mid-major and one of the smallest D1 schools in the country there will always be a challenge recruiting the “big names”. Fortunately, Coach Fulmar has become a technician at finding the right fit for his squads. But if you really want to know what causes such consistency, look no further than what has occurred since the CWS run last year. As you might imagine there were plenty of larger schools wanting to poach national award-winning coaches or proven talented players and yet not one person left. Regardless of the offers to the coaching staff and living in an era defined by the transfer portal, everyone said let’s run it back. There is a dedication to the program that cannot be found in many schools around the county and that is what continues to drive the program forward.
Pitching
Looking at the 2024 season there is no doubt that this consistency will continue. The Golden Eagles have been picked again to win the Summit League by D1 baseball. Diving into what kind of a squad the 2024 Eagles will have, let’s start with a position group filled with returners… starting pitching. Jakob Hall should continue to lead the weekends as the Friday night starter and has been getting some preseason All American looks. Hall, now a junior pitched to an 8-3 record throwing nearly 100 innings (98.2) in 2023. A very impressive highlight about Jakob’s game is his 94 and 17 walk to strikeout ratio from last season. He was the picture of consistency and set the tone for a major trend of the 2023 season: starters giving quality starts. Hall gave ORU 6+ innings in 10 of his 14 regular season starts last year and looks to continue to build on his solid career in Tulsa. Another returning starter is Brooks Fowler. A local guy from Jenks, was also a picture of consistency in 2023. Giving up just 26 runs in 80 innings and carrying a fantastic BB/K ratio that gives ORU the one-two punch needed to win weekends. Like Hall, Brooks gives that old school pitcher feel. Lots of strikes with all pitches and a concerted effort to get ahead in the count. The returning starters don’t end there, Joshua Carvallo will likely reprise his important role as a midweek starter or move to Sunday. Facing off against some of the better teams ORU will play in the mid-week role for a mid-major cannot be understated. The 6’7 righty had plenty of success last year going 4-1 and a 3.42 ERA. It will be interesting to see where he slots in.
Starting pitching is not the only group returning some big pieces on the pitching staff. With the exit of major contributors like Denton and Widener, it would be easy to believe that there might be a drop off, but don’t doubt Wes Davis. Wes constructed one of the most diverse bullpens based on looks and arm slots in the country last season and has more talent coming back than you might think. Highlighted by Caleb Isaacs and Dalton Patten there is a lot of experience in the pen. Both Caleb and Dalton are both guys that can give multiple innings if needed, and potentially a lengthy stop gap if a starter gets into trouble. Caleb is a lefty with much less length than Widener and a more traditional delivery. He made 29 appearances in 2023 notching 43 punchies in 45.1 innings. Patten is 5’10 160 but was a giant killer down the stretch in 2023. During his 30 appearances, Patten provided nearly 50 quality innings. Dalton adds to a diverse bullpen as an over the top righty that pitches with a lot of emotion. Price Allman, Hudson Hart, and Reed Ronan also return looking to see their roles expand. A name that is returning this year that you may not know is Connor Floyd. Floyd was set to play a big part in 2023 but was sidelined by TJ. He can run it up to the high 90s and I know the staff has been excited for him to get out on the mound. Some new names circulating that might make an instant impact are Keaton Ruthardt from Eastern, Ryan Carmack, and the Owasso product Braydon Sanford. Another guy I am excited for is 6’6 righty Jared Ure out of Colorado Mesa. Dude has some major mound presence and leverage that will make him very dangerous.
Lineup
While the pitching staff has a lot of Omaha foundation returning, the hitters do not. Returning just 2 of the starting 9, there are a lot of newcomers to breakdown. Let’s start with those 2 impact returners. Likely fielding the corners Holden Breeze and Drew Stahl will be the glue guys this season. Breeze may not be a name that comes to mind from last year’s list of stars, but it should. Breeze was quietly one of the most consistent hitters on the team. Batting .320 while playing 66 of 66 games, Breeze registered only 5 errors the whole season at the hot corner. So, while he may not be the biggest name, he certainly fits the mold of consistency that the Golden Eagles have created. Breeze will be throwing across the diamond to his returning counterpart Drew Stahl. Stahl really had some massive moments last season launching 11 homeruns and 15 doubles. Though much of his season was spent in the DH role or other positions there is plenty of athleticism there to play at first. But maybe not enough athleticism to do the splits (look up any of Jake McMurray’s highlights last year). Remember playing first base is incredibly hard… just ask Dusty Baker.
Rounding out the infield will be a pair of transfers: David Herring at short stop and Martel Davis at 2nd. Herring is a Dale Oklahoma product that spent two strong seasons at Cowley helping lead them to the NJCAA World Series appearances both years. David hit .294 last year as the starting SS for Wichita State. Martel Davis looked solid in the fall with a lot of range and a great hit tool. Martell hit .298 with 9 bombs last year at Seminole showing a lot of power for a middle infielder. ORU is going to need to replace a power bats from last year and finding power in a typical non power position is a great start.
The outfield is a complete overhaul losing all three starters from last year that include 2 current minor leaguers Quinn, Cox, and Hogan. Sam Thompson will be an option from the 2023 squad. Sam is looking to breakout after early success in his career at TCU as a freshman in the shorted COVID season. Thompson got lost in the lineup after an off-season injury severely limited his playing time at TCU before transferring to ORU. I am really hoping this is the year he gets back on track. Kyle Booker looks to be an impact transfer from Tennessee. Kyle started games in each of the last 3 seasons but did stick as a starter. I know that Tennessee doesn’t recruit and develop guys without talent so it will be interesting to see what Booker can do with a fresh start. As a side note Matt Hogan was also an SEC product that never quite got it going and found a revitalization to his career here in T-Town. Alex Rodgers is another impact transfer with D1 experience. At Stephen F Austin he hit nearly .400 and carried a .485 on base percentage. A great high average guy to replace the nation’s best hitter in 2023, Jonah Cox. Rodgers is from Omaha Nebraska so he will be facing off against his hometown team in conference play and hoping to be playing there in June. Elijiah Rodriguez will also be in the mix for some time roaming the outfield.
At catcher we will be seeing a new face earning consistent time. It will be hard to imagine that Arizona transfer Cameron LaLiberte won’t be seeing a good chunk of that time. He was a career .325 hitter during his 3-year stint in Arizona. Not a power bat but a consistent offensive threat adding to the relentless offensive that ORU is known for. Ryan Blackwell and Garrett Casey will also be looking for time behind the plate. Both are returning from 2023 and looking to increase their in-game production. They both showed ability behind the plate and at it in their appearances last season. The catchers also played well in the fall games I attended. Rounding out the catching options for Fulmar is freshman Aidan O’Malley from across the street at Victory Christian (shoutout Conquerors). The All-State backstop will take his talent to place many Conquerors aspire to play. I am looking for a strong year of development for Aiden under guys with a lot of talent.
The DH position might be the biggest question mark. I would imagine that whoever isn’t being utilized in the outfield will get the nod. Or perhaps a new face will show itself.
Outlook
All in all, this is not a team to overlook. You might think after a mid-major gets to the CWS they would be gutted but that is certainly not the case. There really isn’t a position group on the field that I worry about. However, many people including 11.7 (a well-known college baseball media company) don’t have ORU in the top 25 of mid majors. It is mind blowing how often the Eagles are forgotten with their track record. So, break out the twin snakes buckle up and enjoy what could be another special season for the Golden Eagles.
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