May 7, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City University baseball put itself in rare territory when it posted its 10th consecutive 50-win season when the Stars downed Texas Wesleyan (May 6) 13-6 and advanced in the NAIA Region VI baseball championships at Jim Wade Stadium.

Fourth-ranked OCU moved to 50-10 on the year. The Stars play 6 p.m. Thursday (May 8) against Oklahoma Baptist.

OCU has more wins and 50-win seasons over the past decade than any other college baseball program. The Stars have compiled a 576-110-1 record over that span.

Over the past 10 years, OCU has set the single-season NAIA record for wins at 73 in 2004, won the 2005 NAIA championship, advanced to four national-title games, been to the NAIA World Series five times and won seven Sooner Athletic Conference crowns.

OCU has had 33 NAIA All-Americans, three NAIA Players of the Year, 59 players in the professional ranks and 37 who got drafted, including 2006 National League batting champion Freddy Sanchez of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

OCU coach Denney Crabaugh, who has a 979-311-2 record in 21 years at OCU, has been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Assistant coach Keith Lytle has built a reputation as one of the nation's finest hitting instructors and been awarded the 2003 national assistant baseball coach of the year.

"This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work the players and coaches over the years have put in," Crabaugh said.

Other the past decade, OCU has more victories than Lewis-Clark State (510), Florida State (502) and Rice (498).

Against Texas Wesleyan, David Dennis hammered two home runs and went 3-for-5 with five RBIs for OCU. Kirk Walker added a two-run homer to left in the eighth.

Brent Weaver went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, and Walker was 3-for-5 with four runs scored and two RBIs. The Stars put together 20 hits.

David Odquist earned the victory to move to 11-2 on the year.