STILLWATER – Oklahoma State lost their home run leader from this past season in Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and All-Big 12 third baseman Christian Encanarcion-Strand. The junior college transfer from Yavapai Junior College hit .361 with 17 doubles, 15 home runs, and 66 RBI this season and was picked in the fourth round of the MLB Amateur Draft by the Minnesota Twins. He signed and is on his way to starting his pro career.
Last week Oklahoma State may have picked up his replacement as the Pokes top power hitter as University of Northern Kentucky graduate Griffin Doersching transferred to Oklahoma State.
UNK Norsemen
Big smile after winning HR contest.
Doersching is 6-4, 240-pound first baseman who won the college home run hitting contest in Omaha at the College World Series in 2019. This past season he set the season record at UNK with 20 home runs and hit .316 with 60 walks. He was top five in several NCAA statistics including home runs, walks, walks per game (1.04), home runs per game (.42), and slugging percentage (.772).
Just earlier this week, Doersching won another home run hitting contest as he outbombed 24 others in the Northwoods League Home Run contest. Doersching is playing for the Lakeshore Chinooks in the summer league located up around the Great Lakes region.
Originally out of Greendale, Wis., Doersching also pitched some for the Norse and finished his career in Highland Heights, Ky, which is near Cincinnati, Ohio, with 47 home runs, 153 RBI, 96 walks, and .562 slugging percentage.
UNK Norsemen
Doersching looks the part of power hitter.
As mentioned, Doersching is playing in the Northwoods League this summer and following the season will head to Stillwater and get acclimated to the Oklahoma State program. It is impossible to factor what he has done against Horizon League competition and adjust it to the Big 12. It is known that Doersching can hit home runs against virtually any competition he has seen.