Phansalkar is "by Far the Best" After a Long Journey of Learning to Trust

STILLWATER – Roman Phansalkar was born to be a Cowboy. There was no way of knowing what kind of Cowboy as he was growing up and attending Oklahoma State sports with his family, but he was going to be a Cowboy. His father Kiran grew up in Ponca City as an avid athlete and sports fan. That continued in his years as a student at OSU. His mother Rebecca also played sports including softball and was a cheerleader at Oklahoma State. You see it just made sense that Phansalkar would play on some team at OSU, but which one?

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Roman Phnsalkar used to be at games looking like the young fans that now watch him pitch.

In high school it became apparent that baseball was his game. A combination pitcher and position player, Phansalkar helped Heritage Hall win back-to-back State Championships on the diamond. His junior season he was 5-3 on the mound with a 1.41 ERA and he led the team with a .433 batting average and 13 doubles. As a senior he earned All-State honors and was ranked No. 95 on Baseball America’s Top 100 High School Prospects for the MLB Draft. That season he was 6-1 and had a 0.95 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings.

Oklahoma State was the destination, but then Arizona jumped in. The Wildcats and their strong baseball program jumped on Phansalkar early and they were aggressive. I don’t know what was going on, but it was almost like Oklahoma State felt that Phansalkar was coming to Stillwater no matter what.

He ended up at Arizona where he red-shirted as a freshman and then in 2019 after transferring to Oklahoma State had Tommy John surgery. This is really where Phansalkar’s story begins. The story of how he has become one of the top pitchers in the Big 12 and goes into this weekend’s critical showdown series with West Virginia with a 2.10 ERA and a 3-2 record in 14 appearances and 30.0 innings and 22 strike outs. In Big 12 play that ERA is down to 1.80.

Phansalkar is pitching the best he has  ever pitched in his life.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Phansalkar looks taller than his 6-1 height with that sinker as a weapon.

“This is by far the best, the most confidence (I’ve had), the best the sinker has been the best it has ever been, I was a four-seam slider guy coming out of high school and then Tommy John (surgery). That changed things. I had to lower the arm slot. I was walking guys. The four-seamer was kind of flat and Rob (Walton) and I had to tinker with stuff to find out what was the best alternative for me. That was a sinker and seeing how my body rotated and throwing out of that slot. The velocity is up and sometimes the sinker is unhittable.”

There was a lot of doubt mixed with angst and everything in between for Phansalkar before arriving at the confident and highly effective pitcher that he is heading to Morgantown, WV for that showdown series this weekend.

After Tommy John surgery he began his rehab and ultimately his reintroduction to pitching. His ERA after two appearances early in 2020 was 27.00. That is astronomical. There were thoughts of giving up the game, but he admits his parents didn’t want to see him end it that way. His teammates and Oklahoma State pitching coach Rob Walton were encouraging. He took one more trip to Los Angeles for an MRI and diagnosis. The doctor told him that he was still injured, but he wasn’t sure if it was a reinjury or if he hadn’t completely healed. He told Phansalkar to wait three more months, that would be 19 following surgery.

“Apparently, it healed in the 17th or 18th month because it did,” Phansalkar said. Now, it was all about getting back to pitching. At Heritage Hall he had been a fastball slider pitcher. That four-seamer that he spoke of.  It wasn’t working. In 2021 he was much better, but a 6.25 ERA wasn’t what he wanted.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Roman Phansalkar

“It was not just the physical grind but the mental grind,” Phansalkar said. “There were times I wanted to hang it up and be done with it, but I’m not that kind of guy and I couldn’t have lived with myself if I let it end like that. Guys like Rob and my teammates wouldn’t let me get down. Rob has been a big part of this.”

An even bigger part as Walton did one of the things he does best with Roman. He rebuilt him as a pitcher.

“Me and Rob kind of butted heads on how we wanted to attack this for a long time and I kind of caved and said we are going to do this,” Phansalkar admitted. “I was down to my last shot. I said to Rob, ‘I’m going to put full faith in you.’ He completely flipped me an. It’s been a long process and we’ve been at each other, and I think we are now on the same page about what I am as a pitcher and how I need to go about getting hitters out.”

Phansalkar had former Cowboys to compare notes with as Walton had coached up Michael Freeman and Jensen Elliott with the sinker. He says talking to both helped him along his way.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Phansalkar releases a sinker at Kansas State.

“He (Walton) had some idea that I could sink the ball out of my arm slot. It is working out,” Phansalkar said.

It certainly is. OU could barely touch him in two appearances including the game closing in game three to clinch Bedlam.

“I’m not a big strike out guy. I don’t try to be. I’m a put the ball in play guy and the sinker is such a barrel missing pitch that it is pretty confidence inspiring.”

Inspiring and so much fun to watch for Kiran and Rebecca Phansalkar, for Roman’s Cowboy teammates, for Rob Walton, and for everybody in orange and black.