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In a family of Cowboys, Carson McPherson is ready to buck the trend.
The Ardmore senior pitcher/outfielder has rooted for Oklahoma State his entire life. His mom and dad are OSU alumni. His older brother is enrolled at Stillwater.
But McPherson’s going to be a Sooner. The All-Ardmoreite Player of the Year made his college commitment on Wednesday at Ardmore High School, inking with Oklahoma on the first day of collegiate baseball’s early signing period.
McPherson was offered by Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, and received interest from various schools including Nebraska, Texas Tech, Tulane, Georgia Tech, LSU and Houston. When it came down to it, however, the left-hander felt most comfortable in Norman.
McPherson was offered a scholarship by the Sooners last week and was also offered on an official visit to Stillwater on Saturday.
“At OU, I’ll have a chance to go to the College World Series every year,” McPherson said. “My ultimate goal is to make it to the College World Serie and to be on that big stage.”
A two-time All-Ardmoreite Super Team selection and a starter since his freshman year, McPherson put together his best season as a junior this past spring. He batted .543 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs, and struck out 127 batters in 62 innings, leading the Tigers to their first Class 5A state tournament appearance since 2002. His walk-off home run against McAlester at the regional tournament in Durant capped an unexpected run for the Tigers, who entered the regional 7-22 for the season.
“He’s a kid who’s a great baseball player and doesn’t act like it; he’s a teammate first,” Ardmore baseball coach Will Trisciani said. “It’s a great thing. We’re excited. We’ve got a great group of kids coming back and hopefully he won’t be the last one (to sign).”
McPherson followed his stellar postseason with an even better summer and fall, building up buzz with the Oklahoma Panthers and Dallas Patriots travel teams. He was one of 20 Oklahoma players selected to the Battle of the Borders All-American Game between Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico from Sept. 30-Oct. 2. With the Patriots, McPherson went to the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., from Oct. 20-24 and was able to hold his own against some of the best high school talent in the country. McPherson was clocked at as high as 92 miles per hour on the mound.
In a family of Cowboys, Carson McPherson is ready to buck the trend.
The Ardmore senior pitcher/outfielder has rooted for Oklahoma State his entire life. His mom and dad are OSU alumni. His older brother is enrolled at Stillwater.
But McPherson’s going to be a Sooner. The All-Ardmoreite Player of the Year made his college commitment on Wednesday at Ardmore High School, inking with Oklahoma on the first day of collegiate baseball’s early signing period.
McPherson was offered by Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, and received interest from various schools including Nebraska, Texas Tech, Tulane, Georgia Tech, LSU and Houston. When it came down to it, however, the left-hander felt most comfortable in Norman.
McPherson was offered a scholarship by the Sooners last week and was also offered on an official visit to Stillwater on Saturday.
“At OU, I’ll have a chance to go to the College World Series every year,” McPherson said. “My ultimate goal is to make it to the College World Serie and to be on that big stage.”
A two-time All-Ardmoreite Super Team selection and a starter since his freshman year, McPherson put together his best season as a junior this past spring. He batted .543 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs, and struck out 127 batters in 62 innings, leading the Tigers to their first Class 5A state tournament appearance since 2002. His walk-off home run against McAlester at the regional tournament in Durant capped an unexpected run for the Tigers, who entered the regional 7-22 for the season.
“He’s a kid who’s a great baseball player and doesn’t act like it; he’s a teammate first,” Ardmore baseball coach Will Trisciani said. “It’s a great thing. We’re excited. We’ve got a great group of kids coming back and hopefully he won’t be the last one (to sign).”
McPherson followed his stellar postseason with an even better summer and fall, building up buzz with the Oklahoma Panthers and Dallas Patriots travel teams. He was one of 20 Oklahoma players selected to the Battle of the Borders All-American Game between Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico from Sept. 30-Oct. 2. With the Patriots, McPherson went to the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., from Oct. 20-24 and was able to hold his own against some of the best high school talent in the country. McPherson was clocked at as high as 92 miles per hour on the mound.
At OU, McPherson will be a pitcher exclusively.
“It’s a transition I have to make,” McPherson said of pitching only. “I’ll try to DH for myself, but if not I’ll be fine with just pitching.”
McPherson also cited the addition of pitching coach Jack Giese to the OU staff as a major factor for his decision to sign with the Sooners. Giese, who was officially hired by OU on Sunday, comes from a professional background, spending the last two seasons with the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Class A minor league affiliate.
“The night before my commitment, we talked about pitching and his pitching philosophy and that sealled the deal,” McPherson said.
McPherson’s parents, Michael and Jana, may be Stillwater grads, but he and his family are in no way disappointed with Carson’s decision. The family won’t have to travel as far to see home games and Carson will even get to keep his No. 30 when he gets to Norman.
“I think he made the 100 percent best choice,” Michael said. “He deserves to play for a school like the University of Oklahoma.”
“It’s definitely difficult,” Carson said. “But I had to think about what was best for me. I really thought OU was the best place for me and the best place to win.”
Erik K. Horne
221-6522
