Three More Baseball Cowboys Get Preseason All-American Mention
STILLWATER – It may not feel like it later this week with that winter blast and possible winter storm blowing through North Central Oklahoma, but baseball season is coming soon and No. 7-ranked preseason and the second team in the Big 12 Coaches Preseason Poll Oklahoma State opens play with powerhouse Vanderbilt for a three-game series in Nashville on Feb. 18. The preseason honors keep streaming in for the Pokes as three Cowboys have now been selected as preseason All-Americans. There is one first-team projection, one second-team, and one for the third-team from various college baseball outlets.
Designated hitter and pitcher Justin Campbell has been named a preseason first-team selection by D1Baseball in their preseason All-American team.
Campbell is a sophomore from Simi Valley, Calf. that earned multiple All-America honors last season and was named an All-Big 12 First Team performer as both a pitcher and utility player. He spent the summer of ’21 playing with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
Campbell made 14 appearances on the mound for the Cowboys a year ago, 13 as a starter, and went 7-2 with a 2.57 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 84 innings of work. The right-hander recorded double digits in strikeouts five times and tossed the ninth no-hitter in OSU history, achieving that feat against Kansas.
His contributions exceeded pitching as he played in 30 games as a designated hitter or pinch hitter and posted a .269 batting average to go along with a home run, five doubles and 10 RBIs.
Miami, Fla. transfer Victor Mederos was named a second-team preseason All-American by Baseball America. The native of Cuba transferred to OSU following his freshman season at Miami in 2021. In 12 appearances with the Hurricanes, eight as a starter, the right-hander went 2-3 with a 5.11 ERA and tallied 35 strikeouts in 44 innings of work.
Mederos worked with the father of Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holliday, Tom when he pitched for Chatham in the Cape Cod League this past summer. In seven outings for the Chatham Anglers, he went 1-1 with a save and a 4.64 ERA and recorded 19 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.
Baseball America’s college teams are chosen by Major League Baseball scouting departments and are based on ability and scouting reports.
Back to D1Baseball and Nolan McLean made their third-team preseason All-America list.
As a freshman in 2021, McLean started 39 games and hit .263 with eight homers, 10 doubles and 20 RBIs. The North Carolina native spent most of his time as an infielder but is also a prospect on the mound and was selected to the D1Baseball team as a utility player.