Two Elected To Cowboy Baseball Hall Of Fame

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame will induct two members in its Class of 2018 as Rob Walton and Tyler Mach have been selected for enshrinement.

Walton was a standout on the mound for the Cowboys during the 1980s and has enjoyed a decorated career as a collegiate coach, while Mach produced All-American offensive numbers during his two years in Stillwater.

"To see Rob Walton and Tyler Mach go into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame, both are certainly very deserving," said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. "With Rob, it's such a unique combination of his playing days here, where he was a standout pitcher on four Big Eight championship and College World Series teams, and now his current impact having come back and been such an instrumental part of our success in rebuilding our program. His loyalties to the school have been on display in many different fashions, and there's not a more deserving person than Rob.

"Tyler Mach had as good a two-year career here as anybody. When you look at some of the amazing two-year players that Oklahoma State has had over the years, he reminds you a lot of Jeff Guiel. He was clearly a first-team All-American-caliber player, a conference player of the year and one of the best offensive players in the country. To do it in back-to-back years, he was really a standout player in his time here and a part of some excellent teams."

A five-person committee selected the hall of fame inductees. The panel evaluated candidates based on their accomplishments both at Oklahoma State and the professional baseball level, paying special attention to those who were All-Americans, had Major League Baseball careers or were first-round draft picks or who hold a significant position in the OSU record books.

With the addition of Walton and Mach, the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame will grow to 54 members. The duo will be inducted during the OSU Baseball First Pitch Banquet in January.

• Rob Walton, RHP, Rutherford, N.J. (1983-86)/Assistant Coach (2013-present) – During his four seasons in an OSU uniform, Rob Walton contributed to some of the top teams in program history as the Cowboys captured four Big Eight Conference championships and made four College World Series appearances from 1983-86.

Walton recorded 20 wins in 54 career appearances, culminating with a storybook senior season in which he went 13-2 and tossed nine complete games in 18 starts; both the wins and complete game totals rank in the top five on OSU's single-season list.

A right-hander from Rutherford, N.J., Walton anchored a 1986 Cowboy pitching staff that saw the club reel off 31 consecutive victories at one point, and he capped his career by tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings for a win against Indiana State in an elimination game at the College World Series.

Following his OSU career, Walton was a 25^th-round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles and won 22 games in three seasons at the minor league level, climbing as high as Double A.

Walton spent time as a scout before beginning his coaching career in 1999 as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts. He eventually took over head coaching duties for the Golden Eagles and in nine seasons at the helm recorded a 367-168 record while leading ORU to the NCAA Tournament each year.

During his time at ORU, Walton coached 16 All-Americans and over 40 Major League Baseball Draft picks. He was also pegged to serve three coaching tours with Team USA, including one as manager in 2008 in which he led the U.S. to a 30-0 record and two gold medals.

In 2013, Walton returned to OSU as the Cowboys' pitching coach, and his impact has been immense.

In five seasons mentoring the OSU staff, Walton has coached 17 All-Big 12 pitchers, two Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year honorees and a first-round Major League Baseball Draft pick while helping the Cowboys capture five NCAA Tournament berths, two Big 12 championships and a return to the College World Series.

Walton's Oklahoma State Career Stats
20-4, 3.74 ERA, 54 appearances, 10 complete games, 147 strikeouts in 204 2/3 innings pitched

• Tyler Mach, INF, Kent, Wash. (2006-07) – During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Tyler Mach established himself as one of the top hitters in college baseball.

Mach came to Stillwater following a freshman season at Washington and a year at Edmonds Community College, and he immediately impacted the Cowboys' lineup. In 2006, he became the first OSU player to be named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year (he shared the honor with Texas' Drew Stubbs) after hitting .364 and leading the league with 16 home runs to go along with 66 RBIs. He also earned first-team All-America honors and was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award.

The infielder capped his career with even better numbers in 2007 as he once again earned All-Big 12 First Team and All-America honors. Mach hit .386 with 16 homers, 24 doubles and 81 RBIs to go along with a .672 slugging percentage to help OSU advance to within one win of the College World Series.

Mach was drafted following both his OSU seasons as he was selected in the 40^th round by the St. Louis Cardinals after his junior campaign before the Philadelphia Phillies took him in the fourth round the following year. He played one professional season in the Philadelphia organization in 2007.

Mach's Oklahoma State Career Stats
123 games, .375 batting average, 191 hits, 32 home runs, 42 doubles, 147 RBI, .650 slugging percentage

OSU baseball fans wanting to help celebrate the hall of fame careers of Mach and Walton, as well as share the excitement of the current Cowboy ballclub for the upcoming 2018 season, can purchase tickets for the annual First Pitch Banquet, which will be held Jan. 26 at the Wes Watkins Center on the OSU campus. Tickets are limited and will go on sale next week; each of the previous banquets have sold out.

"The banquet has become something that is an exciting event every year and tells you the season is right around the corner," Holliday said. "It brings our baseball family together. It connects the amazing history and tradition of this program with the current players and really serves as a starting point for us for our season each year. We get to celebrate and welcome in members of our hall of fame, which is a very prestigious hall of fame when you look at our great history, as well as celebrate the accomplishments of previous teams. It gets the current team focused and aware of the great opportunity and responsibility we have to play here.

"It's one of our favorite nights of the year. We're looking forward to an awesome evening where you can see elite teams throughout the 1980s and into the 2000s to the current group come together because of Rob and Tyler. It's pretty special."

Additionally, Cowboy baseball will be hosting an alumni event following the banquet, and all former players and staff are encouraged to attend.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos