Oklahoma State University Men's Baseball

13 seasons at Oklahoma State Career Record: 475-263-2 (.643) 2016 Midwest Regional Coach of the Year 2014 Big 12 Coach of the Year Cowboy Baseball Under Josh...

Victor Romero has been a part of the OSU program for over a decade, first as a standout catcher for the Pokes then through serving in numerous capacities wit...

Walton returned to Stillwater in June 2012 to join Cowboy head coach Josh Hollidays staff as pitching coach.       Waltons tutelage has been a signifcant key to OSUs three-straight NCAA Regional appearances during a span that also includes a Big 12 Conference championship and a Super Regional appearance.       The Cowboys success under Walton includes 12 All-Big 12 pitchers, two first-team All-Americans, a Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and a first-round Major League Baseball Draft pick.       Additionally, OSUs pitching staff led the Big 12 in ERA in conference-only games in 2014 and 2015, and the 15 group turned in the lowest ERA by a Cowboy pitching staff in over 40 years.       Walton made an immediate impact in his first season back in Stillwater. The Cowboys pitching staff finished with a 3.04 ERA, the lowest by an OSU staff since 1973, and ranked in the top 10 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio.       Under Waltons guidance, six Cowboys earned All-Big 12 accolades in 2013 and a pair of Cowboy hurlers finished in the top 10 in the Big 12 Conference in ERA. He also helped Jason Hursh develop into a first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in the Major League Baseball Draft in June.       In 2014, OSU finished second in the Big 12 in strikeouts and saves, and two Cowboy hurlers Vince Wheeland and Jon Perrin ranked in the top 10 in the league in ERA and wins. Walton also coached a trio of All-Big 12 First Team hurlers (Wheeland, Perrin and Brendan McCurry), while McCurry set OSUs single-season and career saves records and was a consensus All-American.        Waltons third OSU staff also shined. The Cowboys ranked eighth in the NCAA in 2015 with a 2.84 team ERA, the lowest by an OSU group since 1973. In Big 12 Conference play, that ERA dipped to a league-best 2.50.       The 2015 season also saw Walton pupil Michael Freeman blossom into one of college baseballs top pitchers. The southpaw was a consensus All-American and the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, and he ranked sixth nationally with a 1.31 ERA, the fifth lowest in a single season in OSU history.       Prior to returning to Stillwater, Walton spent the previous 14 years at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, where he was the Golden Eagles head coach for nine seasons. He was a four-year letterwinner as a pitcher at OSU from 1983-86 and played on four College World Series teams for the Cowboys.       This is a really special opportunity for me and my family, Walton said. My wife and I went to school there, and its a chance to come back to our alma mater and help Coach Holliday get the program going in the right direction. Hopefully we can bring it back to prominence.       Ive known Josh (Holliday) for a long time. He has a passion for OSU baseball and so do I, and so were going to team up and do the best job that we can do to put the program back where it needs to be.       In his nine seasons at the helm of ORU, Walton compiled a 367-167 (.687) record and was named the Summit League Coach of the Year five times. Under his direction, the Golden Eagles were an NCAA Tournament team each year and produced five seasons with 40 or more wins, including a 50-win campaign in 2004.       In his 14 seasons in Tulsa, Walton helped ORU produce 16 All-Americans, 14 conference player or co-players of the year and 12 conference pitchers of the year. Additionally, the Golden Eagles had 45 players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft over that span.       In four seasons as a pitcher at OSU, Walton compiled a 20-3 record and 3.74 ERA in 54 appearances. In 204.2 career innings, he collected 147 strikeouts and tossed 10 complete games.       As a senior, Walton led the Cowboys in wins and was 13-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 appearances. He also tossed nine complete games, the fourth most in a single season in OSU history.       Were really excited to bring someone of Robs caliber to the program. He possesses the talents and character traits that identify our mission to develop and groom our players in an environment where teaching, discipline, passion, the ability to develop a person in all phases of their life, on the field and off, are the focus, as is the commitment to building a championship team, Holliday said. When this opportunity to bring Rob into our program presented itself, and after sitting and talking with him and his family and sensing the true passion for Oklahoma State, his unique and well-known talents in the game and his desire to team up and pour himself into the kids and help us become great, it was just a tremendous fit.       His history is of great value, added Holliday. He will be as good a mentor and teacher of pitching that any young athlete could hope to find. His reputation and credibility amongst the baseball community in the state of Oklahoma and across the country will enhance our recruiting efforts tremendously. Hes a winner, hes a Cowboy, and hes got a tremendous amount of energy to get started and be a part of what were doing. Its an exciting example of the type of person were going to attract, and this is all about our players having the benefit of an outstanding mind and loyal OSU person that will make our program better instantaneously.       During Waltons tenure, ORU continued its record streak of conference championships, which reached 15 in 2012. With Walton as head coach, the Golden Eagles made nine NCAA Regional appearances and reached a Super Regional in 2006.       Pitching and defense are the keys to winning at any level, Walton said. We want to be able to put together a pitching staff that is in the top 10 in the country year in and year out. We have to recruit really good athletes who have an opportunity to get better and get our pitching staff among the best in the country. If we can, that will give us an opportunity to win every game that we play.       Following his OSU playing career, Walton was drafted by Baltimore in the 25th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft and spent four seasons in the Orioles organization.       After his stint as a player, Walton spent time as an area supervisor for the Cleveland Indians before joining the coaching ranks at Oral Roberts.       In addition to his success at ORU, Walton served as the head coach of the 2008 USA Baseball National Team and led the club to the FISU Gold Medal. He also served as an assistant on the 2005 and 2011 USA Baseball teams.       Walton was a three-sport star at Rutherford (N.J.) High School, earning All-State honors in baseball, basketball and soccer. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 1982.       Walton and his wife, Michelle, have three children -- a son, Davis, a former offensive lineman on the University of Tulsa football team, a son, Donnie, who is a sophomore infielder for Oklahoma State, and a teenage daughter, Cassie.     Former Oklahoma State standout Rob Walton returned to Stillwater in June 2012 to join Cowboy head coach Josh Hollidays staff as pitching coach.