ORU's Rob Walton Named OSU Pitching Coach

Walton has been hired on the Oklahoma State baseball team as the pitching coach after spending the last 14 years on the staff at Oral Roberts.

Monday, June 11th 2012, 4:36 pm

By: News 9


Just three days after Josh Holliday was named the new head coach of the Oklahoma State baseball team, the new coach is already adding some fresh faces to the staff.

06/08/12 Related Story: Oklahoma State Names Josh Holliday Head Baseball Coach

Monday, former Oral Roberts head baseball coach Rob Walton was hired as a pitching coach for the Cowboys.

"I've known Josh (Holliday) for a long time. He has a passion for OSU baseball and so do I, and so we're going to team up and do the best job that we can do to put the program back where it needs to be," Walton said.

"We're really excited to bring someone of Rob's 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."

Walton has spent the last 14 years coaching at ORU in Tulsa including the last nine as the head coach of the Golden Eagles. He returns to his alma mater where he pitched from 1983-1986 and was a four-year letter winner.

"This is a really special opportunity for me and my family," Walton said. "My wife and I went to school there, and it's 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."

In his nine years at the helm of the Golden Eagles program, Walton amassed a 365-167 record and was honored as 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 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.

"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. He's a winner, he's a Cowboy, and he's got a tremendous amount of energy to get started and be a part of what we're doing. It's an exciting example of the type of person we're 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."

"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."

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.

During Walton's 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.

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.

Rob Walton's Playing and Coaching Career:
Played at Oklahoma State 1983-86
Played in Baltimore Orioles organization 1986-89
Area Supervisor for Cleveland Indians 1996-98
Oral Roberts assistant coach 1999-2003
Oral Roberts head coach 2004-12

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