Published: May 20, 2008 11:15 pm            

Learning curve

Former Santa Fe standout develops into Stars ace on the mound

Last season did not turn out the way Tyler Kelsey had hoped. After a strong sophomore campaign at Oklahoma City University, the tall left-hander was unable to find that magic in 2007.

Kelsey went 10-1 with a 4.15 ERA, as a sophomore in 2006, but finished last season with a 4-2 record and a 5.40 ERA. The sub par performance served as a learning tool for the Edmond Santa Fe product.

“I think him being a senior and being around the program, I think he took more of a leadership role in the staff, and just really came on,” OCU coach Denney Crabaugh said.

Kelsey put in plenty of long hours in the offseason working on conditioning and his arsenal of pitches. With a strong changeup and an 88-mile per hour fastball at hand, Kelsey focused on his curve ball.

“I believe my curve ball has really improved a lot, the last couple of years I’ve grown up, I did a lot of fastballs, changeups and cutters, and now I’ve got that extra pitch,” Kelsey said. “It’s not a show me pitch anymore, it’s actually an out pitch for me.”

The effort paid off for the senior, who has helped OCU return to the NAIA World Series. This year Kelsey has developed into the teams most dependable arms, posting a perfect 9-0 record with a 2.47 ERA and 77 strikeouts.

“I know he worked hard over the summer and prepared himself for this spring and he’s having the type of year I thought he’d have,” Crabaugh said.

Kelsey’s strong pitching and senior leadership have been a key ingredient for the Stars success this season. OCU has also gotten things done at the plate and in the field. The Stars are hitting .386, with an NAIA record 144 home runs, while also posting a .965 fielding percentage.

“I’ve been waiting three years to do it, it seems like it’s been a long time, we’ve put a lot of hard work into it, but we just finally put it together,” Kelsey said. “This year it seems like everything is going right, our defense is working really well, and obviously the offense is scoring a lot of runs so it’s helping a lot.”

The Stars (55-10) have also shown great resiliency in 2008. After being swept by No. 1-ranked Lubbock Christian this season, the Stars end LCU’s season with a 14-8 win in the regional tournament.

The win over LCU earned the Stars their first trip to the NAIA World Series, since winning the national title in 2005. Crabaugh said he’s excited about the team’s chances, and sees many similarities between the two clubs.

“They’re very similar, we had a lot of young guys then, we hit the ball real well, we had a lot of players that came through in different areas,” Crabaugh said. “We’ll just wait and see if things fall the way we want them to.”

The NAIA World Series begins Friday in Lewiston, Idaho. The Stars have a first round bye, and will play the winner of the Jamestown (N.D.) - Spring Arbor (Mich.) at 5 p.m. Central Time on Saturday.

        

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