Four former Mountaineers earn trip to College World Series
Jun. 12—Four former Eastern Oklahoma State College baseball players will be going to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Dalten Patten, Jonah Cox, Mac McCroskey, and Nate Ackenhausen all four will be heading to the CWS after Super Regional wins with their teams over the weekend.
Patten, a Red Oak graduate, averaged a .455 batting average while with the Mountaineers, a .534 on-base percentage, two home runs, 29 RBIs, and 44 runs scored during the 2022 season. He also had 14 appearances on the mound, earning a 4-1 record with two saves, a 2.88 ERA, and threw 44 strikeouts.
Cox, who came to Wilburton from Broomfield, Colo., also played with Eastern during the 2022 season, averaging a .431 batting average, a .502 on-base percentage, three home runs, 71 RBIs, and 73 runs scored.
McCroskey, coming to Eastern from Springdale, Ark., played for the Mountaineers in the 2020-2021 seasons. He earned a .403 batting average, a .493 on-base percentage, six home runs, 57 RBIs, and 85 runs scored.
After leaving EOSC, the trio continued their collegiate athletic at Oral Roberts University. The Golden Eagles have seen many successes this season with a record of 51-12.
They advanced to the CWS after first defeating Oklahoma State, Washington, and Dallas Baptist in the Stillwater Regional, and rallying from down a game to take two over Oregon in the Eugene Super Regional — culminating with a dominant 11-6 win over the Ducks to advance to Omaha.
This season, Patten has earned a .250 batting average and a .400 on-base percentage, with one home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored in 31 games. He has also taken the mound in 27 games this season, earning a 4-2 record with a 4.43 ERA and 48 strikeouts thrown.
Cox is holding a .420 batting average this season with a .480 on-base percentage, earning 11 home runs, 67 RBIs, and scored 69 runs in 63 games played..
McCroskey has earned a .310 batting average with a .393 on-base percentage, plus 13 home runs, 62 RBIs, and scored 65 runs in 63 games played.
This is the first CWS appearance for ORU since 1978.
Ackenhausen, an Owasso graduate, played at Eastern during the 2021-2022 seasons. He held a 1.77 ERA in 86.2 innings pitched with 145 strikeouts thrown.
After his time in Wilburton, Ackenhausen continued his career at Louisiana State University. The Tigers have also had a majorly successful year, earning a 48-15 record.
They advanced to the CWS after wins over Tulane and Oregon State in their own regional at Baton Rouge, and next a pair of wins over Kentucky once again at home for their Super Regional — using an 8-3 win over the Wildcats to advance to Omaha.
Ackenhausen has made 15 appearances on the mound for the Tigers this season, earning a record of 2-0 with two saves with a 3.63 ERA and 24 strikeouts thrown.
The College World Series is scheduled for June 16-26, with the final team standing being named the college baseball national champion.
