Why NCAA baseball tournament will be like a family reunion for Oklahoma State's Roc Riggio
STILLWATER — Jack Wilson’s first text message during the NCAA selection show was to Oklahoma State freshman Roc Riggio.
The two were going to reunite.
“I was so excited to be able to see him again,” Wilson said.
Wilson — a 12-year MLB veteran — was Riggio’s coach at Thousand Oaks (California) High School, where he helped Riggio convert from an outfielder to second baseman. Wilson’s son Jacob is the star shortstop at Grand Canyon University.
The trio remains close.
And Monday brought good news. All three will be in Stillwater this weekend for the regional tournament hosted by the seventh-seeded Cowboys.
It’s possible their paths could cross in competition — with the Cowboys as the top seed and Grand Canyon as the third seed, it would be Saturday — that would be great. If not, they will still reunite away from the field.
“He’s an awesome dude,” Riggio said earlier this season about his former coach. “Awesome family.”
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As OSU prepares to host its first postseason tournament in O’Brate Stadium, a deep lineup of talent will be on display. Atop the batting order will be Riggio, a fiery freshman second baseman who has been a catalyst.
And Jack Wilson helped make it possible.
“Roc loves baseball,” Wilson said. “That’s his life. That’s his passion. He wakes up every day wanting to be a better baseball player than the day before. That’s what makes him so good. That’s what makes him fun to watch, as well.”
“It’s just fun to see that carry over to Oklahoma State from Thousand Oaks.”
Wilson noticed that passion when he started coaching a 10-year-old Riggio on a travel-ball team.
Then a catcher, Riggio had the fire. He committed to UCLA in the eighth grade. After he reopened his recruitment, he played for Team USA’s 17-and-under national team development program as an outfielder.
But MLB scouts wanted to see Riggio — who is 5-foot-9 — play the infield.
Wilson, a steady defender and former All-Star, was the right coach to help. So, Riggio just showed up at Wilson’s house one day.
He wasn’t even sure he was using the correct glove.
Maybe it was fit for an outfielder. Perhaps it was better suited for the infield.
Didn’t matter. He caught grounder after grounder from a machine in Wilson’s back-yard diamond.
All alone.
Wilson was inside when he received a text from Riggio asking for guidance.
“I’ll get around to it,” Wilson replied.
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Two months passed. Riggio returned almost daily to work on his own. Still, no Wilson.
Finally, Riggio knocked on Wilson’s door asking for help again.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Riggio said.
Wilson paused his video game and promised he’d be out soon. He eventually stood in his doorway watching.
Then he nodded at Riggio and walked back inside.
Riggio was confused and a little angry. But Wilson had a plan.
Wilson is all about repetition. He did not want to fine-tune Riggio’s fundamentals until after he took 10,000 grounders.
“I wanted to give them the space to be themselves and get their work in on their own,” Wilson said of Riggio and other players.
It resulted in Riggio signing with OSU and sticking with the Cowboys over the MLB Draft despite being picked in the 11th round last summer.
And it’s led to big things with the Cowboys.
Riggio is batting .257 with seven homers, 30 RBIs and 45 runs. He’s committed just five errors while starting 48 games.
“He’s been fun to watch all year,” Wilson said. “We're big Oklahoma State fans. We’re excited to be out there and cheer for GCU but also cheer for them.”
Here is a look at the three teams visiting O'Brate Stadium this weekend:
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No. 2 seed Arkansas
Record: 38-18 (18-12 SEC)
NCAA Tournament history: 33rd appearance, fifth consecutive (92-72 record)
Leading hitter: Sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace is batting .295 and leads the team in runs (51), hits (67), doubles (17), runs batted in (48), total bases (119) and stolen bases (10). He also led the team with a .310 average in conference play.
Leading pitcher: Senior right-hander Connor Noland is the Razorbacks’ ace, making 15 starts and going 5-5 with a 4.07 earned-run average. He’s struck out 95 batters over 86 1/3 innings.
