Mountaineers making statements in standout season
By Derek Hatridge
McAlester News-Capital
The Mountaineers have been making statements all season long.
Eastern Oklahoma State College baseball coach Matt Parker thinks they've also been building success because of the type of players and people that make up the team.
"Obviously, a lot more good than bad," Parker said. "I thought this team had a chance to be pretty good...I'm not surprised at their success because I see how hard they work."
Sitting in the dugout, Parker surveyed his players as they practiced long before practice was actually scheduled to begin. He said they do it of their own volition, because they understand how much work goes into becoming one of the nation's top baseball teams.
The Mountaineers sit in the top 10 — top five in some cases — in multiple polls surrounding junior college baseball. Parker said Eastern is a hard place to play, and he confesses he's not easy to play for as well. But with an impressive 40-3 record and 20-1 in conference, they've been rewarded for the things they do long before the first pitch on game day.
"I just think the show up and work everyday aspect kind of fits who we are. It fits Wilburton, I think it fits Eastern and just kind of the blue collar (atmosphere)," Parker said. "People ask 'what do your guys do for fun?' They go to class, and they play baseball."
And the Mountaineers' handwork isn't going unnoticed. 15 players have currently committed to play college baseball at the university level, including multiple with NCAA Division I schools.
Parker exampled how Christian McGowan will head to Texas Tech, Andrew Walling to Mississippi State, Bryce Matthews to Washington State, David Sandlin to Oklahoma, and Mac McCroskey to Oral Roberts. And he said those are happening because of the work happening at Eastern.
"If you do your time right in Wilburton, you get to decide where you go next," Parker said.
Eastern will wrap up regular season play on May 4 before heading into the postseason with the Region II Tournament, and Parker hopes that they're continuing to improve and playing their best baseball.
"It really comes down to 'did you win the tournament or not?' Parker posed. "So the ultimate goal is to be playing as well as you can play when we get to Woodward, and play well in Woodward."
But winning the Region II Tournament would only be the beginning of the journey, which Parker recognized as taking it step by step. He said if his team is to succeed, they'll have to approach each day with the same mindset — being better than you were the day before.
"If we're fortunate enough to win that, alright great. There's the next one," Parker said. "I think the ultimate goal is to win a national championship…but how do you win a national championship? It's the same thing as how do you eat an elephant — it's one bite at a time."