OSU’s all-time record vs. Arkansas: 46-21 (Teams have split four meetings since 2001)
Last meeting: OSU won in Frisco College Baseball Classic on March 5, 2017
Short hops: Arkansas has two players with Oklahoma ties. Former Westmoore star Jace Bohrofen has appeared in 29 games and batted .228 in his first year following his transfer from OU. Sophomore Jaxon Wiggins, a Roland graduate, is weekend starter. He is 6-3 with a 5.83 ERA. … Freshman Brady Tygert leads the team with eight saves and sports a 2.62 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 20 appearances. … Two hitters besides Wallace have more than 10 home runs — Braydon Webb (14) and Brady Slavens (13). … Right-hander Peyton Pallette, a potential first-round pick this summer, has missed the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. … Junior second baseman Robert Moore is the son of Kansas City Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore. … The team went 0-2 in the SEC Tournament last week and has lost four straight games. … The Razorbacks missed out on hosting a regional for the first time since 2017.
No. 3 seed Grand Canyon
Record: 41-19 (25-5 WAC)
NCAA Tournament history: Second appearance, first being in 2021 (0-2 record)
Leading hitter: Sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson led the team in walks (24) and only struck out seven times. The best all-around hitter, he batted .353 with 84 hits, 41 runs, 11 home runs, 17 doubles and 64 RBis.
Leading pitcher: Freshman Daniel Avitia was named the WAC Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander was 8-4 with a 3.59 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings.
OSU’s all-time record vs. Grand Canyon: 16-4-1 (OSU won 3 of 4 meetings last season, with the non-victory being a tie due to curfew)
Last meeting: OSU won 5-3 in NCAA regional elimination game at Arizona on June 5, 2021
Short hops: Junior outfielder Taylor Aguilar leads the team with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs, but also in strikeouts (48). … Junior right-handed reliever Vince Reilly is 7-1 with 14 saves, which leads the WAC, in 30 appearances. … Coach Andy Stankiewicz was named the WAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time. The former MLB infielder helped the Lopes move from Division II to Division I in 2014. He was also previously a coach at Arizona State with OSU coach Josh Holliday. … A trio of sophomores all have dads who played in the big leagues. Homer Bush Jr.’s dad, Homer, played 409 games with three teams. Jacob Wilson’s dad, Jack, played more than 1,300 games over 12 seasons. Tyler Wilson’s dad, Steve, played 205 games in the late 80s and early 90s. … Junior infielder Ambren Voitek is from Enid. He began his college career at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid before transferring. … The Lopes were 12-6 against teams in the NCAA Tournament. … Swept a two-game home series with Texas Tech. … Had big success on the road, going 21-6.
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No. 4 seed Missouri State
Record: 30-27 (8-13 Missouri Valley Conference)
NCAA Tournament history: 12th appearance, first since 2018 (22-24 record)
Leading hitter: Junior catcher Drake Baldwin leads the team in RBIs (60), slugging percentage (.615) and total bases (134). He’s also batting .335 with 16 homers, 13 doubles, 52 runs scored and 60 RBIs.
Leading pitcher: Right-hander Adam Link has started 16 games and is 6-5 with a 4.50 ERA over 86 innings. The graduate student had just two wins in five May starts, though.
OSU’s all-time record vs. Missouri State: 18-9 (Teams have split four games dating back to 2020 season)
Last meeting: OSU won 5-1 at O’Brate Stadium on March 8
Short hops: The Bears have hit 99 home runs this season — with a whopping 20 home runs coming in last week’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. … Senior outfielder Dakota Kotowski leads the way with 23 homers, including one against OSU. … Was the sixth seed in the conference tournament before winning five of six games to clinch the championship and automatic NCAA Tournament berth. … Bears have remarkable consistency leading the program. Head coach Keith Guttin is in his 40th season leading the program and is third on the active list for wins with 1,339, which ranks 15th all-time. … Team went 6-8 against NCAA Tournament teams, including a win over Arkansas in the lone matchup. … Junior right-handed pitcher Dan Merrill is from Tulsa, where he was homeschooled. He enters with a 12.71 ERA in 22 ⅔ innings. He began his career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.
Jacob Unruh covers college sports for The Oklahoman. You can send your story ideas to him at junruh@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NCAA baseball tournament: Meet Oklahoma State Cowboys regional foes
